“The biggest night for music,” aka the Grammys, happened on Sunday January 26th. Before you read any further, I’ll admit it, I didn’t actually watch the Grammys. I didn’t even know they were happening until my friend sent me a snapchat saying “watching lorde win the grammys!” Until I received that snapchat, I had absolutely no interest in the Grammys whatsoever; however, there was one word in my friend’s message that changed that. Lorde. Okay, time for a second confession. Although I don’t usually listen to pop music, I’ve recently been obsessing over Lorde and her music.
Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O’Connor, better known as her stage name, Lorde
This obsession didn’t stem from listening to her hit song “Royals“, though. In fact, when I first heard Royals, I hated it. I thought it was a terrible song and always changed radio stations when it came on. Since then, my opinion has changed about the song, but I believe many of her other songs are better (one of the biggest factors in changing my mind was listening to Puddles the Clown cover her song).
Back to the Grammys. Lorde was nominated for four Grammys and ended up winning two; one for Song of the Year and another for Best Pop Solo Performance. Both were won for her debut single, Royals. This is hugely significant for a number of reasons. First of all, she is the third youngest person to win a Grammy (she’s only 17!). She is also the youngest ever to be nominated for the Record of the Year award.
Now, if the only song you’ve heard by Lorde is Royals (or if you haven’t heard any of her songs at all), you should change that. She currently has an EP out called The Love Club and an album called Pure Heroine, which just released in September of last year. I personally like Pure Heroine better. Her music has been described as having minimalistic beats overlaid with enchanting vocals. Two of my favorite songs by Lorde are 400 Lux and Buzzcut Season. Another reason why I like Lorde and why she stands out from other pop artists is because there is actually substance in her songs. Royals stands out from the millions of other pop songs because it criticizes the disparity between what many artists write songs about and what they actually do as well as denouncing the “allure of hedonism and materialism.” Her lyrical themes have been said to “social anxiety, romantic yearning, debilitating ennui, booze-soaked ragers – with an eerie, zoomed-out detachment” according to the Rolling Stone Magazine.
Although she is only seventeen, she is anything but an ordinary teenager. People have described her as extremely knowledgeable and wise. Despite the fact that she is still in high school, she is extremely well read. She has read works by Vonnegut and Carver beginning at age twelve. By age fourteen, Lorde edited her mother’s (who is an award winning New Zealand poet) master’s thesis. By age sixteen, she became the youngest artists to hold the US number one song in more than twenty five years.
I hope this post convinced you to listen to more of Lorde’s music (that isn’t Royals) if you haven’t already. I’ll leave you with another one of my favorite songs, A World Alone.
http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lordes-teenage-dream-20131028?page=2
http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop-shop/5687330/lorde-qa-new-zealand-star-on-next-single-nicki-minaj-staying
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/24/lorde-interview_n_3644831.html