We’re not suggesting that Florence ‘and the Machine’ Welch is some kind of music industry dowsing rod, but we can’t help wondering if her admiration of Ellie Goulding might lead to another, more substantial Brit award for the youngster this time next year. After warning the collector of the 2010 Critics’ Choice gong – which Welch herself took home in 2009 – not to swear, get too nervous or burst into tears on the big night (as she had), she later praised the 23-year-old rising star for her striking poise, self-confidence and equanimity.
They’re qualities Goulding seems to have in spades. The flickeringly lovely disco-pop tunes of her debut album Lights reflect not only someone who’s centred and self-aware, but who can also spot a nutter at a hundred yards. Self-appointed patron ‘saint’ of the alt.pop sisterhood, Courtney Love apparently wanted to swap phone numbers, but Goulding gave Love her email address instead, demonstrating impressive diplomatic skills and levelheadedness under showbiz pressure. However, after the awards bash, Goulding tweeted in awe: ‘Lady Gaga held my hand and we talked and I think I died.’ Shucks – a fan like any other.
If Goulding’s songs are instantly likeable, they’re doubly so because of the sweet sadness and vulnerability at their core. You’d never guess it, but the Welsh singer-songwriter has a number of demons.
You’ve produced a very sophisticated album…
I’d say some of my songs are quite sad and thought provoking, because I really feel for people and examine things quite a lot. In a sense I feel like I’m a lot older than I am. I feel like I had a very adult perception from a young age and that I hurt a lot earlier than most people. I think it was to do with my childhood. When I was five, my parents divorced, but I was just young enough then to not be too aware of it. I always felt like the odd one out and I shared my room with my two sisters. It was awful – I still can’t get used to being alone. So, I didn’t have a really traumatic childhood all in all, but it certainly wasn’t comfy.
Do you look at those experiences as issues to be worked through, or more as raw material for your songs?
It’s funny, because I was a naturally brainy kid, so I would hang around with other brainy kids and it just so happened that they had quite well-off families. So, I was really jealous of the fact that I didn’t have what other kids have. But now I’m so grateful for that, because I appreciate everything I have now. I feel like I have lots of things to write about. A lot of pain and sadness comes through when I sing, but when I first think of something, it can go so deep it’s like my brain is a universe and that thoughts can spiral. I’m scared of the dark, but I find that if I keep the lights on, it stops my thoughts spiralling out of control. When I get into a spiral, I start to over-think everything and I start to worry about my health.
Right. So do you fret about that a lot?
My hypochondria did get to me, I kept having panic attacks before Christmas. As soon as my heart started pounding I’d think, Oh my God, I’m having a heart attack! I was genuinely stressed out and tense, because everything had gone so quickly. When I started my career, I was playing for, like, no more than ten people, and now I’ve sold out most of my tour. I was always a panicker. Even when I was very young I thought my hair was falling out. My mum thought I was crazy.
Blimey. And were you?
Well, I kept a diary when I was eight and remember writing things that other children my age weren’t aware of. I thought from such a young age, so when I got to about 15, I had so much to start writing songs about already.
Not all so-called negativity has a negative effect, then. It works both ways, I guess. Because I really think a lot about my songs, I think about what I put into them and if I didn’t have that, then I really don’t know what I’d be working at. I think that’s why my music is so infectious – you can kind of feel the sadness.
Lights is in stores now.
