Ellie Goulding for Cosmopolitan US May 2014

On initially wanting to be an actress: "I wanted to be an actress, which is weird because I come from an absolute non-performing-arts family. My mom worked in a supermarket, and my stepdad drove a truck. I've met a lot of American families who are very encouraging and supportive. But my mom was busy thinking about how she was going to afford to pay for everything from rent to school to dinner. Supporting something unrealistic just didn't happen."

On her album dealing with a breakup and on what heartache taught her: "To be in the present moment. A lot of the despair in breaking up with someone is thinking about how you're going to cope in the future. "What's going to happen to me? Who am I going to find next? What am I going to do without him?" But not being completely present prevents you from being happy and alive. As soon as you stop relying so heavily on what happened in the past, you end up being able to deal."

"I [used to] put men on a pedestal. They'd be everything. I decided to remedy that, and that's why I'm single now. I've realized I don't need a guy. I've got amazing, awesome, stupid friends in the best way possible. I don't rely on a guy for anything."

Photographed by Kenneth Cappello