Five reasons why Lorde is our musical saviour
Sara Kie thinks Lorde is a royally good artist.
Kiwi artist, Lorde, recently released her much anticipated third studio album Solar Power a whole four years after her second album, Melodrama. When releasing her albums the global superstar likes to take her time - like REALLY take her time. However, despite the long hiatus she still always manages to create an album that is raw and artistic, reflecting the changes in her life - from the tumultuousness of being a teenager in Pure Heroine to her intimate relationships with mother nature in her most recent album. There’s plenty of reasons why she’s our musical saviour then, but here’s just five.
1 - Her albums reflects different stages of her life - literally
Lorde treats her music and albums like a diary for herself to showcase the world. Her music is personal, raw and authentic. She muses about the anxieties of being a teenager in her very first album, Pure Heroine. Lorde communicates what all of us once felt when we were in the midst of our teenage years, reminiscing about life in the future, worrying about who will be at the party on the weekend and just general confusion about yourself and the world.
Melodrama depicts an older Lorde saying goodbye to her teenage years and welcoming the life of adulthood. Unlike Pure Heroine, Melodrama is a concept album about a house party. This party could loosely be based upon the tumultuous journey of young adulthood like the moments where you feel the highs of life but are crying in the bathroom having an existential crisis the next minute.
Finally, her latest album Solar Power depicts a much happier Lorde. Her first two albums undoubtedly earned her the role of Sad Girl, however, Solar Power highlights how she is at a stage where she has found a sense of ease within Mother Nature. Though the album still does have a melancholic tinge, she reminds us how we can be in a state of our life where we are happy even when our past grief continues to loom in the shadows.
Lorde’s exploration of her life through various albums results in a personal connection with her fans as they are able to watch her develop and grow. Her raw and emotional expression of her life through music relates to people of all ages.
2 - She creates music for herself and not a commercial success
Her most recent album, Solar Power, has garnered a lot more criticism than expected - like a lot more. Perhaps the one argument prominent among critiques is the fact that the album does not sound like Pure Heroine and Melodrama - sad, cathartic and existential.
But, Lorde shows that she does not create music to appeal to the masses but to showcase her true self - that she is now at a point in her life where she has found a sense of ease and tranquillity. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Lorde said she has “more money to last her a lifetime” and aims to create more music “not to add onto that wealth but because she simply loves it”. Unlike artists that churn out an album every year, she ensures that she delivers a quality album that reflects her own self - and that often takes time.
3 - Her notoriously LONG hiatuses
Unlike other artists, Lorde is known to disappear off of the internet once she has released an album and performs on tours. Other artists keep fans constantly updated on Instagram, Twitter and other social media platforms. However, Lorde completely eliminated herself off of any form of social media and went AWOL - literally. After writing Melodrama, she went to a remote island off of New Zealand cut off from society. The only form of communication fans received was an occasional newsletter.
Cutting off from social media has given her the opportunity to reconnect with Mother Earth, a central theme to her most recent album. It gave her the chance to wind down, relax and leave the glitz and glam of Hollywood. Though fans have begged Lorde to release new music, her notoriously long hiatuses have definitely been worth the amazing music she puts out.
4 - She uses unorthodox methods to create music
Whilst most musicians use synths and traditional musical instruments, Lorde is also known for utilising unorthodox techniques to create music. In her latest album, she incorporated sounds of cicadas in the song ‘Oceanic Feeling’ bringing the thematic theme to life. In her album Melodrama, she utilises the sound of a Tiger’s roar in the song ‘Sober’, emulating her angst and frustration. Using seemingly random noises showcases how she can create music out of everything surrounding her.
Lorde challenges the notion that music can only be created by those who have the talent to do so and encourages us to think, ‘hey why can’t a Tiger’s roar be considered as music? What constitutes music anyway?’ In creating a piece of art that challenges the seemingly exclusive nature of music, she highlights how everything around us is a form of art.
5 - Last but definitely not least, she created a mini album sung in Maori
As a New Zealand native, Lorde wanted to pay respects to the Maori people of New Zealand in her most recent album. As such, she created a smaller 5-song album accompanying Solar Power entitled Te Ao Mārama, sung entirely in Maori. In a newsletter written to her fans, she mentioned how her value system regarding caring for the natural world comes from traditional Maori principles. Although she herself is not Maori, creating this album provided her with the opportunity to showcase to the world the beauty of the Indigenous language and express her gratitude towards the Maori community. Not a lot of artists pay respects to the Traditional Owners in which they reside, and Lorde’s ability to pay respect to the Maori highlights her respectful thought process in creating this piece of art.