Ellie Goulding never expected to release a "divorce album".
The 39-year-old singer's forthcoming record addresses her separation from ex-husband Caspar Jopling and she has reflected on how the changes in her personal life transformed the creative process.
Speaking to Nylon magazine, Ellie said: "It had always been the goal to start this album. I didn't know it was going to be a divorce album, but that's the way it started heading.
"When I married my ex-husband, I thought it was for life. That will never go away and that will always stay with me. There are some songs that are necessary for me to acknowledge that time in my life and to be respectful of it.
"Then there were some songs that were extremely reactionary and sad that I felt were good to do in the moment but don't serve me long-term."
Ellie is now expecting a baby with her new boyfriend Beau Minniear and says that her changed emotions are reflected in the upcoming album – which is slated for release in the early months of this year.
The Love Me Like You Do hitmaker – who also has son Arthur, four, with Jopling – said: "It's so funny that the process over the years is so indicative of how I was feeling at the time. The songs have gone from so dark and angry, to cynical, to funny, to coming out the other side, to meeting a new guy and being excited."
Goulding revealed how she took a "back to basics" approach for the new album.
She said: "It was taking it back to basics for me, going back to instruments – which is so rudimental, but AI music is on the rise, working from your laptop is on the rise.
"I took it back to the guitar, which is where I first started. It aroused something in me that was innocent and pure from when I was 15, writing my first song."
The Burn singer has been open about her mental health struggles and is respectful of Lola Young's decision to step away from performing after collapsing on stage at the All Things Go Music Festival in New York City last September.
Ellie said: "Nothing can equip you for that rise to fame. I feel like (Lola's) doing the right thing. She's clearly got good people around her. She'll come back. She's extremely talented. She's a great writer.
"It's not like, 'Oh, she can't handle the fame'. It's just a recalibration: This is what the experience is like. I needed a break from it, and now I'm going to come back more ready for it."
