Club writer Meagan Fredette dubbed the record as "rich and cohesive",[89] while Drowned in Sound's Joe Goggins concluded that Lorde "[operates] at the highest artistic level yet [puts] it across as easy-access modern mainstream pop. “We know we live in a special place," she wrote of the country. [146], From late 2013 to early 2016, Lorde was in a relationship with New Zealand photographer James Lowe. I want to do interviews, talk about the record over and over until I know it inside out. [49] Amidst her solo activities, Lorde joined the surviving members of Nirvana to perform "All Apologies" during the band's induction ceremony at the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame in April 2014. Want more from Teen Vogue? [30] In the United States, the album exceeded sales of one million copies in February 2014, becoming the first debut album by a female artist since Adele's 2008 album 19 to achieve the feat. "Love to jack forever and ever. [35] Though it has been denied by Lorde,[16] music critics have described Melodrama as a loose concept album. [16] She also cited her desire to explore a "cathartic mode" for the album. [73] Pro-Palestine groups welcomed her decision,[74] while pro-Israel groups were critical of the cancellation. [53] Her second studio album Melodrama received a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year at the 60th ceremony. [31] Pure Heroine earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album,[28] and has sold four million copies worldwide as of May 2017. “I found a note in my phone from November which said: I eat a grief sandwich / I wear a grief coat / I see a grief film,” she wrote in the letter. Her second studio album Melodrama (2017) received widespread critical acclaim and debuted atop the US Billboard 200. Lorde has penned a lengthy note to subscribers of her newsletter about the status of her next album and the passing of her beloved dog Pearl. [16] The song structures on the record are traditional in construction, with piano-based melodies in contrast with the hip-hop influences on Lorde's first album. More than a year later, he reported that despite he wrote a few songs for the album, he would not serve as an executive producer, attributing this to Lorde "trying to do something different". [74] The album dropped to number 13 the following week. [9] Her mother encouraged her to read a range of genres, which Lorde cited as a lyrical influence. Her debut studio album Pure Heroine was released that same year to critical and commercial success. [70] Following her performance, Lorde released a remix of "Homemade Dynamite" that featured guest vocals by Khalid, Post Malone and SZA as the third single from the album on 16 September 2017. [10], The singer went on to announce the album's title on 2 March 2017. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. [153] In 2018, she donated NZ$5,000 to Starship Hospital to fund the purchase of "five new portable neurology monitors. ”It won’t be the same work— as anyone who has felt loss can understand, there’s a door that opens that you step through, and everything is different on the other side.". [119] She placed at number 12 on NPR's 2018 readers poll of the most influential female musicians of the 21st century. [17] In an interview with Vanity Fair, Lorde said the title of the album is a "nod to the types of emotions you experience when you're 19 or 20. The singer was in her home country of New Zealand when the coronavirus hit, and she said she’s grateful for the governmental intervention that resulted in a strict, six-week lockdown and plenty of safety measures, from testing to contact tracing. [116], Lorde's critiques of mainstream culture on Pure Heroine earned her the title "the voice of her generation",[11] a label she dismissed, saying that "young people have never needed a specialised spokesperson". Lorde asked McKinniss to create a painting with a "kind of colorful teenage restlessness and excitement and energy and potential". [14] In November 2012, the singer self-released the EP through her SoundCloud account for free download. [29] In contrast, Carl Wilson of Slate conceded that the record was "kind of a detour" in comparison to 1970s artists such as Joni Mitchell and Leonard Cohen. [49] She said that the production process was "exciting", stating, "I can use guitars and I can get a big gnarly Flume beat and throw it under water. Let us slide into your DMs. [48] She subsequently embarked on an international concert tour, commencing in North America in early 2014. Lorde's music is primarily electropop and contains elements of subgenres such as dream pop and indie-electro. [13] McDonald's father then sent his recordings of the duo covering "Mama Do" and Duffy's "Warwick Avenue" to Universal Music Group (UMG)'s A&R executive Scott Maclachlan. [47], Lorde co-wrote "Homemade Dynamite" with Tove Lo. Because of the current constraints, Lorde acknowledged that it’ll  “take a while longer” for her to finish the album, but she’s excited nonetheless. The album was Lorde's first number one in the United States and Canada, and also peaked atop the charts in Australia and New Zealand. [16] In December, Maclachlan paired Lorde with Joel Little, a songwriter, record producer, and former Goodnight Nurse lead singer. Everything about you becomes a grief thing!”, “I started going back to the studio again in December, just for something to do, and to my surprise, good things came out,” she continued. “Happy, playful things. [69], To promote Melodrama, Lorde embarked on an international concert tour, the first leg of which took place in Europe in late 2017, featuring Khalid as the supporting act. [69] Her decision not to sing came after she was diagnosed with influenza. [15] Lorde also took notes from conversations with her friends and would fly multiple times between the United States and New Zealand to examine the world around her. [68] At the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards, Lorde performed an interpretive dance to "Homemade Dynamite", which was met with mixed reviews from critics, some of whom called it "bizarre". privacy | terms [87] She cited the 1950 science fiction short story "There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury as inspiration for much of Melodrama's story, relating it to her own realities she faced. [98], Melodrama placed second on Metacritic's list of the best-received albums of 2017, based on inclusions in mainstream publications' year-end lists. The drum solo used as the transition instrument linking "Hard Feelings" to "Loveless" was sampled from Phil Collins' 1981 song "In the Air Tonight". It flowed. [72] While Lorde did not explicitly indicate her reasons behind the cancellation, she admitted that she had been unaware of the political turmoil there and "the right decision at this time is to cancel". [39] Lorde uses numerous metaphors on Melodrama, such as the teeth of great white sharks, continuing her incorporation of teeth in her lyrics. The pair recorded five songs for an extended play (EP) at Little's Golden Age Studios in Morningside, Auckland, and finished within three weeks. [14], Lorde was also part of the Belmont Intermediate School band Extreme; the band placed third in the North Shore Battle of the Bands finals at the Bruce Mason Centre, Takapuna, Auckland on 18 November 2009. [11] She also began posting pictures of herself at Electric Lady Studios in New York City with Jack Antonoff on social media taken in and after December 2015. [17], While writing content for the album, Lorde took influence from a number of settings and tested new material by listening to demos through earphones at a diner near Columbus Circle, which she did for about four months to understand how the music would sound in everyday life. [62], On Melodrama, Lorde attempted to showcase her maturity as a songwriter and incorporated her post-breakup introspection. Lorde chose Jack Antonoff as the main collaborator because she felt the need to expand her artistry from the Joel Little-produced Pure Heroine. [72] The Oceania leg consisted of 13 dates. [39] The singer was inspired to write "Supercut" after driving through Ponsonby Road in Auckland in a taxi listening to Simon's album Graceland. [50] Band members Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl explained that they selected Lorde because her songs represented "Nirvana aesthetics" for their perceptive lyrics. I want to eat summer foods in beautiful countries — ice cream and tomatoes and anchovies. [12] In August that year, Lorde and McDonald made a guest appearance on Jim Mora's Afternoons show on Radio New Zealand. I felt my melodic muscles flexing and strengthening. [5] Lorde was eventually featured on Disclosure's track "Magnets" which appears on the duo's 2015 album Caracal. I needed to make some food, grow some stuff, go to the beach a bunch, finally acknowledge (and kick) my social media addiction.”, As such, Lorde admitted that she “wasn’t sure if I’d tour again for a long time. And hey, at least she recognizes the extreme fan desire for this album. she wrote in May. “New Zealand is creeping back to normal. "[51], The A.V. Lorde has penned a lengthy note to subscribers of her newsletter about the status of her next album and the passing of her beloved dog Pearl. [73], On the US Billboard 200, Melodrama debuted at number one with first-week sales of 109,000 album-equivalent units, of which 82,000 were pure sales, becoming Lorde's first number one in the United States. [36] Later that month, Lorde was featured on the soundtrack for the 2013 film The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, performing a cover of Tears for Fears' 1985 song "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". [16] She did, however, call "Green Light" a traditional break-up song. [40] Billboard featured her on their 21 Under 21 list in 2013,[41] 2014,[42] and 2015. Ad Choices, Lorde Hinted at Her New Album While Urging Fans to Vote. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 1/1/20) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated 1/1/20) and Your California Privacy Rights. [16], The cover artwork for Melodrama was painted by American abstract painter Sam McKinniss, with whom Lorde had communicated by email. Lorde's Coolest Covers, from James Blake to Kanye West, Lennon Stella Isn't Afraid to Give Pop Music Room to Breathe, My Friend Died of COVID-19 and I'm Learning How to Grieve in Isolation, Your 2020 Playlist, According to Zodiac Signs. 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