Up until now, a lot of us might have thought that Ellie Goulding – she of the John Lewis adverts and the performance at Prince William and Kate Middleton's (royal) wedding – was really posh. But actually, in a new, heartfelt interview, she's revealed that she learned how to change her voice using the skills she picked up from singing opera and Destiny’s Child.
Speaking about her influences as a child growing up in a single-parent household on a council estate, she said: ‘I was obsessed with well-spoken people, period dramas and the news. I got clued into how I could change my singing voice from Destiny’s Child to opera, so I learned I could change my speaking voice, too.’
She also explained how her attitudes towards herself have changed as she’s got more famous. When asked why she doesn’t wear as much on stage as she used to, she explained, very logically: ‘Women’s confidence grows with age… When I’m on stage, I sweat like a motherfucker. It’s like a workout. I need to keep cool. I’m not out to look sexy.' Surely it's a bonus that she just happens to look sexy when she performs?
And she had this to say about the ridiculous backlash she faced on Twitter after daring to wear a slinky Julien MacDonald dress on The X Factor in 2013*:* ‘They said my body was “too athletic”. Too athletic? Isn’t it admirable that someone has worked so hard to look good and be healthy?’
Plus, she opened up in the ES Magazine interview about her insecurities with regards to the way she looks: ‘At one time, I was getting all this musical success, but I wasn’t getting all the things that went with it, like magazine covers. I was convinced for a long time I wasn’t aesthetically pleasing enough.’
‘I would have to angle my face to hide the side of my nose or my chin. Then I stopped caring. I let go. Put a different energy out there – then [the covers] all started to happen.’
Finally, she spoke honestly about the therapy she’s received after suffering panic attacks so severe she once had to be hospitalised after one: ‘As an artist, when you stop believing in yourself, you’re fucking screwed. If I suddenly think, “I can’t write a song,” everything crumbles. So at some point you have to believe in yourself. Even if you’re faking it… Whatever works.’
Well, it seems to be working very well for Ellie right now…
Follow Sophie on Twitter @sophwilkinson
Picture: Getty
This article originally appeared on The Debrief.