Ellie Goulding Stages Her Comeback With Shimmering New Song 'Close To Me'

Ellie Goulding is back, baby! The British pop star has kept a pretty low profile within the past couple years, releasing a Kygo collab in 2017 plus a holiday recording of "O Holy Night" last winter, as well as a couple other one-offs. On Wednesday (October 24), but, she returned with her first genuine solo single since 2015.


She's technically not alone, though — "Close To Me" is a duet with boyish wonder Swae Lee of Rae Sremmurd, and features shimmering production from Diplo. "Even though we both know we're liars and we begin each other's fires, we just know that we'll be alright," Goulding sings on the defiant love song, which celebrates a wild, reckless romance. "So don't let me down / Keep me in trouble / Place on Earth to be wild, out in the jungle." Swae, meanwhile, pops in with a carefree, melodic verse, finding easy chemistry with Goulding over Diplo's gleaming beats.


It's been three years since Goulding released her third album, 2015's Delirium, which included the massive hit "Love Me Like You Do." Speaking to BBC Radio 1's Annie Mac on Wednesday, Goulding explained that she's spent the time since that album taking a much-needed break, cooking, getting engaged, and just living life.


"I spent quite a lot of time on tour immediately after I released [Delirium], and then, to be trustworthy, I was just really tired," she explained. "I just wanted to spend time with my family member and visualize my companions a little more and attempt to have a little bit of a typical reality."


Although a follow-up to Delirium has nevertheless to be reported, the 31-year-old recently wiped her social media accounts tidy, a move that — coupled with the new release of "Close To Me" — suggests that something big is on the horizon.