Ellie Goulding shared an intimate two-song set, featuring performances of “Flux” and “Power,” for the latest installment of Rolling Stone’s In My Room series.
The singer delivered her performance from a studio space in Oxford, England, where she was accompanied by a pianist named James. The simple set-up was particularly fitting for “Flux,” with Goulding recreating the potent piano power ballad from her most recent studio album, Brightest Blue, giving it some extra atmospheric touches with pre-programmed backing vocals.
For her rendition of “Power,” though (another track off Brightest Blue), Goulding had to completely reinvent the song. The original boasts a pulsing mix of darkwave synths and thundering drums, but in the studio, Goulding and James stripped that all way to just piano, programmed backing vocals and some simple snapping.
Goulding released Brightest Blue on July 17th. The album marks her first full-length effort since 2015’s Delirium and features collaborations with Diplo, Juice WRLD, Swae Lee, Lauv, serpentwithfeet and blackbear.
Goulding’s appearance on In My Room follows recent performances by Charlie Puth, Boy George, Trixie Mattel, Warren Haynes, Haim, Sting, Joan Jett, Lucinda Williams, Waxahatchee and others. To support musicians undergoing financial hardship, please consider giving to the Sweet Relief Musicians Fund or MusiCares’ COVID-19 Relief Fund.
