Although British singer/songwriter Ellie Goulding may not yet be as widely known in the U.S. as she is back home, a recent gig of hers has certainly helped that process along.

The 24-year-old electronic-pop-meets-folk artist joined Katy Perry for the final North American leg of her California Dreams Tour as Perry's opening act. Right before playing New York's Madison Square Garden, she caught up with MTV News to tell us about the experience.

"It's really nice to hear my songs in a stadium when they perhaps wouldn't be at this point," Goulding said with a smile. "It's not often that I hear my songs so epically big and loud. I can pretend to be a rock star for a night!"

Although soon she may no longer need to "pretend" anymore, Ellie admitted that she has to keep her nerves in check while playing large venues.

"I genuinely had nightmares of just finishing a song and it being like [awkward clap]," she laughed. "But actually they were really up for it!"

As far as Katy's diverse fanbase goes, Ellie felt a warm welcome from the arena crowd.

"Any time I moved or rocked out, they'd all cheer," she recalled. "It was a really warm reaction. When I went out and was wandering around, loads of people came up and wanted pictures and stuff."

The singer made sure to catch the main act and was blown away by what she saw.

"I watched Katy's show and was just like, 'Oh my goodness,' " she said. "I was just blown away by everything."

The rising star was very humble about her growing success, which has included massive crowds at her headliner shows in the U.K. She even performed at Prince William and Kate Middleton's wedding reception last spring.

"I feel like I keep getting to play these amazing places [like] Madison Square Garden," she sighed. "I feel like if something happened to me tomorrow, God forbid, I can say that I've played these incredible venues, and as a musician, I've been able to fulfill the most incredible things. I feel like I'm still not at my peak yet. I feel like there's still a long way to go from here as a musician."

Did you see Ellie Goulding open for Katy Perry on the California Dreams Tour? Let us know in the comments section below!