The New Zealand singer and songwriter Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor, or more regularly known as Lorde is recognized and appreciated for her “unconventional music type” or as I like to say, she’s known for releasing albums that somehow narrate my entire life but in a cool indie coming of age film type of way. Her stage name Lorde came from her love and fascination for royalty/aristocracy. In an interview with Refinery29 She mentioned, “I hit upon ‘Lord’ and loved the way it sounded, and then I was like, it would be quite cool to add an E to feminize it”.
From her album Pure Heroine released in September of 2013 to her latest album Melodrama released in June of 2017, Lorde has time and time again continued to stay true to herself and be nothing but authentic about who she is and what she stands for. She has continued to avoid the “cookie cutter pop star” image and only produces songs when she feels like she has a special story to tell. She has become an advocate and a glimmer of hope for those who never really felt like they fit into a social norm or were unsure where they belonged.
Focusing on the song that kind of started Lorde’s reign, Royals was a single that was featured on her first album Pure Heroine in 2013. Lorde couldn’t have picked a more important song to introduce herself to the music world world. Royals was influenced by Lorde’s upbringing and her roots. The song’s killer lyrics translate to being proud and humble about where you came from. A materialistic lifestyle or a high social status isn’t the key to a happy and fulfilled life. Remember when I said that Lorde was an authentic queen? The song Royals is evidence to support that statement.
Ontop of being cool AND authentic, Lorde is also a feminists and has proven that she stands up for ALL women and how they’re portrayed not only in the music world but also by the media. I’ve said it once but I’ll say it again, what a queen! Since the release of her first album she’s been associating herself and her career with other young feminist artists and has stood by the true definiton of feminism. During an interview with Teen Vogue she stated, “Feminism is trying to fight for better conditions and better treatment of all women, whether that be trans women, or women of color, or…women in professions that don’t get a lot of respect. That, to me, is what feminism is all about.”