Ellie Goulding

For our homework, we had to research into the successes of an artist within our genre, which for me is indie. I chose to study Ellie Goulding because I am a fan of her style of music and she has been extremely successful, especially seeing as she has only been in the public eye since 2009. So why is she so successful?

In 2010, Goulding became only the second artist to top both the BBC's annual Sound of... poll, and win the Critics' Choice Award at the BRIT Awards in the same year, following Adele's win of both in 2008.

After signing to Polydor Records, her debut album 'Lights' went on to place at number one on the UK Albums Chart and sold over 620,000 copies.

Before the release of her debut studio album, Goulding won the BBC Sound of 2010 poll, which showcases the critics, broadcasters and music industry insiders' top choices for rising stars and artists for the coming year.

Ellie's cover of Elton John's "Your Song" became her highest-charting single to date, reaching number two.

Goulding has been nominated for many awards such as 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards and 2010 Virgin Media Awards. She has also recently won the 2011 Glamour Magazine Award for Newcomer of the Year. Goulding has proved to be a huge success with not only the general public, but also the people within the music industry itself.