When entering my Junior year of high school, I heard the marvellous musical genius of Ella Yelich O’Connor (a.k.a Lorde) for the very first time. Her breakthrough hit, ‘Royals’, was undoubtedly the sound of the summer of 2013. Although we’ve only just become familiar with this New Zealand super star, she has actually been signed to a label since the age of twelve (Lorde will turn nineteen on the 7th of November). She was first discovered in a video where she performed with her band called Extreme at a talent show. A sign of her abundant talent from an early age is the fact that she wrote ‘Royals’ aged twelve, claiming it took her only about 45 minutes to do so.
After hearing ‘Royals’ for the first time, I decided to download her then-new album: Pure Heroine. The album, needless to say, is pure gold. Every song tells a story, and relatable ones at that. Lorde captures the idea of being young and bored, yet so content with that way of life quite perfectly. Growing up, you’re exposed to music that is just as misleading as it is good – which I guess is alright, but why not have something more authentic and just as enjoyable to listen to? Lorde has so beautifully succeeded in creating such music, maybe without even fully realising. I think what makes Lorde so appealing to her audiences is how well she understands growing up and social situations in general at such a becoming age. I can’t say that I really thought too hard about much of anything at age twelve, when in marked contrast Lorde was writing number one hits.
Lorde’s song ‘Ribs’ is currently my favourite on the Pure Heroine album. She sings of carefree days as a young girl and the transition to growing up and actually acquiring worries of her own – I’m confident that we can all relate to that: “You’re the only friend I need / sharing beds like little kids / we’ll laugh until our ribs get tough / but that will never be enough”. Sadly, Lorde has yet to release another album since her 2013 effort. However, she did quench fans’ thirst for more with ‘Yellow Flicker Beat’, written and recorded for the Hunger Games soundtrack in 2014.
New music from Lorde looks to be on the cards though – Lorde took to Twitter on the night of the VMA’s to announce: “Working in the studio all day and then popping your head out at the after party like “what did I miss?”” alongside a photo of her sporting a lovely sheer and rainbow dress with pretty green heels to complete the look. Does this mean we will be graced with work only a genuine goddess can create within the upcoming months? I sure hope so. As I drown myself in agonising anticipation for what might be her best work yet, I’ll play Pure Heroine on repeat to keep me sane.
You can follow the beautifully talented Lorde on both Twitter and Instagram: @lordemusic
Words by Brianna Humes