It’s been a decade since a 16-year-old Ella Henderson was prematurely eliminated from the British “The X Factor.” Her debut, Chapter One, followed two years later to general international success with lead single “Ghost.” But there was just silence from Henderson’s camp until her 2019 four-track EP, Glorious. Finally, eight years after the debut, she’s ready for the world to hear her sophomore record.

Everything I Didn’t Say retains the strong vocal work that brought her to attention in the first place. But that’s balanced with a more mature production style and lyrical outlook on what cards life can deal you.

For those familiar with the styles of U.K. and Scandi-pop, the album falls neatly into that same vein. There’s some variety between electronic production as well as traditional instruments like piano and guitar, but all of the tracks are supported by Henderson’s voice. It sounds stronger than on previous releases and works as the centerpiece of the entire record.

Promotion began for the album with lead single “Let’s Go Home Together,” released just over a year ago. A collaboration with Tom Grennan, the track was co-written by James Arthur, who ultimately won the season of “The X Factor” where Henderson finished sixth. It’s a low-pop song and their vocals pair well, though it isn’t quite the strongest on the album.

She sounds uncannily like Dua Lipa on tracks like “We’re Good.” Her songwriting is strong as well.

“When trouble wrecks your heart/ And the world’s gone dark /And your soul is black and blue/ We still got love to give,” Ella Henderson sings. She’s been dating U.K. swimmer and Olympian Jack Burnell since around the beginning of 2020, and their relationship has clearly influenced many aspects of her outlook on the album.

Album opener “Emotions” is more upbeat and helps to energetically kick off Henderson’s return to music. There’s a driving beat over the electronic production that makes it the strongest contender to play while getting ready for a night out. “Good things take time,” she sings on “Take Time,” one of the album’s other electronically produced tracks. It’s about a breakup but indicates the reason it took her so long to compose her second album.

Piano ballad “Sorry That I Miss You” sounds a bit like Zara Larsson’s slower ballads.

“Missing you at night/ Now I wanna pick a fight/ Make a giant out of something small/ For no reason at all I put up a wall,” Henderson sings the self-aware lyrics. On “Northern Lights” she’s accompanied by an acoustic guitar and sings lightly and casually. “Set In Stone” follows and sounds similar. Henderson sings of sitting under the stars and hoping that, “Every time I smile, I get a wrinkle/ So they can remind me of the studio jokes.”

“Cry On Me” features Mikky Ekko, known best for his tremendous duet with Rihanna on “Stay,” and is the only other collaboration on the album. It’s another piano ballad, and though it might not stand out drastically from the other tracks, it reminds us how powerful of a presence Ekko makes.

Everything I Didn’t Say concludes with “Places,” which features some of the best vocal work between Henderson and her backing singers. It’s soulful and powerful, produced just enough to feel like a climax without being overdone. By Henderson taking her time to compose her second record, she effectively avoids a sophomore slump by putting her vocals at the forefront and reminding us why we first paid attention to her 10 years ago.

Follow Domenic Strazzabosco at Twitter.com/domenicstrazz and Instagram.com/domenicstrazz.