After four years without any new music, Lorde is set to drop a new single — and some fans have already heard it. On April 22, the singer debuted her latest single, “What Was That,” in New York City. But when’s Lorde’s “What Was That” release date? It’s not out on streaming platforms yet.
Lorde debuted “What Was That” surrounded by hundreds of people at a pop-up event at Washington Square Park in New York. About two hours later, it was shut down by the police because of how many people showed up.Â
The singer sang along to her new single on top of a wooden platform over Washington Square Park’s iconic fountain, with the music coming from a small speaker beside her. After the event was shut down, Lorde thanked everyone who attended in an Instagram story that read, “I am truly Amazed by how many of you showed up!!! But they’re telling me you gotta disperse … I’m so sorry.”
Some of the song’s lyrics include “I’m missing you and all the things we used to do,” “We kissed for hours straight but baby, what was that?” and, “This is the best cigarette of my life/Well I want you just like that.”
Now that we got a hold of a few of the song’s elements, fans are wondering when “What Was That” will actually be released. On Thursday, April 17, Lorde shared a post on Instagram saying her new song would be “out soon.” Since then, fans have been speculating it could be coming out on Friday, April 25 due to an accidental post made by Universal Music Turkey.
Excitement is an understatement for how fans are feeling about the release of “What Was That,” considering this is Lorde’s first solo single in nearly four years. In 2024, the singer collaborated with Charli XCX on a remix of “Girl, So Confusing,” and her most recent album, Solar Power, was released in August of 2021.Â
On social media, fans are speculating that “What Was That” will be the first song on a new album debuting in summer of 2025. Many users have also commented “lorde summer” under posts relating to Lorde’s latest announcement.Â