Supported by Goulding’s punishing schedule (including a slot at Glastonbury), Lights built a large audience across 2010 (in a burst of interest after those critical nods, the album had topped the UK chart on its release – and then the sales figures kept climbing). “Guns And Horses” was a brave choice for Lights’ third single, given that it was weighted away from the dancefloor, but it was indicative of the versatility that would characterize the singer’s output going forward.Ĭlick to load video Highly personal, universally accessible Folktronica, perhaps, but that’s a label she would likely have hated even then. This synth-pop classic has all the essential ingredients of early-era Goulding: a credible dance production with euphoric folk overtones that liberate a gorgeous melody. It was the perfect launch platform for “Starry Eyed” – Goulding’s first major UK hit – which peaked at No.4 in her homeland. She topped the BBC Sound Of 2010 poll, an early and hugely significant vote of confidence that was perhaps even bettered by winning the Critics’ Choice Award at the BRITs the same year. Signed to a major label in 2009, Goulding’s first single, “Under The Sheets,” a confident slice of bubbly, contemporary pop, only made it to No.53 in the UK, but the buzz around her was growing louder. It’s not entirely accurate to say the campaign for Lights built slowly in a typical form there was something of an unstoppable momentum to it.

List of ellie goulding albums