Although the song technically charted lower than “Lights,” thanks to Fifty Shades it felt far more inescapable - the kind of song she could belt out as Taylor Swift’s special guest with the confidence that everyone in the audience would know every word. Not until “Love Me Like You Do,” the humongous MOR ballad from this year’s blockbuster Fifty Shades Of Grey soundtrack, did Goulding gain a firm foothold in the public consciousness.

She was sorta cool and kinda famous, but not enough of a cause célèbre to dominate online discourse nor popular enough at radio to be a household name.Įven as she kept landing EDM-era hits like “Burn” and “I Need Your Love,” and slaying festival sets throughout 20 - I count at least three rave reviews in our archives - Goulding seemed stuck in some netherworld between blog stardom and actual stardom, not fully reaping the benefits of critical acclaim nor commercial conquest.

She dated and collaborated with Skrillex at the height of dubstep, befriended elusive production mastermind Burial, and brought Arcade Fire rock bombast to her live show. Yet despite the song’s success, Goulding seemed less like a budding superstar than one of many internet-era singers making “pop” with scare quotes. Goulding emerged out of England in 2010 with “Lights,” an EDM-infused synth track that earned rave reviews upon its release and made a surprise dash up the American charts two years later. I made a conscious decision that I wanted it to be on another level.” This is a ridiculous statement, but not entirely ridiculous considering the source. When Ellie Goulding announced her new album, Delirium, over the summer, the press release included this quote from the British singer: “A part of me views this album as an experiment - to make a big pop album.

Ellie goulding albums tracklist