On Wednesday, April 9, Lorde (Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor) posted a TikTok of her walking/running through Washington Square Park in New York City with a clip from her new song. Since then, the internet has been in shambles.
It has been almost four years since Lorde released new music, with her last album, “Solar Power,” released in August 2021; however, it did not receive as much attention as her previous 2017 album, “Melodrama.”
Nevertheless, this new seven-second song clip felt very reminiscent of “Melodrama,” quickly drawing attention from many influencers and “Melodrama” lovers.
The video has now surpassed 30 million views, and over 25,000 videos have been posted under the sound. To say the least, people loved the tease.
Jake Shane, a popular content creator on TikTok, known for his humor, even made a silly little dance to it to express his excitement — thus spreading the clip even more. As people were soaking in the excitement of new Lorde’s music, she made a surprise cameo at Coachella.
Charli XCX, known for her 2024 album “Brat,” performed at Coachella this past weekend. With her and Lorde collaborating on a new song, “Girl, so confusing,” last summer, the rumors of a guest performance were high — especially after her song tease just days before.
During Charli’s set, she started singing “Girl, so confusing,” and from the first note, the crowd went wild.
Lorde appeared on stage for a guest performance, and people’s suspicions of a new album only rose, especially since Lorde stays under the radar more often than not.
Lorde is known for her often nonchalant way of sharing information with her listeners, avoiding most social media. She usually only uses Instagram to hint at or announce new music and often spreads news through her email newsletter instead. So, if Lorde uses social media and makes more public appearances than normal, assume that means new music is coming.
So, for her to announce new music on a random Wednesday in a TikTok video with no other context makes perfect sense for her brand, and it definitely worked to bring traction to her new music — along with her email, encouraging people to sign up for text messages.
After the Coachella performance, on Monday, April 14, she sent a voice message through her text sign-ups. She went on a bit of a ramble about her Coachella performance, enjoying this new way of communicating, and then said, “I just wanted to say hi, because everything is about to change, and these are really the last moments where it’s just us.”
Once again, the rumors of a new album kept piling up, and it was getting harder and harder to deny the very real possibility at this point.
Two days later, the text Lorde fans were impatiently waiting for finally arrived, stating, “My new song, ‘What Was That.’ Out soon.” Soon after, her headshot with the same announcement was posted on Instagram, once again confirming the album.
Naturally, chaos within Lorde fans ensued. The comment section was ecstatic, with singer Gracie Abrams commenting, “Exactly,” and many other brands and celebrities commenting as well.
After almost four restless years, people are beyond excited for her new music, even hinting at a “Lorde Summer.” It may just be time to relive that “Melodrama” era.
Lorde’s new song can be pre-saved here, even though a release date has yet to be announced.
The article was written by MaryKate Stepchuk. She can be reached at marykate.stepchuk@marquette.edu.
