Glancing at the tracklist shows that many of the song lengths are a uniform three minutes and 46 seconds, and the production credits boast assists from big guns Max Martin and Ryan Tedder, as well as Greg Kurstin (Sia, Adele). Until now: With the release of third LP, Delirium, a self-confessed “big pop album,” Ellie’s coming into the proverbial net, low on ballads and armed with 16 bangers to pelt at fans and peers alike. Collaborations with Major Lazer and Calvin Harris found Goulding flexing her versatility for arena and club audiences she’s been as unwilling to be boxed in as Rafael Nadal is to stick to one tennis surface. Her boundless energy is reflected in high-impact electro-pop that’s morphed from wispy (2010 debut Lights) to aggressive (2012’s Halcyon), with number-one U.K.

In the past five years, Goulding’s X-factor has been her refusal to be pigeonholed. Despite experiencing enormous hype and winning a Brit Award before even releasing a full-length, Goulding wasn’t ready to fulfill that part of her mission. The fidgety upstart did some yoga, spoke about her love of drums, gushed about Björk, Four Tet, and Bon Iver, and was reluctant to identify herself as a pop star.

Who knows where my next album will go?” Ellie Goulding said to me in 2010, in a tiny Scotland venue most renowned for being the place where Oasis were discovered. “I love that people are curious about what kind of artist I am.

Delirium ellie goulding album cover