As her tour comes to an end and she will be taking a well-deserved break, I want to officially thank Ellie Goulding. She and her music have had a large impact on my life. So much so it’s actually hard to put into words. She ignited the true passion for music I never knew I had and is the reason I feel compelled to share it with my readers. Her music and talent opened my eyes (and ears) to how powerful music is. How it can make you think, feel, and act. How it can completely change your life through stories and emotion. Through the beautiful instrument that is her voice and her reflective honest words, she changed everything for me.
“I am so scared of what will kill me in the end
For I am not prepared
I hope that I will get a chance
To be someone
To be human”
— Human by Ellie Goulding
I discovered Ellie my sophomore year of college in 2010 while hanging out with friends in a dorm. The room was set up with surround sound speakers, and this unique voice came on, immediately catching my attention. I whipped out Shazam and learned the song was Ellie’s “Lights.” I can’t remember if it was the original or the Bassnecter remix, but I was intrigued. Later in my dorm I found her first album “Lights”/“Bright Lights.” I downloaded some of her songs like “Starry Eyed,” “Under The Sheets” and “Wish I stayed.” At that point I knew I loved her music and I listened to a handful of songs for a while, but that was the extent of it..
A couple years passed and it was my senior year. I don’t remember what it was, but I ran into a live performance of her on YouTube. It was my first time seeing what she was like live. Before I knew it, I found myself in this YouTube rabbit hole of her live performances and interviews, mesmerized. Her live performances made me notice her imperfectly perfect raspy voice even more. She was captivating to watch as she sang, danced, and played the drums. Her fiery passion was was hard to forget.
As I learned more about her, I became fascinated. I even (not so secretly) wanted her undercut. I spent hours watching every live performance I can find. I loved watching her interviews too. I find knowing about the artist helps to connect with the music, making it seem more like an actual person’s genuine experiences. Songs like “Guns and Horses,” “Home” “Human” and “Salt Skin” are some of my all time favorite songs to this day. I even taught myself to play “Guns and Horses” on the guitar because it’s one of my favorite live performances of hers. It really displays her dynamic, one-of-a-kind voice.
Read the rest on my music blog here: http://www.lolalistns.com/lolalistns/2016/7/7/ellie-goulding
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