New Zealand singer Lorde is stealing the spotlight this week as she looks set to take the number one album ‘Solar Power’. The 2021 studio release is Lorde’s third album, following on from the likes of her 2013 debut ‘Pure Heroine’ and 2017’s ‘Melodrama’ success stories. The new album has received rave reviews from a range of publications amongst the music press for its unique and wry vocals that characterise Lorde’s oeuvre.
Whilst her previous two albums have featured more introspective tones, drawing from Lorde’s own personal life and experiences. This third album has a broader outlook and sound, a reflection of a maturing star as she reaches her middle twenties perhaps. Lorde describes how: “The album is a celebration of the natural world, an attempt at immortalising the deep, transcendent feelings I have when I’m outdoors.” It’s definitely a different vibe to the teenage suburban life and romantic break-up focus of her previous releases.
What stays the same is Lorde’s striking ability to capture the zeitgeist of the times in her lyrics.
One song on the album, ‘Mood Ring’, Lorde manages to create an image familiar across millennial and Gen Z and X culture when it features lyrics such as: ‘Ladies, begin your sun salutations // Transcendental in your meditations (love and light) // You can burn sage, and I’ll cleanse the crystals’. The dead pan Lorde looks out at the camera, acting out these moments in a way that makes us question their sincerity.
There’s no doubt Lorde was looking to release some good into the world with her latest album. “In times of heartache, grief, deep love, or confusion, I look to the natural world for answers. I’ve learned to breathe out, and tune in. This is what came through,” she said. Whether she’s looking to the skies, the sea or the earth itself, nature is what runs through the album. Track titles such as ‘Oceanic Feeling’ and title track ‘Solar Power’ itself demonstrate the hope and connectivity we can feel in nature that the singer is keen to translate through her lyricism.
Lorde is the stage name for Kiwi singer-songwriter Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor, who made her name in New Zealand’s local music scene before being picked up by the Universal Music Group (UMG) in 2009. She was born on November 7, 1996 in an Auckland suburb – a place that would prove fertile ground for her music development as she made her fame writing about the ups, downs and dramas of the 21st century teenage experience.
The album launch comes alongside the release of Lorde’s tour dates for next year. To promote the album the singer will tour a number of places in Australia. In March 2022 she will visit Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth over six dates. We advise buying tickets directly from Lorde’s website to avoid ticket fraud. Attendees are encouraged to follow coronavirus protection measures such as face mask wearing, and for those looking for childcare, service providers requiring a Working with Children Check are recommended.
