Ellie Goulding Hopes To Emulate Amy Winehouse

Ellie Goulding recently found inspiration in a place she hadn’t expected to see it: the new documentary about Amy Winehouse.

After watching the documentary, which is titled Amy, Goulding talked to Billboard about being a celebrity, gaining fame, and the lessons she’s learned from Winehouse. First and foremost, Ellie Goulding said, watching the documentary helped put fame into perspective.

“I feel like artists when they say ‘I never wanted to be famous,’ that’s not always true. I think people in the beginning are excited by the idea of becoming famous through their art and then when they get there they realize that they completely regretted ever wanting that. I watched the Amy Winehouse documentary and it’s made me think that I want to just continue my art as long as I can and I will never let that get the better of me.”

Ellie Goulding said she never had the opportunity to meet Amy Winehouse while she was alive, but Goulding said she’s still learned quite a bit from Winehouse’s life and experiences.

“I’ve learned from Amy. She’s a massive inspiration. She lived here [in London]. She worked here. Her friends were here. And I don’t see why that can’t be my life and I can still do my art without letting that [celebrity] stuff [interfere]. And it’s not that Amy let it get the better of her. It’s just that she had no choice. It was so grueling and, like it says in the documentary, it was like a feeding frenzy. But that kind of thing doesn’t have to be part of what I do.”

Winehouse, who publicly struggled with substance addictions, died in 2011 as a result of alcohol poisoning. She was 27.

Ellie Goulding, who is also British, said she never met Winehouse. Instead, Goulding said that she and the deceased singer had friends in common.

Goulding went on to say that she was sad she had never had the opportunity to meet Winehouse. Ellie even called Winehouse one of the best artists of her time.

“I’m so sad that I never got to meet her and I’m so sad about how it ended because she was just an unbelievable talent. Unbelievable. She’s one of the greatest artists to ever come out of this country and to come out of London.”

In truth, Ellie Goulding has a strikingly different public persona and lifestyle than Winehouse ever did, as Ellie is known for her active and healthy lifestyle. In fact, Ellie Goulding is widely recognized as a celebrity who loves to workout and feel good in her own body.

Goulding’s lifestyle may be different from that of Winehouse, but her musical influence doesn’t have to be. Perhaps in time, fans will see Winehouse’s influence and inspiration on Ellie Goulding’s music. Time will tell.

[Photo by Chris Jackson / Getty Images]