I’ve actually been paying attention to Ellie Goulding for a while. I remember seeing the music video for “Lights” when it first came out, and I was like, “Huh, she’s an unusual-looking pop star with an unusual voice.” I didn’t care for “Lights” but I did like “Anything Can Happen”. I’m not really into her current hit, “Burn”. But I still think she’s an interesting choice for a pop star – she’s not all tarted up, she seems older than the current crop of pop stars (Ellie is 27 but could easily pass for 30-something) and she’s not giving inane interview after inane interview. So, I was prepared to like her. And then I read this interview with Ellie in Marie Claire UK and… I’m not feeling her at all.
On her squeaky clean image: “People might think I am but I’m not. I’ve been quite clever about what gets in the press but I’ve done some stupid things, some reckless things. A few too many drinks have caused a lot of things to happen.”
She’s single after dating Niall Horan and Jeremy Irvine: “People seem to think I’m more wife material than girlfriend material. That’s probably why I’m single! People want to marry me – and nothing before it.”
On being invited to Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding: “In the weeks before, everyone I know was talking about the wedding, and I was sat like [puts knuckles in her mouth], trying not to say anything. I kept it to myself for so long – but no one would have believed me anyway. I talked to William and Kate quite a bit. They’re just a really awesome couple, lovely people, so I understand why people are fascinated by them. It was a really beautiful night – but then, I haven’t been to many weddings.”
On her own wedding: “Well, it might be nice to have a wedding one day, mightn’t it? I quite like being by myself. What’s wrong with that?”
[From Marie Claire UK via The Mail]
“People seem to think I’m more wife material than girlfriend material… People want to marry me – and nothing before it.” I can’t decide if this is terribly smug, or if I’m just reading it without recognizing a British self-effacing humor. I think she was aiming to make fun of herself and why she’s single, but she misfired and ended up sounding like an a—hole. There’s nothing worse than a woman who tells everyone that her sad lot in life is that men just want to “wife” constantly. Well, there are worse things, but it’s still pretty bad.
Also: “I’ve been quite clever about what gets in the press…” Chica, you’re not that well-known outside of England. Let’s not pretend you’re some Brangelina-esque public relations master.
Photos courtesy of Marie Claire UK.
Gee, what an awful problem to have. 😐
I think Kaiser is interpreting her comment wrong. Its actually terrible to be consider wife material and not gf material. Because I have that issue. Being call wife material and not gf material, doesn’t mean all the guys wants to marry you. It means they don’t think you are fun or exciting enough to date, but you have all the mental stability and maturity to be great wife someday. Which without the dating part, its very hard to get to the marrying part.
I have heard something along the lines of ” You are a great person, You would make an amazing wife. But that’s just not i’m looking for right now” sooo many times in my 25 years.
I agree missyblissy. I’ve heard the same thing over and over again but no one actually proposed to me – I’m 24 and I’m permanently single. People who say that I’m a wife material mean that I’m way too stable to be a girlfriend which is more of a veiled insult than anything if you know the details. Examples – one guy said to my face that he had been crushing on me for a long time but when he got to know me he decided that he is way too young to date me (he is a few years older than me) and that he would rather date someone who will drink booze and party with him all night and maybe marry someone like me in ten years time, which I translated to – “you are a total bore, you will die alone”. Another guy – a 25-year old, said that I seem way too mature for him and a few weeks later he started dating an 18-year old high school drop-out. Those guys were not some typical losers – they seemed like normal, intelligent guys, and I’m not some super serious, grumpy, fun-ruiner. I like having fun but maybe not the getting passed-out drunk every other night and walk around almost naked kind.
People interpret her sentence as being smug but actually hearing it made me seriously doubt in myself and thinking what is wrong with me.
Girl preach!! We are the same age. I totally understand that dreaded line, ‘wife material’.
I effin HATE that line. It’s the female version of friend zoned. Whatevs though.
I like Ellie. And yes she does have unique voice. I can never get tired of hearing her ‘Lights’ song. One of my favorites from her.
I wish nothing but the best for Ellie for 2014.
Hopefully we get a new album from her sooner.
@Norman Bates’ Mother, there is everything RIGHT with you. You just need a different group of guys because the ones you’re talking about are not, trust me, good enough for YOU.
If you want to marry, my best advice is to be where marriageable men are – Chess Club, Investment Club, Male dominated Meet Ups, etc. Make it a rule to date several men at once, keeping your heart to yourself and keeping it light. You are worth it to take your sweet time and to be choosy, and besides, men love competition. Then, stand back and let nature take it’s course!
I was independent, successful, and wild, and I had neither the time nor the inclination to be married. I didn’t marry my DH until late in life and am blissfully happy. Before that, my friends cried on my shoulder through their multiple marriages and then later wondered aloud how did I get such a great guy after only one starter husband.
@Sloane Wyatt – Thank you for your kind words. I don’t want to get married any time soon but having a boyfriend would be nice. I hope I didn’t sound desperate in my first comment. I’ve always been a very independent loner and up until 2 years ago I didn’t even consider a relationship with anyone but as I’m getting older, I’m warming up to the idea of having someone just to date, have fun but “the wife material” line comes up every time and it’s annoying. Those guys I was writing about were 1) a law student 2) an IT-specialist, which sounds good enough on paper and I was not the one chasing them.
@Norman Bates’ Mother (and Susu too),
You don’t sound ‘desperate’, just frustrated hearing the same ol’ same ol’. In my past, I always had boyfriends tell me the opposite; I was the ‘fun girl and NOT wife material’. You better believe that used to bug the living hell out of me!
My previous advice especially holds for choosing a boyfriend. It’s better to choose from a big pond; for that matter, dating sites really work for their sheer numbers of very short introductions. That puts you in control of who you meet and gives you a superior pool to pick from, instead of your only selection being the men that chase you.
I know what you mean about the guys looking good ‘on paper’. The men I’m talking about who are worth even a glance from you are the ones who don’t separate women into camps of ‘wife’ and ‘fun girl’. This is a HUGE red flag! The kind of guys who are worth your time of day are the ones who like women as people and don’t pigeonhole us!
The top shelf men are kind, funny, sexy guys who treat all women equally well, regardless if they are young or old, big or small, from waitresses to professors, and are the ones who have nice normal relationships with their mothers!
I hope I haven’t got on your last nerve, so I’ll close with wishing you a Happy New Year!
“I hope I haven’t got on your last nerve…”
You have, Gwyneth, you have. 😉
I don’t see anything wrong in what she said.. she is quirky and unusual and sometimes words are taken out of context and they just sound weird. Maybe is not super famous outside of the UK but hey, you covered her so she is quite famous overseas too! She was giving an interview for Marie Claire UK so….. she doesn’t imply she is famous worldwide and it doesn’t seem to me as if she acts like a smug a–hole.
I can’t dislike her, she reminds me a lot of Luna Lovegood from the harry Potter books.
I like her too. But I prefer her previous music ( She made one of the best covers of Your song, IMO). She’s doing the electro-pop thing now, which I dislike, and she’s been sexing it up lately, which just doesn’t suit her. And she dated Niall Horan? Isn’t he, like 12?
And why is it always implied that worldwide=US? Just like Robbie Williams has been called semi-famous here. Puh-lease.
“And why is it always implied that worldwide=US? Just like Robbie Williams has been called semi-famous here. Puh-lease.”
THIS A MILLION TIMES
Exactly, holy crap this girl is famous in Europe proper and England and Aussie-land.
I am from Brazil, and while she is not super mainstream famous here, she is fairly well-known. Also, I agree there’s nothing wrong with what she said. She wasn’t going all “woe-is-me” about men wanting to wife her. She was asked why she reckons she is single and that’s her answer. She’s not being over dramatic or anything.
I think women who get so worked up about what she said probably wish they were wife material too. 🙁
I agree. The Brangelina remark it is quite extraneous as well, but I guess that should be expected here.
She’s pretty well known in Aus. And yes I think you’ve misinterpreted the Brit humour.
Not a fan. I’ve heard some of her songs and her voice annoys me. It’s too high.
+1 Her and Lorde. I’ve tried and I can’t.
She sounds nice enough to me. And definitely a distinct voice. I think she was saying that men don’t think she’s exciting or sexed up or something along those lines. There’s nothing arrogant about saying that.
I thought she came across as smug, including the part about how she’s besties with the fascinating Will and Kate. Not horrible, just a little smug. She has a very pretty mouth.
She looks to be a cross between Lisa Marie Presley and Celine Dion. This is the first I’ve heard of her, so no real opinion formed yet.
Totally see the MP and CD combo.
I’ve heard Ellie being interviewed on the radio, she comes across as down to earth, creative and free thinking. Often the British humour is misinterpreted.
Self-deprecating humour and sarcasm are also the norm here, so it’s not just British humour. I tend to think Americans are the only ones that (generally) don’t get it.
Hey, I resemble that statement!!
Honestly, some humorless Americans have give the rest of us a bad name. The majority of the people I’ve know understand humor, even (shockingly) dry or sarcastic humor. It’s not rocket science; it’s something most (intelligent) Americans can grasp.
Then I apologize. I don’t know many Americans, but in the media it’s always discussed how they don’t get the “British” humour.
Smug. Definitely.
WTH in the last photo? Did she get a ring caught and her hair, and was then sent furiously thrashing around, hitting freshly painted walls with nails bared that caught on her jacket; which she had put on in the dark to begin with, not realizing she paired it with a pair of Kanye’s leather jogging pants? What’s with the legs? Who poses that way, outside of a toddler with a full load? Stylist: fail.
I liked what she said. I have never heard of her until reading this article but I will check out her music.
She bugs me. And Niall Horan is 20. Not a big deal for a fling. She also dated Ed Sheeran.
She’s patting herself on the back. Claiming to hav a problem that many women would love to have while telling us she’s so clever and controlled with her pr seems very smug. Just my take.
And that’s my unbiased opinion since I’ve never heard of this girl. No previous good or bad impressions made.
I know UK humor is often dry and misunderstood, but i’m factoring that in.
I’ll give her a pass because I don’t know who she is, but, uh virgin/whore much? Sounds like she’s bragging about being a “good girl.”
Her voice is nothing special really but it’s unique enough for her to have fifteen minutes in the spotlight. I recently saw a pic of her performing in an awards show (I think) and she was dressed like a skank. The dress was a nothing more than a strip of material on each side of her body. It was beyond tacky.
Oooh, somebody call the Taliban. A woman has been spotted exercising her right to wear whatever she wants. Next they’ll be having sex before marriage!
Did Renee say she didn’t have that right? Take it easy, Ms. Dworkin.
I felt the same way about how men saw me when I was younger… And it wasn’t a brag or self- compliment, but rather self deprecating. More like, I wasn’t exciting and fun or sexy enough to just date. I dated seriously or not at all, and that meant a lot of time single.
I agree with this comment! It is not a bragging thing, just a “this is the hole people place me in thing.” I’m sure a lot of women have had the experience where they just wanted to keep it casual and the other person was constantly pushing for something more serious.
I’ve never even heard of her, but then again–I live in the center of the universe, the good ol’ USA.
As a side note–I recently tried to listen to some of Vanessa Paradis stuff (live)–good Lord. Girlfriend can’t sing. And I don’t think she knows how to breathe WHILE she’s singing, either. Like she’s not completely terrible, but I’m not seeing this great talent that I’ve always heard she was.
I too never heard of her before. I guess we Americans are sheltered when it comes to non-American artists other than Adele.
She was big on the West Coast in the summer of 2012. I heard her music every day on the radio and borrowed her CD from the library.
I love Burn!
Me too.
She is pretty famous outside of the UK. Trust me.
That’s total British dry humor, not smugness. I love it all the same. Why do a lot of my fellow Americans miss it?
I’m sick of every remix of “Lights” possible though. The Bassnectar one was nice but seriously guys, you have to stop.
Ouch! Kaiser. You don’t like her at all, do you? I think she’s alright. She’s different and unusual looking for a pop star so I like her for that.
I have followed her music. She seemed nice at first- good voice for EDM, and like someone said she seems like quite the free thinker. And then I googled her once and the only news I got was ( bad timing? ) that she had done this music video for Calvin Harris in which she is all in bed with him and all. And it struck me quite odd since she is friends with his girlfriend Rita Ora. Soo AWKWARD… And then she said some things that sounded smug in relation to that video. So yea, I’m pretty much put off by her.
PS: I think she also said that Rita wouldn’t mind it. Don’t know about that.
Her voice is nice and stands out, but her lyrical skills are extremely basic imo. And what’s with all this ‘people think’ stuff? As far as I can tell people like her music allright, but don’t think about the person Ellie Goulding at all. She’s a known singer, not a charismatic celebrity.
She’s popular in the US at least where I live. Her music is in heavy rotation on the radio. And I don’t sense smugness. Being told you’re wife material but not girlfriend material is a bit of a backhanded compliment.
I am from Toronto, Ontario Canada, and everyone knows who she is. I am 45 and have satellite radio-Channel 51-BPM plays Ellie daily. She is extremely talented, and obviously has a dry sense of humour. My hubby is British, and nine years later i am still trying to translate his humour. Brits are very well-educated, and loathe intellectual lightweights. Just a fact.
I don’t think she was trying to be smug. I think that she’s saying that she doesn’t want to be in a relationship and “play the field” a bit but the guys that she meets are very relationship oriented. But that’s just my take on it.
This is the thing about the “wife vs. girlfriend” material comment: it shows the insidiousness of just how deeply the slut shaming complex runs. The implication being that “wife material” is who you take home to your parents, “grilfriend material” is the one you bang but who isn’t good enough to meet your family because if shes banging you, she is banging (has banged) other men and therefore is somehow sullied and deemed unworthy. Not good enough to marry, just good enough to have sex with. Just be aware, ladies~and men~that little sayings like this are things that devalue women even further. They are deliberate attempts to degrade and demean women, and the worst thing about them is that most people don’t recognize them for what they are, they just parrot the words.
I agree with you, even though I’m not sure if that was what she was trying to do here. It’s going to be hard work slowly weaning society off of slut-shaming because of the patriarchal society we’ve been living in too long, that bases female worth and character off of how much she has or hasn’t withheld herself sexually- or how much people happen to THINK she has or hasn’t withheld herself. There are people who see themselves as proponents of equality, human rights, bodily autonomy, and social justice but who aren’t even aware of the fact that they’re working against those things- not for it- when they start promoting the virgin-whore dichotomy. But it’s always hard to wean people off of bigotry, especially when people are under the delusion that a certain form of bigotry is about morality, self-respect, and goodness.
27?!? Wow. I have no idea who this chick was before the article but going by the picture I thought she was like 40. She looks way older than 27.
@Kiddo…I think it’s the photographer trying to hide her awful extensions. She should just take them out and have her hair short as it is. I like lights though.
I can appreciate that she sounds different than the other pop-lets out there, but, God, this girl bugs. I remember hearing a radio interview where she said she left college to “focus on her music”; chick, your “music” is over-produced, auto-tuned drivel. Sit down.
Smug?? She DIDN’T mean that men walk up and propose constantly, she meant that men reject her because they assume she wants to marry them and have their babies – even if she’s only interested in casual, temporary companionship. I know this is cele”bitchy,” but come on….
I saw her live in LA last january. Her show was super simple, but boy Did i have fun. Her voice is very whimsical.
If you haven’t heard the song Lights by now then you must have been hiding under a rock because it was everywhere in 2012. She is very well-known at least here in New York. They are always playing her songs on Z 100.
And she sang at the royal wedding reception in 2011 and was probably asked by it by the interviewer. Didn’t sound smug to me at all.
She is famous and she is talking in the context of where she would be covered doing something tabloidworthy, the UK more so. But she is known in the States, and nothing wrong with saying that just because she’s not oh, so Britney famous in the States. The world doesn’t revolve around us. The internet gossip sites cover plenty of UK acts that aren’t as famous as her here with their bad behavior.
I liked her comments and everything sounds better when delivered in person by a Brit with their dry humor or delivery anyway than in print. Hugh Grant for example.