What perfection means to Lorde

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As a warm breeze drifts through a Burbank parking lot, Lorde relaxes under a worn canopy. She’s outside the practice space where she’s getting ready for her upcoming world tour.

The 28-year-old singer-songwriter, originally from New Zealand, has spent the last 10 days preparing to perform songs from her album, “Virgin,” live. She’ll be flying back to New York later today for a friend’s wedding, and then on to Austin, Texas, to begin her tour.

First, she did one last rehearsal of the show with the dancers she’d chosen to work with, as they needed to match her own style of movement, which she jokingly called “quite wild and difficult to control.” To prepare physically, she ordered Japanese food the night before and then had a nurse give her an IV vitamin drip while she read a copy of the New Yorker.

“Real pop-star behavior,” she says with a laugh. “The IV comes to me.”

Ella Yelich-O’Connor, known as Lorde, first became famous at 16 with her debut single, “Royals.” She describes the song – a minimalist track, almost spoken rather than sung – as being about the empty promises of a society obsessed with buying things. “Royals” stayed at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for nine weeks in a row in 2013 and later won two Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year. It was a remarkable beginning to her career.

It also established a blueprint for a lot of the emotionally intense pop music that followed over the next ten years, coming from artists like Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo. The latter recently shared with Rolling Stone that she’s unaware of “any modern songwriters who haven’t been influenced by her.”

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However, by 2021 with her album “Solar Power,” Lorde was vocal about wanting to step away from the hectic nature of being a pop star, particularly in today’s world of constant social media. In the album’s gentle, strumming title track, she joyfully sang, “I throw my cellular device in the water,” and playfully asked, “Can you reach me? No, you can’t.”

Released in June, Virgin signals a return to active creation for the artist. The album features striking electronic sounds, crafted with the help of co-producer Jim-E Stack, and explores the artist’s journey to embrace her complete self-including her feelings about her body, her diverse experiences with sexuality, and her developing sense of gender-all while navigating the limitations placed on female celebrities. It’s a work about a woman making space for all aspects of herself within a challenging public persona.

Interestingly, while Lorde was working on her own album last year, she found herself at the center of pop-culture discussion when Charli XCX asked her to contribute to a remix of “Girl, So Confusing.” The original song, released on Charli’s 2024 album “Brat,” didn’t mention Lorde by name, but many people believed it described the complicated, on-again, off-again relationship between the two artists.

“It’s a really special feeling when someone dedicates a song to you,” Lorde shared before starting her dance practice. “I hadn’t experienced that before, especially since I’ve written so many songs about other people.”

Wearing loose jeans and a flowing linen shirt, she enjoys a green juice with a takeout bag from Sqirl resting beside her on a picnic table. (“It’s some kind of macro bowl,” she explains about her meal.) Her brown, wavy hair falls freely around her face, and she’s wearing a ring with an “E” on it-a gift from her grandmother, Elsa, when she was younger.

She added, “I realized that every song written about a person is, at its heart, a love song.” She explained, “Truly seeing someone and then using your talent to express that is an act of love.”

In the remix of “Girl, So Confusing,” which quickly became popular online, Lorde explains to Charli that she always canceled their plans because she “been at war with my body” – she elaborates, “I tried to starve myself thinner,” – and felt “scared to be in your pictures.”

Why share such a private detail on another person’s album? Lorde offers a simple explanation. “It just felt right for the situation,” she says, admitting she was already very vulnerable while writing songs for “Virgin” – essentially, “being completely open and honest,” in her words. “I just wanted to be completely raw and honest with everything.”

According to Stack, who has also collaborated with artists like Bon Iver and Gracie Abrams: “I believe it reached a point where Ella had to put her words into action.”

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Wow, can you believe it’s been two decades since she dropped her first album? It was seriously groundbreaking! Now, this singer – who also totally paved the way for reality TV stars – is getting ready for a residency at the Venetian resort in Las Vegas. I’m so excited to see what she’ll bring to the stage!

Even so, the raw honesty in “Girl, So Confusing” really resonated with Lorde the day it was released. “I thought, This is surprisingly accurate. But it was exactly the experience I needed as an artist,” she explains. “It gave me a lot of confidence in what I was doing.”

I was so hyped when the remix dropped – seriously, she and Charli completely blew up the internet again! Seeing them perform it live at Madison Square Garden and Coachella was insane. It just felt like it allowed Lorde to really dig into the uncomfortable truths she was trying to get across with “Virgin.”

The album begins with the track “Hammer,” where she vocalizes, “Some days, I’m a woman / Some days, I’m a man” accompanied by a flashing synth melody. She explores this idea further in “Man of the Year,” and its music video features Lorde removing a white T-shirt and then using duct tape to bind her chest.

In “Favourite Daughter,” she reflects on the complexities of her relationship with her mother, while “Broken Glass” delves into her past struggles with eating disorders. “GRWM” celebrates the newfound sexual liberation that followed her breakup in 2023 – a split from the record executive she had been dating since approximately 2015.

When asked about her favorite lyric from the album, she immediately responds. “‘I rode you till I cried,’” she shares, referencing a line from the song “Clearblue.” In it, she vividly remembers a time she thought she might be pregnant.

“Who else is putting that in a pop song?” she says, grinning.

In terms of sound, Lorde and Stack aimed for what she describes as a “primal” feel in the music. She consistently worked to simplify the sound by removing unnecessary elements.

“Check out ‘Man of the Year,’” Stack explains. “It starts with just a simple bass line and her voice. It’s incredibly vulnerable and honest.”

Lorde’s Ultrasound tour, beginning in mid-September and coming to Inglewood’s Kia Forum on Oct. 18, brings that same raw energy to larger venues. The show features a strikingly simple design that puts the focus on Lorde’s performance.

“Ever since the album ‘Solar Power,’ I’ve been intentionally simplifying my work, trying to remove anything that feels extra or unnecessary,” the singer explains while finalizing details for the show in Burbank. “I’ve really embraced a focus on simplicity.”

I’m so excited to hear she’s planning to wear jeans onstage for the first time! It’s such a cool, down-to-earth move, especially considering she mentions her merchandise uses the simple Times New Roman font. She says, “The less the better,” and I totally get it – she wants the focus to be on the music, and for the idea itself to really shine through. It’s all about letting the work speak for itself, and I love that about her.

I’ve noticed that keeping things simple on stage has actually made it tricky to include some of her earlier songs, especially those really detailed, almost psychedelic folk tunes from Solar Power. But Lorde feels like it’s her job as a performer to showcase all sides of herself – even songs that feel like they belong to a completely different chapter of her life.

‘Buzzcut Season,’ she recalls, was written when she was around 15 years old. She’s referring to a song from her first album, “Pure Heroine.” She adds, “I can hear this baby in the backing vocals.”

Do any of her old songs feel beyond reach at this point?

“Absolutely,” she replies.

Such as?

“Nope,” she says, laughing as she declines to specify — though she notes that she’s not referring to anything in the show. “I can’t play it if I can’t get there.”

Prior to her 2022 tour, Lorde tried MDMA and psilocybin therapy to help manage her long-held anxiety about performing on stage. She now states she hasn’t used MDMA since, but continues to use psilocybin, and intends to do so indefinitely.

She explains, “Having this kind of complete reset and learning so much new stuff once a year is really exciting to me.” She adds, “I love picturing myself still being active and enjoying this at 80 years old.”

She used to get stage fright because she thought there was one correct way to perform and many incorrect ways. But now, partly because of her experiences with psychedelics, she realizes that “the only mistake you can make is not being yourself.”

Surely, some pop fans are longing to behold perfection.

“Yeah, but they’re not coming to my show,” she says. “I mean, if you are, I’m sorry.”

This perspective also applies to how Lorde views her body image. She recalls being deeply hurt at age 16 by a cruel comment left on Twitter – someone called her a “chicken noodle body” under a paparazzi photo of her in a bikini on the beach. The comment felt like being “sliced”.

Recently, though, she’s come to understand that being overly strict with her body always leads to feeling unwell, she explains. While touring with “Solar Power,” she was very focused on her body size and how her stomach would appear on stage. She had similar worries before this tour, but she decided that staying true to her goals meant letting go of all that.

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With her impressive second album, Jensen McRae explores two painful breakups through bright, acoustic pop. The songs also thoughtfully examine themes of gender, privilege, and abuse.

I’ve seen people suggest that Lorde deliberately avoids the flashy, over-the-top style we often see with artists like Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, or Chappell Roan. But honestly, Lorde herself isn’t convinced that’s the whole story. She doesn’t really see it as a direct rejection of that kind of pop pageantry.

“I see beauty in presentation, but in a unique way,” she explains. “Even something like Times New Roman has a certain formality, and the empty space on the page can be just as impactful as the text itself.”

Despite feeling like an outsider for a long time, Lorde now sees her place in the music world a bit differently. She explains, “I’m not someone who was naturally expected to succeed,” she says. “I didn’t become a musician because it was predetermined; I felt like I needed to be the one to speak up.”

With “Virgin,” she explained that she really wanted to create something that explored what being a woman meant to her, because she felt disconnected from that part of herself. She hoped that by making the film, others would watch it and think, “Yes, that resonates with my experience too!” It was about creating a shared understanding and a sense of connection through filmmaking.

How would you compare the idea of femininity on “Virgin” to the ideas on your earlier records?
This might sound strange, but I truly believe “Virgin” is the first album where I really explored being a woman. I’ve never felt particularly connected to my femininity, and definitely on “Pure Heroine,” I didn’t see any gender in the character telling the story. I wasn’t ready then – I was just a teenager. A major reason I made “Virgin” was because I suddenly became very aware of my femininity. It was like, “Wow, it’s this? And this? And this?!”

You’ve spoken eloquently about how stopping birth control affected you. Was that the primary reason you felt so down, or were other factors involved?
It was a complex situation with many contributing elements. People were communicating with me in a particular manner.

Who is asking?
I can’t [laughs]. I believe going through a short period with an eating disorder and overcoming it – that felt very much like a female experience, and finally breaking free from it felt like I truly became a woman. This happened around the same time I stopped taking birth control, and suddenly …

You know, I don’t think I’ve really explained well how I felt about stopping birth control. It’s a really sensitive topic. I was so grateful to be on birth control. But I realized I probably hadn’t been ovulating. Then I thought, OK, this is the right decision for me.

How strongly do you feel about wanting to have children?
I’ve always imagined myself as a mother. Being one of four siblings, it feels natural to me. However, when I think about the timing, I get a little anxious. Wow, time really flies, doesn’t it?

Do you feel like having children is an important part of life for you?
I feel incredibly fortunate to even consider such a profound, life-altering experience, given my work involves exploring deep personal journeys and sharing those stories. Of course, many brilliant female artists have achieved incredible things without having children. However, I welcome the challenge-and I anticipate it will be both incredibly difficult and ultimately transformative.

Lorde’s dancers are beginning to arrive in the parking lot. Before she goes to rehearsal, I ask her if she feels compelled to discuss her creative process, as she’s been doing for the past hour.

“I wish things were different, but I really long to be understood,” she shared. “A major reason I create art is to experience the calm that comes with feeling understood. But it often feels pointless, because being an artist means constantly facing misunderstanding. I attempted to say less this time, but I still feel I over-explained things.”

You gave an interview around the time of “Virgin’s” release to Zane Lowe —
I f— up that interview.

How so?
To be honest, my clothes were too feminine, and I was wearing a hair clip, which made me feel constricted and shy. I just couldn’t reach that feeling.

Why did you put the hair clip in?
I seriously don’t know why I put the hair clip in! And this feminine top! If I wear a girly top on the wrong day, I’m completely ruined.

How many feminine shirts did you pack for your trip to L.A.?
Not many. I *can* dress in a traditionally feminine style, but it has to feel right. I’m not sure, honestly. I’m probably worrying about it too much – it was likely fine.

During the interview, you appeared to intentionally emphasize your perspective on gender while showing respect for the experiences of others.
Their experiences were more challenging than my own.

It was clear that part of my hesitation came from being careful not to say something awkward that could be taken out of context online. However, I sensed you were truly thoughtful and sincere in how you approached this complex subject.
I value language, even though I recognize its limitations. But I believe this particular topic is incredibly hard to explain adequately with words. I actually think the music video for “Man of the Year” communicated my thoughts on it more effectively than I ever could.

Is there a question I could have asked today that you would’ve lied in answering?
Maybe one.

Compared to 2012, would you say you generally trust people more or less now?
I tend to be optimistic. I believe that as long as my motives are good, things will usually work out fine.

You been burned by that?
Of course. It’s a burnable approach for a pop star in 2025.

It’s been four years between each of your albums, starting with “Pure Heroine.”
I’m absolutely determined to release the next one much sooner than that. Four years is just too long this time.

I’ve definitely heard you say that before.
Yes, I have. But I truly mean it now. I’ve moved past it. I’m ready to express myself more freely, without overthinking things or being so cautious.

Perhaps that will be what people remember most about the time when we were starting out.
I always tried to prioritize being truly engaged and present-feeling the energy-over simply being skilled or powerful. The idea was to just let things unfold naturally, without forcing anything.

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2025-10-02 13:33