Ellie Goulding Coming Into Her Own
When I saw Ellie Goulding at last year’s Hangout Festival, she was still getting the hang of this pop star thing, but her promise was immense. Not even 12 months later, Goulding’s appeal is no longer a matter of promise. She announced from the stage Friday that she felt shyer than she’d ever felt in her life, but she carried herself with confidence. Goulding hangs around with a lot of electronic producers — she dated Skrillex and considers Burial a personal friend — and her breakthrough singles have largely been in an EDM milieu, specifically “Lights” and Calvin Harris’ “I Need Your Love.” But one of the best aspects of her set Friday was that she tried so many different sounds (EDM, but also rock, soul and R&B) and pulled them all off splendidly. She also played guitar, banged the drums, and sang like a cyborg angel. She’s becoming the complete package, and I wouldn’t mind seeing her put on this sort of show at every festival I attend.