Good as Gould

Steadily climbing the ladder of pop stardom, Ellie Goulding proves her worth

By Charmaine Phua

Ellie Goulding is back with more. Her latest album, Halcyon Days, is a follow-up and an extended version of her second studio album.

But, with that many additions to the release, she may as well have called it her third album.

A Star to watch

For someone who has only had two official studio albums, Ellie Goulding has risen up the ladder of stardom incredibly fast.

Despite releasing the first single, “Burn”, in the same week as Lady Gaga’s “Applause”, she topped the UK Singles Chart with ease, proving to be one of the UK’s most popular acts.

Radio-friendly hits

It’s easy to see why “Burn” was such a hit on the charts – with a radio-friendly beat that you can effortlessly sway to, and a chorus that really sticks. It’s a clear winner.

With her unique ethereal voice, she’s taken that track from Leona Lewis (who had initially recorded it for her third album but later excluded it), given it an indie spin, and made it her own.

A feel-good track to look out for is “Stay Awake”, featuring Madeon. The electronic beats are a little on the heavy side, inter-woven with the synthesizer; just the way I like it.

That said, though, I think it’ll take more than “Burn” and “Stay Awake” to replace her previous hits such as “Lights” and “I Need Your Love” on my playlist.

The “unchained” melody

My personal favourite off Halcyon Days is the heart-breaking piano-ballad, “Hearts Without Chains”. Giving the album the soul that it needs, it helps us look deeper, past the other trippy tunes, into an enclave that’s brought to life by her emotive yet airy voice.

Goulding has certainly delivered more than what one would usually expect of an album re-release. Thankfully for us, it’s Go(u)ld!

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About Charmaine Phua

Charmaine Phua is Executive Producer/Presenter of Power 98. She wishes that she could cut or shave her hair as drastically as Ellie Goulding, without the consequences of re-growth. Tune in to her on
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