Ellie Goulding shimmers on cover of the May 2014 issue of Cosmopolitan, rocking a short, golden, sheer and bejeweled dress.

Inside the issue, the 27-year-old “Burn” singer chatted about her performance at the Royal Wedding, heartache, and love regrets. Here are some excerpts from her interview:

On performing at the Royal Wedding: “It was the first time I’d done something so completely otherworldly. It’s not an everyday occurrence. It really made me have extreme gratitude for what I did, how I’d gotten there, and the people around me.

On what she’s learned from heartache: “A lot of despair in breaking up with someone is thinking about how you’re going to cope in the future. 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.”

On regrets about past loves: “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.”