The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast - Ellie Goulding On Life As A Musician, Career Advice, Songwriting, Routines, & Staying In Shape On The Road

Episode Date: April 24, 2023

#563: Today we're sitting down with chart topping artist, activist, philanthropist, and mother, Ellie Goulding. Over her incredible career, Ellie has sold over 27 million albums, 216 million singles and amassed over 43 billion streams worldwide. Ellie joins us today to discuss her past, how she got started in the music industry, and how she deals with trolls and creepy fans. She also gets into her songwriting process, how female artists are put under exceptional pressure to maintain their physique in Hollywood, and the other pressures that artists go through from the media & public. We also get into a conversation about her routines, how she stays disciplined & balances everything from her social life & motherhood, to her career plus more, and she gives us insight into what she's currently working on and what her fans can expect from her in the future.   To connect with Ellie Goulding click HERE To connect with Lauryn Evarts click HERE To connect with Michael Bosstick click HERE Read More on The Skinny Confidential HERE Subscribe to our YouTube channel HERE For Detailed Show Notes visit TSCPODCAST.COM To Call the Him & Her Hotline call: 1-833-SKINNYS (754-6697) This episode is brought to you by The Skinny Confidential This episode is brought to you by Sakara Sakara delivers science-backed, plant-rich nutrition programs and wellness essentials right to your door. Their ready-to-eat meals are nutritionally designed to deliver results—from weight management and eased bloat to boosted energy and clearer skin. Go to Sakara.com/skinny or enter code SKINNY at checkout to receive 20% off your first order. This episode is brought to you by Just Thrive Just Thrive products have more clinical research than just about anyone else in the industry. Pair the award-winning, gut nourishing Just Thrive Probiotic with the stress-busting, mood uplifting power of Just Calm. These two products are game changers in helping you take control of your mental health AND overall health. Go to justthrivehealth.com and use code SKINNY90 at checkout to save 20% on a bottle of Just Calm + Just Thrive Probiotic. This episode is brought to you by LMNT LMNT is a tasty electrolyte drink that has everything you need and nothing you don't. It contains a science-backed electrolyte ratio: 1000mg sodium, 200mg potassium, and 60mg magnesium. Get a free sample pack with any purchase at drinkLMNT.com/SKINNY This episode is brought to you by Wella Wella Professionals just released its most luxurious hair care line; Ultimate Repair. You can purchase The Ultimate Repair Miracle Hair Rescue at Ulta stores, or go to wella.com to learn more. This episode is brought to you by Squarespace From websites and online stores to marketing tools and analytics, Squarespace is the all-in-one platform to build a beautiful online presence and run your business. Go to squarespace.com/skinny for a free trial & use code SKINNY for 10% off your first purchase of a website domain. This episode is brought to you by the Natural Diamonds Council From Canada to Africa to Australia, the natural diamond industry has transformed local communities from which the diamonds originate with healthcare, education, and infrastructure over the last two decades and is committed to continued progress. Discover so many more natural diamond truths at naturaldiamonds.com/thankyou Produced by Dear Media

The following podcast is a Dear Media production. Saqqara, if you have not gotten the detox drops and the beauty water drops you are missing out, I put them in my water every single morning. I travel with them. The detox drops are these little drops in a tincture. They're chlorophyll and they really help with your blood circulation. They give you energy. They're incredible if you're in altitude. And then the beauty drops are minerals. So you're getting your minerals and your chlorophyll in the morning in your water. I do ginger. I do mint. I do lemon. I put it in there. I do my drops. It's a whole habit stack. I love it. Even Zaza, my daughter, will ask for a sip. It's so hydrating and incredible in the morning, and it just sexes

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And if you want food delivered to your door, you guys, like if you're busy or a mom, whatever, they have the best meal delivery program. Right now, Sakara is offering our listeners 20% off your first order when you go to sakara.com slash skinny or enter code skinny at checkout. That's sakara, S-A-K-A-R-A dot com slash skinny, and you get 20% off your first order. sakara.com slash skinny. She's a lifestyle blogger extraordinaire. Fantastic. And he's a serial entrepreneur. A very smart cookie. And now Lauren Everts and Michael Bostic are bringing you along for the ride. Get ready for some major realness. Welcome to the skinny confidential, him and her. You know, when the Me Too movement happened, there were very obvious changes and differences

to the way things were working. I just noticed, I noticed there was a lot more professionalism. In the beginning, you know, I had a few situations, I've been very open about it, so I think it's important, where I walked into the studio as a young, like 20, 21 year old, and you know, didn't feel safe. I have noticed like, you know, good changes. It's a shame that the change had to be made

in the first place, but I think we're all feeling in every industry, we're slowly gaining a bit more respect, the respect we should have had all along. Here we go again. Welcome back to the Skinny Confidential, him and her show. That clip was from our guest of the show today, chart-topping artist, activist, philanthropist, and mother, Ellie Goulding. And today we are diving into all things music, all things music career with one of the best in the business. If you're unfamiliar with Ellie, she has sold over 27 million albums, 216 million singles

and amassed over 43 billion, yes, billion with the B streams worldwide. Ellie joins us today to discuss her past, how she got started in the music industry and how she deals with trolls, creepy fans, all the above. She also gets into her songwriting process, how female artists are put under exceptional pressure to maintain their physique in Hollywood and other pressures that artists go through from the media and public perspective. We also get into a conversation about her routines, how she stays disciplined and balances. So if you're an Ellie Goulding fan, or if you're a music fan, or you're about to be a fan,

this one's for you. We cover a lot of ground as always. And we really enjoyed talking to Ellie. She was so down to earth, so humble. And listen, she's got a lot going on right now. One thing to mention before we jump into this episode with Ellie is to definitely check out her Higher Than Heaven album. It's brand new. It's out now. You can listen on all major streaming platforms. So check it out, support her. She's got bangers on there as always. With that, Ellie Goulding, welcome to the Skinny Confidential, him and her show. This is the Skinny Confidential, him and her.

So when you come in for the press that you're about to do, do you have to prep your mind for this? I feel like you have to recharge your battery before you do this yes I should have I know so um I often find myself afterwards being like damn I I wish I'd said that instead of that I often come up with things afterwards which is why I always rewrite lyrics because I come up with like a something and then when I come out this year I'm like no no no it had to be that so I like go back and redo it so yeah i should really i just don't think i have time at the moment i mean i keep getting told to meditate but that means like waking up significantly earlier than i do and i prefer the sleep at the moment you know what i'm gonna tell you my meditation that i do while i'm sleeping what is that Like I'm sleeping and listening to a meditation.

So I'm passively multitasking. I'm still trying to figure it out. No, it works. No, I listen to the car map stories. I listen to the one in outer space and the Nordic train journey and the one about horses in Virginia or something. I don't know, but it's all very calming.

And I listen to those to go to sleep. Your voice is very calming. I feel like you could do a meditation app to add to everything you're doing. And I listen to those to go to sleep. Your voice is very calming. I feel like you could do a meditation app to add to everything you're doing. Maybe I could do. I've got some music mixes on there. So yeah, maybe I could. But I keep getting told not to speak in this lower register because it's just stopping me from being able to sing as high.

So I keep getting told by my vocal coach to stop talking like this and keep going back up to where you were. No, I like when you talk like this and keep going back up to where you were no i like this is very relaxing wait show me how how you talk and show me how they want you to talk okay so i'm actually making an effort to talk higher than usual so i i would probably start going lower again if i got back into the habit but like i so usually i talk like here and then i need to talk way higher, like kind of up here. Like the way I talk. Yeah, I like the way you talk.

Just go to California and stay in California for a little bit. It'll rub right off on you. I want to go back to when you were young. When was a moment that you realized that you were really into singing and songwriting? Can you remember a moment, an epiphany? I remember hearing songs on the radio and wanting to sing those songs. And one of them was when Mariah Carey covered, you know, I can't live if living is without you. That was like the biggest song of that time, I think, especially in the UK.

I don't know. I think I realized quite young that I was really passionately into music but I just assumed everybody was passionately into music and so I'd sort of you know be constantly asking my friends about songs and wanting them to do like backing vocals with me on them and I was wanting to do performances in school and I mean I was pretty shy but I just loved to sing so much but I just thought maybe everyone just loves to sing and I mean I was pretty shy but I just loved to sing so much but I just thought maybe everyone just loves to sing and I'm nothing special. When did you realize you had talent? Did your parents tell you? Did outside people tell you? Did my parents tell me? I don't know

if they did. Again it was like it kind of took me to get out of I grew up in a really small village like pretty much in the middle of nowhere kind of on the border between Wales and England like right slap bang in the middle so it was like mountains to my left flat fields of England to my right so right right there and then only really when I got to university did I like people were like like mouth open watching me sing you know that was the first time I really had that reaction because back in the village I was playing in like the little open mic nights and stuff, people were like, you know, it was just like a small town and I just didn't get much of a reaction.

But then it seemed like as soon as I got to a place where people would come from all over the world to learn and suddenly it just clicked. When you're playing to people who are not in the small village as you grow, are you putting a lot of work into your talent? Are you just naturally talented or is it a medley? Probably more of a medley. I mean, you can have lots and lots of raw talent, I guess, but if you don't have other things, it can just kind of stay in one place. Whereas I guess, but if you don't have other things, it can just kind of stay in one place. Whereas I guess I was quite, I don't even know if ambitious is the word. I feel like we've been taught as women to

like not, you know, we shouldn't be ambitious. And that word has suddenly become like a bad word or something. So whenever I say it, I kind of cringe a bit, which is a shame because we should be able to just say, yeah, we're ambitious and yeah, we want to go far in life. I think I was just always a very determined kid. And that kind of then ended up in my determination, wanting to be a performer. And so there are lots of different, it's like a cocktail you need to have really, if you've got, because clearly I could sing and I could write and I could play. And then it really, it was like everything else I needed to kind of get me to a certain place and eventually signed a record deal. What are some sacrifices that you made early on for what you do? The first thing that came to my head then was I didn't really have that many friends and not because I wasn't like people didn't want to hang people wanted to hang out with me but I was kind of an awkward person

and I would spend every day playing guitar and then I'd go like, I'd have to run like 10K a day. Then I'd have to go do like weights. And then I was like, I was busy. You know, I'd go and do like, I'd get on the train and do an open mic night in London, come back, study, go for a run and just write music. So I was quite antisocial. So people did, I think people wanted to hang out with me, but I just didn't, I didn't end up doing that. So I had like two friends by the end of it really. And did you run 10K a day just because like it made you feel good? Was that a part of what you were doing to make you be a peak performer? Yeah, I think so. I think it was just a ritual that got into my head and I couldn't shake it off. And then, you know, I was quite superstitious. So if I didn't do it, I would, I still do it now, really. I don't run

10K a day, but I have to do something every day. I actually relate to that. I've never heard anyone articulate it like that. Not an OCD, but it's just, it's like something you want to check off your list. I get like that too with my workout. Yeah. Like some people, when I've said that to people will be like, oh, that's unhealthy to be- Unhealthy to be healthy? And I'm like, how is that unhealthy? It's probably the healthiest ritual that I could have come up with. And yeah, the idea that if I don't do it, then I'm screwed, that maybe that's slightly more unhealthy. And I've lost that now. But back then, yeah, it was just something I felt I had to do every day to then be able to study and write.

It also clears your head and, in my opinion, makes you a more effective performer when you are performing. Yeah. Well, everyone knows exercise is good for you, but I guess we don't go in depth with it that much in that it literally makes you feel better, literally elevates your mood, creates all kinds of other, what do you call it, neural pathways? I don't know, technical terms, but it literally releases endorphins straight into your body. And I don't know if you noticed that after a workout, but in the morning when you wake up just feeling crap and you just like kind of in a bad mood and you get, you know, somebody will

want me to approve something and then you do a workout and suddenly you're like, and you're like, you feel productive and you feel like you, so as much as I, you know, I never want to do a workout, but then afterwards I've never like regretted it ever once obviously we're in a different world than you are but I feel like once you do the workout you know from a business context I always get my most creative ideas after it's like a fog slip and you think you like can connect things that you weren't connecting before but that's not a coincidence that's like literally your brain has opened up things to help you be more creative and productive. When did you have your first big break? When could you taste it? What did that look like? I guess it was when I signed a record deal. I was

trying to sign for like a good couple of years in London. It was just like a moment. Maybe I wrote a new song out of frustration at not being signed. I really thought I was going to have to just sort of go back to the day job. I had like three day jobs. What were the day jobs? Yeah. You really thought you had to go back? So this is why I had no friends. Because when I was at uni, I transferred my jobs from where I grew up to my university.

So I was working at the theater there, selling tickets tickets and a clothes shop called Monsoon. So that kind of took up a lot of my time. And I thought, oh, I can just go back there because I've got like decent jobs, you know. And then finally, just so I run out of money, I signed a record deal. And that's when I was like, I'm safe, saved. When you sign a record deal, is there like a list of requirements that they, and I put this in quotes, make you do? Like, are they telling you, you have to are they telling you you have to do this workout you have to eat this you have to have your hair this color

or is it kind of you do what you want they would I don't think they would ever say stuff like that especially to like a male artist or a male band back then but I would say that there were certain things that were maybe assumed maybe encouraged but weren't necessarily directly you know given to you like keeping in good shape and looking you know I would I could never like go on something without makeup on or wearing something feminine I think I think they wanted to kind of market me as like a feminine thing girl next door thing maybe is that what you did is that what you wanted or was that uncomfortable not really I I've always been quite sort of androgynous I get and I had Josh is that the word um we used to say like tomboy back in the day that was kind of what

I was and I was like on a girl's football team and obviously I like with you know I like to lift weights and so no I never really saw myself as like a feminine person because I was so elated and I was so grateful to have signed to a major record label that I just kind of went with it and thought, well, I'm just lucky to be here. So yeah, I'm just going to do what they, you know, and also, you know, it's partly me because I, it took, it took a few years of just figuring out what I wanted for myself as an artist anyway so it's like partly them and then maybe partly me just like needing a bit more kind of conviction in what I was doing how does this work for you from a writing perspective do you write the lyrics first and then later figure out a melody or do you hear a melody in your head and then have to kind of like add the lyrics to it because I've heard it explained different ways I'm sure Michael's

about to sing for you no you just listen you don't want to end the podcast it's usually a melody that triggers like a lyric idea you hear a melody in your head yeah well sometimes something happens that's so shit and then I so and I just come up with a I come up with a lyric there and then that just kind of somehow summarizes what what I'm feeling but that's kind of rare like it takes like a rare kind of emotional I don't know moment to do that but usually

I hear melodies and then something kind of it triggers something in my head that then kind of comes up with lyrics

and so it kind of all works together and are you mostly drawing from personal experiences or observations from other people's experiences

like what is I always get curious about like the process of how people come to create the music they create. It's definitely a bit of both. In the beginning, it was all me. You know, I was fascinated by, I mean, I was like falling in love

from like age of 10 or something, you know, with everyone. And so that was kind of, you know, I was obsessed with my own experiences in my childhood. And then I opened myself up a bit, you know, I got I got to meet people meet people from different worlds and I started to maybe be a bit more of an empath and and wanting to explore you know what other people were going through and now it's really a combination and some of my friends and people I know go through craziest you know situations with partners and with family and just with work and that I can't help but like be inspired by that. If you've been listening to this podcast and you have not

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That's eight single serving packets free with any Element order. This is a great way to try all eight flavors or share Element with a salty friend. Get yours at drinkelement.com. This deal is only available through our link. You must go to d-r-i-n-k-l-m-n-t.com. Element offers no questions asked refunds. Try it totally risk-free. If you don't like it, share it with a salty friend and they will give you your money back. No questions asked. You have nothing to lose. DrinkElement.com slash skinny. When you start to skyrocket to fame, is it weird with your family? I know you said you didn't have a lot of friends, but you said you had a couple. Is it weird with your family and friends to manage this life that's like you're becoming famous, you're having all this stuff thrown at you, you can kind of like have whatever

you want, but then you also come from this small town. So you want to balance that too. Well, I've kept the same friends from what we have primary school in the UK. I don't know what you guys, I think you have like. It's like elementary school, right? It's like. I don't know. How old are we have primary school in the uk i don't know what you guys i think you have like it's like elementary school right it's like i don't know how old are you in primary school like maybe like uh i started when i was i think five yeah yeah five to eleven elementary school yeah i'm very cultured so so yeah so i still got those friends they have never been affected by what i do at all it's almost like they always knew that I was kind of a performer and it just, it wasn't like a shock to them.

And they know me, you know, they saw me growing up and we went through so much together as kids. It would be very strange for them to just be like, oh my God, like, what's it like doing what you do? Like, they just don't. They know you for you.

Yeah, and I know them for them and it's just like a bond that we have and I don't think I've changed. Well, certainly when I see them, I'm just back to myself. I have to maybe shake off some of the stuff I've picked up along the way, and then I'm back to me again. But then I think that's the same with the people around me. I surround myself with women pretty much.

I feel like it really helps me. Most people just get it and just go with it and then there might be some in the early days that were perhaps a bit like alienated by it probably affected you know friendships and and but also I realized that you just you do you know lose friendships along the way it's not like a bad thing it's not like it just happens just life you know you change they change same with relationships I guess be honest here I don't want you to be humble at all when i daydream i'm like listen if i did anything else if i had one ounce of musical talent which i don't unfortunately doing what you do being a musician at the skill it has to be the most fun career job path in the world and i hate when

people sugarcoat it like it's it's fun you're having fun right well me as a musician like it's got to be the most fun thing. I think about it all the time. I get up there, you perform, you get to do your thing, you get to party a little bit, you make people happy.

That's the fun bit. Being on stage, anxiety-free, in front of people that love you and sing along to your music. There really isn't a feeling comparable to that. The other stuff,

not so fun. What's the other stuff not so fun what's the other stuff luckily like the fun outweighs the anxiety and everything else yeah you know it's you realize like you put you put yourself out there and um you are never going to be you know anonymous you're never gonna there are like worse things that can happen to you um but there are definitely some things that i would maybe take away if i had the option like what are your edits if you were to edit this like like like a song what are you editing out being photographed like constantly i would i would love that this is this is a safe place you know like when you're photographed and feeling like there's just

always someone watching you. That's not a nice feeling. Yeah, because I imagine in the beginning, it's a controlled environment. You're going to smaller crowds and you're kind of getting what you're expecting, right? Like you're going to have these few people see you, but then as it gets bigger and bigger and bigger, and all of a sudden you're on the street and there's just cameras everywhere like that. I always think about that. It's like there's maybe a level of when it gets so big that you can't reverse it.

Well, I think people still see that as like the glamorous thing. Like, oh my God, imagine just being photographed in your outfits and looking great. But it's not like that. It's quite an uncomfortable kind of feeling. And I think now the level of scrutiny has reached this peak of just craziness where you're watched and listened.

Every single thing you say, everything you do, you have risk of... The risk has become so high now of just messing up because of the culture. So you just become more and more scared of what you're saying. I don't know whether people are just having to become robots now, you know, to deal with it all and take away. You have to preface everything. Yeah. Even online, I'll see people be like,

I know I'm really lucky to have this. And then they'll go into like, it's you have to preface everything. Yeah. I've noticed it the most with like my activism because I often talk about climate change. I often talk about plastic problem, talk about how there's going to be more plastic in the ocean than fish in like 10 years time and like mad things like that.

And half the people say, you know, call me things like hypocritical because of what I do and the amount I fly. The other half will say, thanks for telling me that and thanks for using your platform, blah, blah, blah. So it seems like everything you do is going to come with someone or a few people saying, I do not agree. You could say the nicest thing in the world. You could say the truest thing in the world

and still somebody will say that it's… Yeah, if there's one thing we've learned doing this for as long as we've done it, there's no way to appease everybody. So you just kind of be yourself, right? Exactly. I know that word authenticity

gets thrown around, but it's true. You just kind of be like, well, this is who I am. I'm going to make some missteps. That's what it is. But I think about the level of fame

or notoriety that you've achieved and we have all different kinds of people on the show and I think there's a certain point where you can't turn it back. And what I mean by that is like,

we do the show a lot and it gets some notoriety, but I still feel we're at the point where like, if we said, hey, we're done and we don't want any kind of platform, like we could turn it back and that would be it. But there's a certain level once you cross it, you can't turn it back. And I imagine that's a challenge for some people

because to your point, many people glamorize it and say like, they dream of a life like that. They've never experienced it. But once you have it and you can't turn it back, it's like you're in it now for probably the rest of your life. Yeah, it is definitely a way of life when you have become, I don't know, a public figure, somebody that people follow, somebody that people look up to.

And it is, yeah, it's probably quite a lot of pressure but I try not to think about and then also you know that turning your back on it would probably mean not being able to do the thing you love so it's really like it's a bit of a sacrifice but if I can always be a musician and write music and perform then you know I really took it for granted during lockdown I really struggled with not before. I didn't realize how much it was like holding me together until it all stopped and didn't perform for like two years. Yeah, I forgot about that

because the music industry just fully shut down. What does your life look like in lockdown when it just stops? I'm sure so many people are curious. So I just finished Brightest Blue, my fourth album, and it was the proudest album of my career and I was like right can't wait to get out on tour can't wait to you know explain this music and and break it down and and to do like I want to do all these um different visuals and and I wanted to do a whole acapella series with it and with a choir and I had all

these big ideas. And then suddenly, you know, it was announced that there was going to be this lockdown. And so we just all went away. And I lived in a tiny cottage in a village just outside of Oxford. So like an hour of London. And that's kind of where I was. And I was training, like running every day day making cakes which I like counteracted that and I don't know I like I tried to stay healthy and happy but it was tough you know I realized

that everything has stopped and we had no idea when it was going to start again I did quite a few shows from the bathroom I was doing like tv shows like live tv from like the toilet it was really weird yeah yeah I was going to say because like podcasting kind of had this little boom during that time where people could zoom, but for musicians it was tough. And I imagine it in a way kind of awkward in your bathroom, just like kind of strumming away. Right. It was, but I mean, it made me probably better at what I do because I had to, you know, I couldn't overcompensate with like big performances and outfits. So I just had to be like good again. I had to like pick the guitar up again and actually go back to just being a musician again and not all the bells and whistles.

You have to get very creative. What's something you wish you knew about the career path you've chosen that you didn't know until you kind of found yourself here, if anything? In the beginning, it was probably a bit tougher just because it was still very male-dominated and found myself like being very apologetic and feeling a bit like I had to sort of pander a lot to people maybe other musicians or record label no just yeah like record label people people behind the scenes so I just I don't know I I guess it's not really the answer to the question but maybe I wish I'd been a bit tougher in the beginning but then you know everything's worked out like yeah there's there's

been like you know a few bumps and and a few times that that were tougher than others but you know I'm still here like releasing music so it's quite hard to like think oh I wish but you know if I if there was like a young musician starting out you know I would say to make sure you surround yourself with people you feel safe with like maybe like like me like all women and and make sure that you're taking enough time to get inspiration to write and not just like be on the grind and suddenly you find yourself like having panic attacks because you haven't caught your brain hasn't caught up with your body vice versa so I'd probably say that I'd probably I mean I have so much advice I'd give to like young musicians, but it would take another whole other podcast, I think.

It seems like the behind the scenes of the record industry is very male dominated. And like a lot of men in suits giving their opinion to what people like my age or millennials want to hear, which doesn't make any sense. Yeah. And when it comes to owning your own music and all of this control that they sort of have behind the scenes, how have you managed that?

Because it seems like you've done a really beautiful job of it. Thank you. A lot of work. It's been like challenging at times. I think any female musician, even now so many non-binary musicians, artists coming through, which is amazing and things really changing and picking up pace and it's good. I think we're just still in this kind of transition stage with everything. You know, I still think we're trying to figure out the world is changing so fast and I just think the kind of infrastructure isn't there yet to to help it things might be happening but then there's not like laws to to assist that so it's like I think we're still in this time where we're trying to just piece things together and so it's the same you know when the me too movement happened there were very obvious changes and differences

to the way things were working and so I think that was such an important movement. Like, what do you mean? I just noticed that, I noticed there was a lot, there was a lot more professionalism. That's nice. Yeah. Wasn't as sleazy as an operation. That's, I mean, I wasn't going to say that,

but yeah, a lot less paviness. No. These men are the worst. Yeah. It just, it was in the beginning, you know, I had a few situations. I've been very open about it because I think it's important where I, you know, walked into the studio as a young, like 20, 21 year old and, you know, didn't feel safe. And it's like, it doesn't mean that they're like latching on you or like touching your

leg. It's just a feeling that we have that where you just don't feel completely safe. And then it kind of becomes a bit of a trigger and a bit of a like a minute bit of trauma that just stays with you and so just something's off something's off yeah and then everyone can feel you're a pervert if you're a pervert even if you don't touch someone we can feel you're a pervert yeah it's the eyes it's the it's what you say it's the energy yeah don't try to like graze my leg. Like, no. No.

Like every, if you're a pervert, we can feel it. Just so you know. If a pervert's listening. Yeah, exactly. Any pervs is safe to take note. For all the perverts in the audience. But no, and I have noticed like bad, you know, good changes. It's a shame that the change had to be made in the first place.

But I think we're all feeling in every industry. There is, you know, we're like slowly gaining a bit more respect. The respect be made in the first place, but I think we're all feeling in every industry, we're slowly gaining a bit more respect. The respect we should have had all along, but I'm just so grateful for that whole movement. I watched She Said the other day. Have you seen it? It's good. It's just badass female journalists just uncovering, at the risk of their own lives even, uncovering all this information about people behind the scenes thank god for them well i think the biggest thing is like and sometimes this works against us but in this case it doesn't like there's so much transparency and visibility now

where like a lot of this stuff that used to live in the shadows it can't anymore because like yeah you can't be a creep these days you're a creep you're gonna get you're gonna get caught in two seconds right exactly i feel like money and power don't necessarily work for you anymore it doesn't work yeah it doesn't doesn't go as far as it used to who is the coolest most talented artist that you've worked with like and i mean cool behind the scenes too not just in front of a crowd honestly every artist i've worked with has been for a reason like i meet them and i i i straight away know they have good vibes good energy kind no perv no pervs no I mean maybe like in the early days but then you know I sussed them out and then like and then like started working with the good ones

you know Calvin is is always amazing and just supremely talented I always say like I would I try and give him like have an opinion on something like a bit of the track or a bit of the vocal and he he listens but you know I already know that he's just got it locked in and he knows exactly what he's doing he doesn't need to take anyone else's advice which is amazing it's just such a it's such a powerful thing to have when you just don't it's like the Max Martin guys you know made some of the biggest songs of all time and you know songs that like literally changed people's lives and they just all like live in Sweden just chill over there and you know write a hit and then go back to their lives I think that's amazing and then you know I've worked with like everyone from like Juice WRLD, Big Sean, god who else have I done things

with Kygo, Skrillex, I mean a lot of electronic artists because that's I grew up listening to electronic music so that was sort of my first thing that I wanted to do. So I went straight to all those guys. Wella Professionals just released its most luxurious hair care line, Ultimate Repair. So here's the deal. I went on vacation and I had a lot of moving parts. I had the kids. I was on a boat. I didn't have time to really wash my hair and blow dry it.

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light therapy? Is there a certain brand of skincare you like? What are your little hacks for wellness? I would say start within as much as possible. I know everyone has different skin types and hair types and whatever else. You know, like we're saying, I don't know, exercise, moving as much as possible, even if it's just like dancing or yoga, like just moving your body first thing in the morning, drink lots of water, drink lots of electrolytes, green tea, vegetables, fish, all the good stuff. It sounds really basic, but it's to start with that. And then there might be like a product that is, I don't know, organic made from as natural things as possible. I'm trying to think of a specific brand. I use so many different things. To be honest,

my morning routine is just like squeezing like five different things in my hand and going like that. But like I use like a face roller because I know that it like wakes all the collagen up and I use it on my neck. So I feel like loose when I sing. So it's quite specific to singing as well what I do. I steam my throat. And I do red light therapy sometimes just for anxiety. Apparently it's good for that. I brought you an ice roller so I'm glad you like rollers.

I love rollers. That makes sense for your throat. And cryo especially is good as well. Anything cold on the face. There is one thing i eat every single day without fail if you want to know what it is we want to know i want blueberries listen i eat blueberries every day so what did you eat before you came here blueberries i've got them with me i've got if you eat blueberries you will live longer too

i'm convinced of it i had blueberries i did have a bit of what did i have this one i had like a kind of drink with like probiotic in and a bit of maca and no cacao. I'm obsessed with chocolates. Anything with cacao in it. Coffee, tea? Yeah, I had a decaf almond latte because they're nice here. They're nice in New York.

A decaf? Yeah, I've got to have decaf. I can't have coffee. I can't really have like full caff. Oh my God. Too anxious to do that. After you're done with a show, are you super hyped up or are you exhausted?

Really hyped for like half an hour. You've still got the adrenaline pumping and then like, then you just go down. So after you perform, are you like going out on a high or you go home and crash? I go to my, generally I'll go to my dressing room, have a couple of drinks, a couple of my team, just talk about the show maybe. And then you start to feel the adrenaline burning off and then you kind of get a bit of a like crash and then you're like, right, bedtime. And then I have to go through a whole like bedtime routine.

How do you stay disciplined to manage when you're in that kind of environment and everyone's having such a good time and I'm sure there's all sorts of partying around, you know, like how do you maintain that balance and say like, okay, I'm gonna- I just don't go. You just don't go.

Yeah, because- I can't, you know, it's, maybe when I was like in my early 20s yeah i just can't keep it up my band would go every every night to um the you know there'll be like a little after party but maybe like wave and then like there was a time would you you would go and then you just yeah i mean i remember when i used to like go to clubs in london you know i i just wouldn't now maybe i'm too old now. I don't know. I see these guys from the 80s in those old metal bands,

and I'm like, man, those guys were... I know. Yeah, but for women, it's rough on the skin. Well, I think it's rough for everybody. I just... Nowadays, if I don't sleep well, it shows up on my face immediately, whereas back in the day,

I could kind of get away with not sleeping for a few days. What is your specific bedtime routine? You have to tell us exactly what it is. A bit of a stretch. I do my like diffuser you know with like lavender oil in got that by my bed just a neon one then I spray my pillow with loads of like this works spray then I have like a I have usually have like a hot drink some kind of hot drink with like, probably chocolate, with like ashwagandha and maybe a bit of mushroom powder. See, this stuff sounds all really like mad, but actually people are getting into mushrooms now. No, it doesn't sound that way. Oh, no, no, no, you came to the right podcast.

People love routines. Tell us all the weird stuff. Well, that, I mean, I do have the mushroom powders it's usually like because I'm I'm I'm not a very good sleeper so I do have to have like a really long routine then I like put the car map on and then I have to sometimes even put lavender patches on my feet I just got them from Whole Foods they're really good but you sound very disciplined oh yeah I think I just I think I just have to be you know maybe I am a bit of a routiney person because I think I just have to be, you know, maybe I am a bit of a routine-y person because I think I've just always had routine, you know, in work and now I have a kid, so I have to also factor his routine into mine. How are you doing that? Everyone wants to know that. That's a big question.

Oh gosh, it's, yeah, it's difficult. I often feel sad that I can't be with him all the time. I want to drag him with me everywhere, but I know that it's not possible and now he's just got to the point where he started going like mama when I when I leave how old two yeah we have a three-year-old and an eight-month-old you have an eight-month-old oh my god it's so hard he's back there in the room it's so hard no he's not in the room cause I wish he was in that is just amazing That is just amazing. I remember that age, eight months. God, I miss that. It goes quick. Everyone says it. It goes so quick.

It sounds cheesy, but it's true. Yeah, it goes so quick. So how do you balance that all? Like, how do you know when to bring him, when not to bring him? I, like, for example, I was just in LA, but I made sure that he met me here. Because I can't be without him for, like, more than a week. Yeah. So, like, I did a week there, and then he met me here because I can't be without him for like more than two weeks more than a week yeah so like I did a week there and then he met me here and it's been so nice and then I've got I've got a couple of days now to just hang out with him it's Mother's Day was in the UK anyway and so oh I want to celebrate that too yeah what day is it Mother's Day I want two mothers is this

Sunday oh perfect yeah yeah UK Mother's Day okay yeah okay good to know yeah you get to be with him on Mother's Day yeah to be honest I just all I want to do is spend all my time with him like if I could just do anything you know someone said like if you could give it all up and spend you know just to spend it with him you know I would but then I start missing work so it's just like you said it's just such a balance I could write a book on this with you I know exactly how you feel it's like you and it's just such a balance. I could write a book on this with you. I know exactly how you feel. It's like you, and it's funny because he doesn't feel the same way.

Oh yeah, I do. No, he goes back to work and it's like there's no guilt. You feel like a guilt. I don't feel guilt. But then you're not being true to yourself and your purpose if you don't go work.

So it's like this, it's like this pull. Like you want to be with them forever. I always feel guilty. I'll tell you both this. I grew up with a very strong mother who i witnessed all the time working and i feel like in a way it kind of set the table and the standard for the type of women that i was later attracted to and it wasn't

something that kind of you know like some some guys get a little bit off put when they have a woman who's achieving right or it's like that makes them feel like oh like they got to keep you know what i mean like my whole situation like that yeah like i imagine like someone's trying to date you like oh shit going on stage it's hard for a lot of men but my example was always like watching a woman work a lot and so i think like i i have that context to maybe not feel guilty yeah does that make sense no i mean yeah i i don't know i don't know if my husband feels guilty i'm trying to figure out if he's ever said he feels guilty no it doesn't strike me that he feels guilty you know he'll go away but he's more he's better on like things like facetime and he'll be very present and be calling

all the time whereas i just want to be with him in person so he can he can manage it a lot better for whatever reason well i think also like not to get so deep into gender dynamics, but men are never really pressured to feel strange for working when they have children. Yeah, it's why people will say to me, I talk about this a lot on the podcast, they'll say, do you have a nanny? And I'm like, but no one asked him that,

but we work the same amount. It's so true. It's so true. People are curious if I have a nanny, why is no one asking him if he has a nanny? We're doing this together at the same time, so obviously we need some help, but nobody really asked me ever like, people are curious if I have a nanny. Why is no one asking him if he has a nanny? We're doing this together at the same time. So obviously we need some help, but nobody really asked me ever like, do I have help?

And there's no guilt in that. I am so grateful for my nanny because Arthur loves her so much. And I feel safe and fine going to work, knowing that he's with someone that gives him so much love and care and attention. And I don't have someone that gives him so much love and care and attention you know and I don't have a huge family so it feels like she's part of the family now and you know we we've just we've got to work you know it's like we want to work and we have to work like it doesn't stop you feeling guilty though when you leave for work it's such a mind fuck

yeah it's such a mind fuck and I before going into it I'm like I'm still gonna work all the time like like I'm so ambitious and I am still but at the same time I also want to be able to have the same amount of time with my kids yeah it let's just think it's like a biological pull it's just like it's just science it's just science just I don't know even though you want to spend time with them you know it's also just like the biology wanting you to be there with them taking care of them or something I get it yeah let's discuss your music before you go tell us what is happening in your world your projects all the things new album coming out soon higher than heaven it's out on the 7th of April it's changed a few times we're trying to do the

whole we're trying to make all the packaging super green so like recycled vinyl tape cardboard and then the packaging itself like the plastic is biodegradable and then the tour is also going to be very much the same theme which just takes forever to like organize you know because we're trying to it's venues that equip us with with that and um how many cities will that be however many i can get to by train well so what does that mean it just it just means uh that we try and do like a carbon neutral tour yeah but what does it mean how many cities is that like a hundred oh right i see um no i just i don't know how many as many as i can fit in you know there's there's always a city that wants me you to play so I just have to do

you know I have to find a route and then you know I can't play everywhere obviously because that would take all my life but sometimes you know

I go back to places and then sometimes I'm in places for the first time so it's really like a touring route I guess I don't know

so we can also I'm sure find your songs on Spotify too yeah okay they're there yeah okay and where can we follow you on instagram where can we uh instagram is just ellie golding not really

inventive um and then tiktok i do a lot of tiktoks these days that's fun and i just have a new song out with calvin harris our third song called miracle which came out the other day it's doing really well you're doing it all yeah you got a lot going on yes thank you so much for taking the time thank you so much for having me you're incredible thank you thanks ellie wait do you want to win a pair of the new skinny confidential driving gloves they protect your hands and arms from the sun all you have to do is tell us your favorite takeaway from this episode with ellie on my latest post at lauren bostick and obviously make sure you're following at TSC podcast. Saqqara, if you have not gotten the detox drops and the beauty water drops,

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