Here's Why Ellie Goulding Took Such A Long Hiatus From Music
Grammy-nominated English pop star and songwriter Ellie Goulding has delighted fans with her soft-spoken, yet still powerful vocal sound ever since the debut of her album Lights in 2010. The breakout single from the album was, you guessed it, "Lights," which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Since the release, with millions in sales around the world, Goulding spent the next five years releasing three more albums, including 2012's Halcyon, with the single "Anything Could Happen." From 2010 to 2015, the singer has collaborated with Calvin Harris, Diplo, Major Lazer, and even Juice WRLD. And, in her spare time, she's been outspoken about climate change. But what happened after 2015?
"The past five years have been really poignant in my life," said Goulding in an August 2020 interview with ET Online. "I spent my 20s pretty much in mad chaos. I don't remember much of it. I think I blurred a lot of it out."
She continued, "I've been around the world a few times. I played so many shows. I've been to cities I can't even remember. I can't even think of all the countries I've been to at this point. I was on a constant roll. I was taking it for granted because I assumed it would just be my cycle forever, touring."
Luckily for Goulding's diehard fans, she bounced back with the album Brightest Blue, which dropped in July 2020. So why the five-year hiatus? Let's dig in further.
Ellie Goulding let go of her management
For singer and songwriter Ellie Goulding, the pop music world has been kind. Singles like "Starry Eyed" and "Burn" led the international artist on the charts, and even landed her a single on the Fifty Shades of Grey movie soundtrack.
Her last album before 2020 was Delirium, which peaked on the Billboard 200 at No. 3 back in 2015. The album gave the top 10 single "Love Me Like You Do" and resulted in the Delirium World Tour, which ended in 2017 and earned her a Grammy nomination. But what happened after that? Goulding took a much-needed break from music and her management.
"I parted ways with my management, I moved to New York," said Goulding in an interview with ET Online. "I went through quite a few changes. So I really decided to take a bunch of time off. I needed it. I needed to reflect on everything."
In the same interview, Goulding shared how she needed to bring herself back to reality. "I needed to figure out who I was without all that stuff in the background, touring and madness and celebrity-ness and all that stuff. I had to become a human that wasn't just a touring robot," said the singer.
Ellie Goulding likes being alone
During her five-year hiatus from pop music, English singer Ellie Goulding took the time to be just a human again, but this time in New York. The songwriter learned in the period how much she enjoyed just being alone.
"I spent a bunch of time by myself in New York. I would go for lots of walks. I got to know a few people, but not really. I just spent a lot of time by myself," said Goulding in an interview with ET Online. "That really made me question things and question my independence and how little I had of it. I wanted to become this strong, empowered female."
Goulding's last tour for her 2015 album, Delirium, included over 80 city stops and millions in sales. Her time in New York revealed for the singer an inspiring sense of aloneness. "I felt like I had a type of loneliness living in a big city," she explained to NPR. "I didn't know that many people. But then I also had a long time to have self-reflection and think about the past 10 or so years touring and releasing music. And I haven't really had a chance to really stop and think about that and also really haven't had a chance before to really understand who I've become as a human, as a woman."
Ellie Goulding married her longtime boyfriend
For English singer and songwriter Ellie Goulding, taking a hiatus from music to be alone and find creative independence proved to not be so lonely after all. In August 2019, Goulding married boyfriend Casper Jopling in England. The wedding included some royal family guests, and even Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom.
Once 2020 hit and the COVID-19 pandemic forced the world into quarantine, Goulding ended up in some unexpected one-on-one time with her new husband. But despite enjoying quality time with her guy, she's mindful about making space for herself, too. "I can read a book. I can go for a run, I can eat messily," she told The Mirror. "So it's really great that you can have a partner that you don't have to be with 24/7 – even when you're married." And when Goulding does need support, Jopling is right there to help out. "He definitely tries to help in a very innocent way. It's cute," she told USA TODAY. "He does like to give his advice, and he's much more business-minded than me, so that sometimes helps when I'm completely clueless about things."
After a five-year hiatus, self-growth, and reaching important milestones, Goulding finally released her fourth studio album in July 2020, Brightest Blue.
Ellie Goulding is ready to get back to music
With the release of her fourth studio album, Brightest Blue, and after a five-year hiatus from music, one wedding, and a three-year break from touring, English pop star Ellie Goulding is ready to be fully back in her creative, music-making groove. There's just one problem — the COVID-19 pandemic. But although touring is off the table for the moment, Goulding is finding new ways to stay in touch with her fans. Just one example? In August 2020, the singer performed a live-streamed concert at London's Victoria & Albert Museum. "The museum is a real pride of London that holds so many beautiful artifacts and archaeological things that I can't even explain," she said about the experience, according to Billboard. "It's really, really special."
Although Goulding has made the best out of a rough situation, she's ready to get back on the road. "This album has been such a passion project over the past five years and throughout the entire process I've been able to picture exactly what the live staging would look like – intimate, stripped back, honest, yet incredibly visual and special," she told Express & Star. "I can't wait!"
In the meantime, Goulding is navigating her next move. "There's definitely songs I've written in the past few years that I want to keep working on," she told ET Online. "So we'll see. I'm just gonna keep making stuff. Why not?"