Lorde

New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde broke through internationally with “Royals,” a spare, sharply observed pop single that spent nine weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and sold 10 million units worldwide. Born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor on 7 November 1996 in Takapuna, New Zealand, she became known for unconventional pop music and introspective songwriting while still a teenager.

Lorde first gained recognition through a talent-show performance and signed with Universal Music Group in 2009. In 2011, she began working with producer Joel Little. Their first release, The Love Club EP, was initially uploaded as a free download on SoundCloud in 2012 before receiving a commercial release in 2013. “Royals” became its defining single, topping charts in multiple regions. Her debut album, Pure Heroine, followed later in 2013 and was both a critical and commercial success.

In 2014, Lorde curated the soundtrack for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. She then worked with Jack Antonoff on Melodrama, released in 2017. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, received widespread critical acclaim, and was later included in Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Albums of All Time” list. Her 2021 album Solar Power moved toward indie folk and psychedelic sounds, drawing polarised responses from critics and listeners.

Lorde returned to electronic-based pop on her fourth studio album, Virgin, released in 2025. Created with musician Jim-E Stack, the record received further critical acclaim. Alongside her own releases, she has co-written songs for artists including Broods and Bleachers.

Her honours include 20 Aotearoa Music Awards, two Grammy Awards, two Brit Awards and a Taite Music Prize, as well as a Golden Globe Award nomination. Time included her among its most influential teenagers in 2013 and 2014, while Forbes named her in its 2014 30 Under 30 list.