Ellie Goulding Biography

Ellie Goulding was born Elena Jane Goulding on December 30, 1986, in Lyonshall, a small village near Kington, Herefordshire, England. Her father Arthur Goulding belonged to a family of undertakers, while her mother Tracey Goulding-Summers worked at a supermarket.

The second-born child, Ellie has an elder sister named Isabel, a brother named Alex, and another sister named Jordan. Her brother Alex is a bass player and is part of a band in Hereford.

Her father left the family when she was only five years old. Her mother later married a lorry driver, but they eventually separated. In one of her interviews, Ellie said that she would punch her stepfather in the face if she meets him again.

When she was a child, her mother encouraged her to pursue music. She learned to play the clarinet at the age of nine and started writing her own songs when she was 14. However, she took songwriting seriously only during her college days.

While studying at the ‘Lady Hawkins' High School’ in Kington, she played the role of ‘Scarecrow’ in a school production of 'The Wizard of Oz.' She would later pursue courses in drama, politics, and English at the ‘University of Kent.’

While studying at the ‘University of Kent,’ Ellie Goulding became interested in electronic music. She contacted record producer Frankmusik via ‘MySpace’ and with his help developed her own brand of ‘folktronica’ music.

During this time, she was discovered at a university talent contest by scout Jamie Lillywhite who started as her manager and later became the A&R. He introduced her to his superior, Sarah Stennett, who advised her to leave university and offered her a house to stay in West London.

Jamie then introduced her to Starsmith, a record producer, who helped release her debut single 'Under the Sheets' on November 15, 2009. He later produced her album 'Lights.' Though she was already signed with ‘Polydor Records,’ they decided to release 'Under the Sheets' under independent label ‘Neon Gold Records.’

Soon after the release of her debut EP 'An Introduction to Ellie Goulding' on December 20, 2009, she was nominated for the 'Critics' Choice Award' at the 2010 'Brit Awards.' She won the award, as well as the 'BBC Sound of 2010' poll. During this time, she co-wrote three songs for Diana Vickers and one song for Gabriella Cilmi.

On February 26, 2010, she released her first full-length album 'Lights,' which debuted at number one on the 'UK Albums Chart.' It was followed by her second EP 'Run into the Light,' which contained remix of songs from 'Lights' and was released in August that year.

She re-released her album 'Lights' in November 2010 as 'Bright Lights,' which contained six new tracks. The album featured a cover version of Elton John's 'Your Song,' which reached number two on the 'UK Singles Chart.'

On April 7, 2011, she appeared on American television for the first time on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' and performed 'Starry Eyed.' One month later, she appeared on 'Saturday Night Live,' hosted by Tina Fey.

On April 29, 2011, she performed at the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. On December 1, 2011, she performed at the White House during the ‘National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.’

On October 5, 2012, Ellie Goulding released her second studio album 'Halcyon,' which debuted at No.2 on the 'UK Albums Chart' and topped the chart in January 2014. On August 23, 2013, she released 'Halcyon Days,' an expanded version of the album, which had ten new tracks.

In late 2012, she recorded the song 'Bittersweet' for the soundtrack of 'The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2.' One year later, she performed the song 'Mirror' for the film 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.' She also recorded the song 'Beating Heart' for the 2014 film 'Divergent.'

'Delirium,' her third studio album, was released on November 6, 2015, and was met with positive reviews by critics. The album included the song 'Love Me like You Do' from the soundtrack of the 2015 film 'Fifty Shades of Grey,' for which she received her first 'Grammy Award' nomination for 'Best Pop Solo Performance.'

In October 2015, she appeared in the Australian singing reality show ‘X Factor’ where she performed ‘On My Mind.’ In August 2016, she recorded the song ‘Still Falling for You’ for the movie ‘Bridget Jones’s Baby.’

In 2018, she joined ‘Tap Management’ and subsequently collaborated with Jamaican rapper Sean Paul for his EP ‘Mad Love the Prequel'.

On January 1, 2019, it was reported that Goulding was working on her fourth studio album. The same year, she released the singles ‘Sixteen’ and ‘Hate Me’ along with American rapper Juice Wrld.

Ellie Goulding released her fourth album, 'Brightest Blue', on 17 July 2020. It debuted at the top of the UK Album Chart.

Ellie Goulding's third album, 'Delirium', debuted at number three on both the 'UK Albums Chart' and the 'US Billboard 200', and became her most successful album so far based on first-week sales. The album has already been certified Platinum in Britain.

Ellie Goulding has won four 'BMI London Awards' and two 'Brit Awards' among other accolades. She has been honored with several awards and nominations, including a nomination at the 58th 'Grammy Awards.'

Ellie Goulding was in a relationship with BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James from 2009 to 2011. Her album 'Halcyon' was influenced by her breakup with James. She briefly dated Skrillex in 2012 and Ed Sheeran in 2013.

She announced her relationship with musician Dougie Poynter in May 2014, following which they started to appear together at various events. The two broke up in March 2016, apparently due to busy work schedules.

She announced her engagement with boyfriend Caspar Jopling in August 2018. Caspar is the grandson of former conservative MP Michael Jopling. The couple tied the knot on 31 August 2019 at York Minister. The couple is currently expecting their first child.

She used to�suffer severe panic attacks before her performances at the beginning of her career. She started exercising to control her anxiety, and ran up to six miles a day. In 2011, she participated in a charity event for 'Students Run LA.' In 2013, she ran in the inaugural 'Nike Women Half Marathon.'

She performed at Gucci's global concert event in London in support of 'Chime for Change' campaign to raise awareness of women's issues. She sang the official single 'How Long Will I Love You' for the 2013 'Children in Need' campaign. She also recorded 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' as part of the charity group 'Band Aid 30' to raise funds for the Ebola crisis.

From 2014 to 2018, she performed annually at the ‘Royal Albert Hall’ for the ‘Streets of London’ charity event. She also strives to help homeless people. She was recognized for her environmental and social justice activism by the ‘United Nations Foundation’ in October 2017. A year later, she joined the organization as a Goodwill Ambassador.

Ellie Goulding is a talented multi-instrumentalist, known for playing guitar, drums, and clarinet in addition to her singing.

In addition to her music career, Ellie Goulding is a dedicated environmental activist, supporting various causes such as climate change awareness and wildlife conservation.

Ellie Goulding has a passion for running and has completed several half marathons, showcasing her dedication to fitness and well-being.

Ellie Goulding has collaborated with a diverse range of artists, from electronic music producers like Calvin Harris to rock bands like Imagine Dragons, showcasing her versatility and willingness to explore different genres.