GAGE RIDLEY WAS BORN IN NORWICH, ENGLAND TO JAMES AND CAROLINE RIDLEY, A PROFESSOR AND BARRISTER RESPECTIVELY. SHE WAS THE LAST CHILD AND AN ENTIRELY ACCIDENTAL ONE AS ALL OF HER SIBLINGS WERE TEENS OR OLDER. WITH THE EXCEPTION OF BIG FAMILY HOLIDAYS, GAGE WAS RAISED ESSENTIALLY AS AN ONLY CHILD AND WAS FREQUENTLY SPOILED BY HER LATE IN LIFE PARENTS. IT WAS CHRISTMAS OF 2000 WHEN SHE RECIEVED A GUITAR, AND BEGAN LESSONS JUST AS SOON AS SHE COULD BE SIGNED UP. SHE DID NOT TAKE TO THE INSTRUMENT IMMEDIATELY, AND QUIT FREQUENTLY, UNTIL WINNING A CASH PRIZE AT A TALENT SHOW GAVE HER THE PUSH SHE NEEDED TO BEGIN TAKING HER LESSONS MORE SERIOUSLY.
GAGE'S BIG BREAK CAME IN THE FORM OF A FLYER IN A COFFEE SHOP FREQUENTED BY ALL OF HER FELLOW UNIVERSITY STUDENTS. IT ADVERTISED A TELEVISION SERIES THAT WAS HOLDING AUDITIONS, THE SHOW WOULD LATER BE COME TO KNOWN AS 'SKINS'. AFTER MULTIPLE ROUNDS OF AUDITIONS, GAGE LANDED THE ROLE OF ECCENTRIC CASSIE AINSWORTH, WHO BECAME A FAVORITE AMONG FANS. OFF SET THE GROUP OF YOUNG AND MOSTLY INEXPERIENCED ACTORS WOULD SPEND AFTER HOURS PARTYING AT ONE HOUSE OR ANOTHER, DRINKS WOULD BE POURED AND GUITARS WOULD BE BROUGHT OUT, SKATEBOARDS WOULD BE RIDDEN BOTH INDOORS AND OUT. IN FACT, GAGE STILL BEARS THE SCAR OF THE ONE AND ONLY TIME SHE TRIED TO RIDE THE SKATEBOARD OF A FELLOW CASTMEMBER.
AFTER FINISHING THE SECOND SERIES OF 'SKINS' IT WAS ANNOUNCED THAT A NEW CAST WOULD BE BROUGHT ON AND GAGE, HAVING TURNED 20, FELT SHE HAD AGED OUT OF THE ROLE SINCE THE SHOW HAD ALWAYS TOUTED THE FACT THAT TEENS WERE PLAYING ACTUAL TEENS. INSTEAD, SHE TURNED HER SIGHTS TO MUSIC AND HOPING THOSE YEARS OF GUITAR LESSONS HAD PAID OFF. IT WAS A CONSCIENCE DECISION, ON HER PART, NOT TO LET THE SUCCESS OF 'SKINS' OVERSHADOW WHAT SHE COULD DO ON HER OWN AND HER DEBUT SINGLE, 'UNDER THE SHEETS' WAS RELEASED THROUGH NEON GOLD IN 2009. THE SONG GARNERED GOOD REVIEWS, AND ALTHOUGH IT DID NOT PERFORM WELL INITIALLY, HER ALBUM 'LIGHTS' RELEASED IN 2010 CHARTED IN BOTH THE US AND THE UK.
GAGE EARNED HER STRIPES BY TOURING, PLAYING FESTIVALS, AND OPENING FOR MULTIPLE ARTISTS FOR THE BETTER PART OF A YEAR FOLLOWING 'LIGHTS' RELEASE. A SECOND REPACKAGED RELEASE OF THE ALBUM FOLLOWED, ALONG WITH PERFORMANCES FOR PRINCE WILLIAM AS WELL AS AN APPEARANCE ON SNL HELPED HER CROSSOVER APPEAL LEADING UP TO THE RELEASE OF HER SECOND ALBUM, 'HALYCON' IN 2012 WHICH CHARTED IN THE TOP TEN UPON IT'S RELEASE. COMPLIMENTING HER OWN ELECTRO-POP SOUND, GAGE FOUND SUCCESS COLLABORATING WITH ARTISTS LIKE ZEDD AND CALVIN HARRIS LEADING TO A PERIOD OF TIME THAT YEAR WHEN YOU COULDN'T TUNE YOUR RADIO TO A TOP 40'S STATION WITHOUT HEARING ONE OF HER SONGS.
IN 2013, GAGE BRIEFLY STOPPED TOURING LONG ENOUGH TO RETURN TO HER ROOTS AND REPRISING HER ROLE AS CASSIE AINSWORTH FOR THE SKINS FINALE EPISODES. WHILE SHE REALISED HOW MUCH SHE OWED THE SERIES, IT ONLY CEMENTED FOR HER THAT MUSIC WAS WHAT SHE TRULY WAS MEANT TO BE DOING. AFTER THE TOUR THAT FOLLOWED THIS DIVERSION, SHE HEADED TO LOS ANGELES TO BEGIN WORKING ON HER THIRD ALBUM.
AS SOMEONE WHO DID NOT ACTIVELY SEEK OUT THE MEDIA SPOTLIGHT, GAGE CAME UNDER SCRUTINY AFTER BEING PULLED OVER FOR A DUI IN EARLY 2014 AND A MESSY BREAKUP A LITTLE LATER ON THE SAME YEAR. THIS HAS LED SOME CRITICS TO SPECULATE THE REASON WHY HER ALBUM RELEASE DATE HAS BEEN PUSHED BACK FROM LATE 2014 TO EARLY 2015 (AND NOW AGAIN TO FALL 2015) IS BECAUSE OF DISTRACTIONS. HOWEVER, THE SUCCESS OF HER SONG 'LOVE ME LIKE YOU DO' OFF THE 50 SHADES OF GRAY SOUNDTRACK DID A LOT IN THE WAY OF SILENCING THOSE CRITICS.
