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Ellie Goulding is shockingly soft-spoken for a woman who has spent the past six years of her career skyrocketing to the top of charts around the world. Since releasing her debut album, "Lights," in 2010, the English singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist has sold more than 6 million albums and 20 million singles worldwide in addition to performing for the likes of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and President Obama.
Goulding has achieved superstardom in the UK and is using that momentum to take the U.S. by storm. Her electronic pop music is impossible to ignore and even harder to not like. She writes her own songs, plays instruments and owns the stage at every performance. She captivates audiences around the world, but it is her soprano voice admittedly developed with no classical training that keeps critics buzzing. Goulding herself is unafraid to own the power that is her vocal capability.
"I've never known a voice that is so in control and out of control simultaneously. I feel like it's constantly evolving into something potentially uncontrollable one day," she said in a telephone interview.
In November 2015, Goulding released her third studio album, "Delirium." She described it as a representation of where she is in her life happy and determined. In April, she kicked off a three-month North American tour to celebrate the album's release. She stops at the Maverik Center in West Valley City on Wednesday.
Goulding took a few moments from her massive tour to talk to The Tribune about what it feels like to be in a state of "Delirium," her goals beyond music and yes, that voice.
From "Halcyon" to "Delirium"
I always wanted to make an album the way that I made "Delirium." I went to L.A. for weeks and then came back and went again. It seemed like the way I wanted to do things for a while. It was quite clean and stress-free. I think that shaped the sound a little bit more because I could really just let the music do a little bit more than my voice. "Halcyon" [Goulding's sophomore album] was a really emotional time it was quite dark and more experimental. I wrote it at a time when I was very depressed so it's an interesting one. "Delirium" is so happy and vibrant and I put that to even small things like being in the sun. I've never really done that with an album before. I guess an album is weather-dependent as well. I wrote "Halcyon" in the cold, windy, rainy valley. I really think that affects your mood. There is something positive about being in L.A. and about being with people you completely admire and look up to and respect. Naturally, making music is always shaped by my situation. I write music in the moment. I am very time-sensitive [in] what I write.
Beyond music
Next year I would like to focus on something completely different. I am a patron to a women's homeless shelter [Marylebone's Women's Project] where women get to come to a place where they can escape from various difficult situations. Last time I was there, there was definitely a big influx of refugees, which is understandable. I have not truly fulfilled my role with that yet, so I will spend time with women who appreciate the talking and the company. It's an amazing place for women to get themselves back on their feet. Also, I need to visit places in the world not for my work, which is the basis of all of my travel for the past six, seven years. But on a different mission: I sort of have this dream of helping to save the planet. Don't we all? But I would like to try.
Keeping things interesting
Everything is interesting for me because of the nature of voice and myself as a person it always keeps things interesting. If I was to look at my voice from an outside ear when you listen back through all the records, because that is the only way I can really look at it from a different perspective sometimes I hit a point when I sing where I have gotten to another level of where did that voice even come from? How did I make that sound? Then other times it's so predictable. It has the capability to be opposite of itself. Even on this last album, I did things with my voice I never even knew, which sounds far-fetched. But, I sang on this record like never before.
On tour
This tour has been really fun. I've been surprised by how smoothly it's gone. I've never done an arena tour before. That part of it has been really exciting and different. [The live experience] is pretty special. One review recently said I almost have a supernatural type of energy because I don't stop moving. I've kind of mastered the art of singing and moving at the same time. We've crafted the show to make sure that it works for my electronic music and for my acoustic music because I have done quite a lot of both. It's high-energy and fun. At times it can be quite emotional. It is a bit of a rollercoaster, I suppose. People are pretty often shocked when they get to know me as a person and then see the show after. It's quite amazing to invite people to a show who have known me for a long time and then they see a whole other side of me when they see the show.
Ellie Goulding
With Broods.
When • Wednesday, April 13, 7 p.m.
Where • Maverik Center, 3200 S. Decker Lake Drive, West Valley City
Tickets • $29.50-$59.50; Smith's Tix