Months after her deeply personal last album Brightest Blue came out amid the pandemic, the British singer-songwriter became pregnant in summer 2020 and found herself isolated in lockdown. The unideal circumstances sparked a penchant for Goulding to create music that's simply fun and energetic, resulting in her new record Higher Than Heaven, out now. "I'm getting back to feeling myself again," she tells PEOPLE over tea in New York City. "I'm in the best possible place that I could be to release new music — minus the anxiety. That's something I'm still always struggling with."