Ellie Goulding has revealed that she felt like a "robot" during her initial return to the studio after becoming a first-time mother, according to an interview on the BBC's Later With Jools Holland. the singer, who welcomed her second child in March, performed her new single "Black Prada Dress" on the show and confirmed that her forthcoming September album I Know Too Much addresses the breakdown of her marriage to ex-husband Caspar Jopling. Goulding described the new record as her "most honest yet," marking a departure from the disoriented state in which she created her 2023 album Higher Than Heaven.

The 'Robot' Phase and the Album She Doesn't Remember

Goulding told the show that after her son Arthur was born, going back into recording left her feeling mechanical. The result was Higher Than Heaven, a 2023 album she now says she doesn't recall making. "Any woman that's had a baby can relate to that postnatal phase of, what the hell just happened to me," she said, according to the transcript. The experience was so disorienting that when someone recently heard a song from that album, they mistook it for AI-generated work — a comment Goulding found telling. "I was like, kind of, because I was like a robot and didn't know what I was doing for a time," she explained.

Why 'I Know Too Much' Is Her Most Honest Record Yet

The September album represents a more "human" return for Goulding. She described the title track as "probably the most honest song I've written," according to the itnerview. The record specifically covers the dissolution of her marriage to Jopling, which was finalized in January 2024. Goulding noted that while some songs were "necessary for me to acknowledge that time in my life," she also filtered out tracks that were "extremely reactionary and sad" and no longer served her. The singer added that the album's title, I Know Too Much, is a "tongue in cheek" reflection on both her personal life and her musical journey.

Is This a Divorce Album? Friends Called It a Rebirth

When Goulding sent a folder of the new songs to trusted friends, the reactions surprised her. One friend called it "the divorce album," according to the interview, but most others said it sounded like "a new woman" — a story of growing and rediscovery rather than loss. Goulding herself frames the project as a testament to resilience. She and Jopling remain on good terms for co-parenting their son Arthur, while Jopling has since been romantically linked to actress Olivia Wilde, whom he was spotted with in Mexico City in February 2025. The contrast bewteen the breakup narrative and the forward-looking tone of the music is one of the album's central tensions.

What Still Unfolds: The Unheard Stories of 'I Know Too Much'

While Goulding has been candid about the album's emotional arc, the interview only featured one new track, "Black Prada Dress," leaving fans to speculate about the full tracklist. It remains unclear exactly how explicitly she addresses specific moments from her marriage or its aftermath, though she promised the lyrics are deeply personal. Another open question is how audiences will receive a pop star whose previous work was created in a state of detachment — and whether the new vulnerability will resonate as strongly as her earlier, more guarded hits. The interview on Later With Jools Holland provided a teaser, but the full picture won't emerge until September.