Bringing a touch of mystery, a pinch of hope and a heap of class in to a marketplace awash with brash ‘show and tells’, Lorde is a genuine, gentle phenomenon. Sufficiently well schooled in the principles to take pop music apart stitch by stitch, and re-assemble it to her own specifications, Ella Yelich has turned heads, defied preconceptions and made an indelible impression across the globe with Royals, Team and Pure Heroine.
The story of how a Kiwi schoolgirl concocted her own brand of sophisticated, observational and distinctive pop music, and took it to the world, has become so ubiquitous it has almost become a cliché - but it bears some repeating. Taken on by Universal at the tender age of 12, on the strength of an amateur video and some very good instincts, Ella spent the following years establishing and developing her craft, and finding her musical feet. When she linked up with producer and co-writer Joel Little, she found a kindred spirit and a musical catalyst, who was able to help translate her razor sharp lyrics and melodic sensibilities into something truly special.
The release of her ravenously awaited debut album Pure Heroine, released in September 2013, added further substance to the extraordinary success - scaling the US Top Ten, and once again amassing a veritable mountain of platinum sales around the world. From best kept secret to a decidedly different kind of international superstar in a matter of months, Ella had to decline the school ball, in favour of the likes of the Grammy’s (though she still wore her school shoes) where she was awarded Best Song Of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance, The Brits (Best International Female Solo Artist) and a swag of NZ Music Awards.
Cut from a very different cloth to the people now ranked as her contemporaries, Lorde has carved out her own space, one where her artistry will be able to grow and develop, as she continues on with this fantastic voyage.