Ellie Goulding

With Halcyon (2012), Goulding took that sound to another level. By then, there were no doubts: it was pop with an electronic soul, but with a more polished production and collaborations that added depth. The album kicks off with Anything Could Happen, a track that sounds like an anthem but with a rhythm that moves as if it’s out of sync. Then came Halcyon Days (2013), the expanded edition that included Burn, her first UK number one. That song, with its heavy bass and addictive melody, proved Goulding could write hits without losing her essence. Later came collaborations with Calvin Harris — I Need Your Love and Outside — that brought her to another audience, more dance-oriented. But even in those tracks, her voice remained the centerpiece: that high-pitched vibrato that sticks in the memory.

In Delirium (2015), Goulding explored darker, denser sounds, with collaborations like Max Martin and Greg Kurstin that gave it a more commercial edge. The album included Love Me Like You Do, the Fifty Shades of Grey song that earned her a Grammy nomination. But not everything was success: some critics said she strayed too far from her original style. She responded with Brightest Blue (2020), a return to electronic music but with a more mature air. Tracks like Close to Me or Hate Me showed she could stay relevant without repeating herself. And in 2023, with Higher Than Heaven, she achieved something historic: her fourth UK number one album, tying Adele as the British artist with the most albums in that position.

Goulding isn’t just a hitmaker. She’s someone who has known how to navigate between genres, collaborations, and reinventions without losing her identity. From her early days on blogs to the biggest stages in the world, her music has always had that mix of intimacy and grandeur that makes her unique. And if one thing is clear when listening to her songs, it’s that behind the synthesizers and beats, there’s a voice that never stops singing from the heart.