Lorde

Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), better known by her stage name Lorde, is a New Zealand singer-songwriter.

Her first major release, The Love Club EP, was released commercially in March 2013. In mid-2013, Lorde released her debut single "Royals". It became an international crossover hit and made Lorde the youngest solo artist (and the only New Zealander) to achieve a US number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100 since 1987. In late 2013, she released her debut studio album, Pure Heroine.

Her second studio album Melodrama, featuring a new sound, was released on 16 June 2017.

In 2013, she was named among Time's most influential teenagers in the world, and in the following year, she was part of Forbes's "30 Under 30" list.

Not to be confused with Lordi.

Discography:

• The Love Club EP (2013)
• Pure Heroine (2013)
• Melodrama (2017)

Lorde provides examples of the following tropes:

• Break Up Song: "Green Light", "Writer in the Dark"
• Broken Record:
  • ...send the call out send the call out send the call out send the call out send the call out
  • I'm waiting for it, that green light, I want it. I'm waiting for it, that green light, I want it. I'm waiting for it, that green light, I want it...
  • We told you this was melodrama. You wanted something that we offer. We told you this was melodrama. You wanted something that we offer. We told you this was melodrama. You wanted something that we offer. We told you this was melodrama. We told you this was melodrama.
• Concept Album: Melodrama is the story of a single house party, dealing with themes of heartbreak, solitude and loneliness.^[1]
• Darker and Edgier: Her songs have darker themes about teenage life than most pop songs.
• Fake-Out Fade-Out: "Glory and Gore"
• Gratuitous Panning: In "Ribs" and "Still Sane", meant to represent Lorde's mindset.
• Growing Up Sucks: The main theme of "Ribs"
• Hates Small Talk: On "Tennis Court":

"Don't you think that it's boring how people talk?"

• Lyrical Cold Open: "Tennis Court", "Royals", "Team"
• Minimalistic Cover Art: Pure Heroine, a grey cover with only the artist's name and the title.
• Non-Appearing Title: "400 Lux"
• Pun-Based Title: Pure Heroine (The drug, the female hero).
• Song Style Shift: "Sober II (Melodrama)" is a piano ballad with strings... until a hard-hitting trap beat plays during the second half.
• Stepford Smiler: In "Tennis Court":

"We're so happy, even when we're smiling out of fear."

• Woman Scorned: In "Green Light", about a woman after a breakup:

"Those great whites, they have big teeth
Hope they bite you"

1. ↑ Pitchfork article, from a New York Times interview.