Brightest Blue (Apple Music Film Edition)

Ask Ellie Goulding how she feels about her fourth album, Brightest Blue, and the singer responds by exhaling deeply. “Oh my gosh, it’s like a new world,” Goulding tells Apple Music. “When I listen to these songs, I feel proud of them.” Ask the same question of its predecessor, Delirium—the polished pop record Goulding released in 2015—and she isn’t quite as gushing. “I very quickly realised that when I was performing the songs, I was finding it cringe. It was like, ‘This is not what I want. This is not what I wanted to do.’ I was in such a bad place on that album, and I’m never afraid to admit that.” After a much-needed break (“I had to stop touring, stay in one place for a few months and spend some time with myself”) and a brief foray into a Beach Boys-inspired sound (“I watched a film about them and was like, ‘Oh my god’”), Goulding landed on the idea of releasing a double album. On its first (and central) part, “Brightest Blue”, Goulding showcases her singer-songwriter credentials, drawing together euphoric choruses, pounding basslines, string arrangements and piano ballads. The album's second part—“EG.0”—sees the singer delve into her bag of pop hits, with collaborations from Diplo, Lauv and the late Juice WRLD. “I've always been a vocalist and a musician and a songwriter, but I think sometimes that's got lost and blurred a bit,” says Goulding. “That's why I want to release both sides of this album. I do really appreciate the songs [on “EG.0”]—I love their lightheartedness. But actually, I think I’m a lot more than that.” “Brightest Blue” is Goulding’s most powerful (and empowered) work to date—a raw, vulnerable and thrilling exploration of the “chaos and corruption” of her twenties. Here, Goulding ruminates on eye-roll-inducing dates with narcissists (the pulsating, prowling “Power”), exes she can’t quite shake (“Flux”, “Bleach”) and growing into womanhood. Such themes might not be quite what you expect from a singer who, in 2019, got married to art dealer Cas