July 15 (UPI) -- Ellie Goulding says her forthcoming album, Brightest Blue, has a "hopeful" message.
The 33-year-old singer discussed the album, her first in nearly five years, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly published Wednesday.
Goulding confirmed Brightest Blue has two sides -- one exploring her journey of self-discovery and one from her alter ego -- but said both are meant to inspire listeners.
"I want my music to be hopeful," the star said. "I want to help people through my music. It's incredible knowing that you could be that needed support for someone."
Side A centers on Goulding's realization of how much she's changed "physically and mentally" over the years and features familiar themes of heartbreak.
"There's a couple of songs where I'm still talking about finding that perfect person and being disillusioned by love -- that's still my favorite kind of writing," the singer said.
"All these songs were part of this discovery of myself, learning to love myself a bit more, respect myself and not need anyone else," she added. "I think that was really important to me."
Side B introduces Goulding "super confident" alter ego.
"It's just fun. It's a very different side of me, but one that I wanted to include because it shows that that's still a big part of who I am," she said.
Goulding shared a trailer for Brightest Blue on Tuesday. She will release the album Friday.
Brightest Blue features Goulding's previously released singles "Worry About Me" featuring Blackbear, "Power" and "Slow Grenade" featuring Lauv.
Goulding released her third studio album, Delirium, in November 2015. She is known for the singles "Lights," "Anything Could Happen," "Burn," "Love Me Like You Do" and "On My Mind."
