Career Timeline of Lorde: Major Achievements and Milestones
Discover the career path of Lorde, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.
Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor, known as Lorde, is a New Zealand singer-songwriter recognized for her unique pop music style and introspective lyrics. She gained international recognition early in her career, establishing herself as a prominent figure in contemporary music. Lorde's work often explores themes of youth, fame, and societal critique, resonating with a wide audience and solidifying her impact on popular culture.
1950: Inspiration from "There Will Come Soft Rains"
In 1950, Ray Bradbury's science fiction short story "There Will Come Soft Rains" inspired much of Melodrama's story for Lorde.
1971: Performance of David Bowie's "Life on Mars"
In February 2016, Lorde and David Bowie's final touring band gave a tribute performance of his 1971 song "Life on Mars" at the 2016 Brit Awards.
1985: Release of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World"
In November 2013, Lorde covered Tears for Fears' 1985 song "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack.
1986: Inspiration from Paul Simon's Graceland
In 1986, Paul Simon's album Graceland inspired Lorde while writing Melodrama.
1987: Youngest artist to earn a number-one single since Tiffany in 1987
In 2013, Lorde, then aged 16, became the youngest artist to earn a number-one single in the United States since Tiffany in 1987.
2008: First debut album by a female artist since Adele's 19
In February 2014, Lorde's album Pure Heroine became the first debut album by a female artist since Adele's 2008 album 19 to sell over one million copies in the United States.
May 2009: Winning the Belmont Intermediate School annual talent show
In May 2009, Lorde and her friend Louis McDonald won the Belmont Intermediate School annual talent show as a duo.
November 2009: Third place in North Shore Battle of the Bands finals
On 18 November 2009, Lorde's band Extreme placed third in the North Shore Battle of the Bands finals at the Bruce Mason Centre in Takapuna, Auckland.
2009: Signed with Universal Music Group
In 2009, Lorde signed with Universal Music Group (UMG) after gaining recognition as a teenager during a talent show performance.
2010: Formation of "Ella & Louis" duet
In 2010, Lorde and Louis McDonald formed a duet called "Ella & Louis" and performed covers live at local venues.
November 2011: First performance of original songs
In November 2011, Lorde performed her original songs for the first time at the Victoria Theatre. She was paired with Joel Little in December.
2011: Collaboration with Joel Little
In 2011, Lorde began collaborating with producer Joel Little.
2011: Vocal lessons and producer partnerships
In 2011, Universal Music Group (UMG) hired Frances Dickinson to give Lorde singing lessons, and Scott Maclachlan attempted to partner her with producers and songwriters.
November 2012: Self-release of The Love Club EP on SoundCloud
In November 2012, Lorde self-released The Love Club EP through her SoundCloud account for free download.
2012: Self-release of The Love Club EP
In 2012, Lorde and Joel Little self-released their first effort, an extended play (EP) titled The Love Club EP, for free download on SoundCloud.
March 2013: Commercial release of The Love Club EP
In March 2013, Universal Music Group (UMG) commercially released The Love Club EP after it had been downloaded 60,000 times.
September 2013: Release of Pure Heroine
In September 2013, Lorde's debut studio album Pure Heroine, containing the single "Royals", was released to critical acclaim.
November 2013: Signing a publishing deal with Songs Music Publishing
In November 2013, Lorde signed a publishing deal with Songs Music Publishing, worth a reported US$2.5 million.
November 2013: Featured on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack
Later in November 2013, Lorde was featured on the soundtrack for the 2013 film The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, performing a cover of Tears for Fears' 1985 song "Everybody Wants to Rule the World".
2013: Release of Pure Heroine
In 2013, Lorde released her debut studio album, Pure Heroine, to critical and commercial success.
2013: Inclusion of "The Love Club" on Songs for the Philippines
In 2013, Lorde's "The Love Club" was included in the charity album Songs for the Philippines to support those affected by Typhoon Haiyan.
2013: Commercial release of The Love Club EP and "Royals" success
In 2013, The Love Club EP was commercially released after gaining traction on SoundCloud. Her single "Royals" from the EP topped charts in multiple regions, spent nine weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100, and sold 10 million units worldwide.
February 2014: Pure Heroine sold over one million copies in the US
In February 2014, Pure Heroine sold over one million copies in the United States.
April 2014: Performance with Nirvana at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
In April 2014, Lorde joined the surviving members of Nirvana to perform "All Apologies" during the band's induction ceremony at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
2014: Curated The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 soundtrack
In 2014, Lorde curated the soundtrack for the film The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1.
2015: Recording of Team Ball Player Thing
In 2015, Lorde recorded "Team Ball Player Thing", a charity single as part of the supergroup Kiwis Cure Batten, to raise money for Batten disease research.
2015: Featured on Disclosure's song "Magnets"
Later in 2015, Lorde was featured on British electronic duo Disclosure's song "Magnets" off their 2015 album Caracal.
2016: Inspiration from Frank Ocean's Blonde
In 2016, Frank Ocean's album Blonde inspired Lorde to eschew traditional song structures while writing her second album, Melodrama.
March 2017: Release of Green Light
In March 2017, "Green Light", the lead single from her second studio album Melodrama, was released to critical acclaim.
March 2017: Collaboration on "Don't Take the Money"
In March 2017, Lorde co-wrote and provided background vocals for Bleachers's song "Don't Take the Money".
May 2017: Four million copies sold worldwide
As of May 2017, Pure Heroine had sold four million copies worldwide.
June 2017: Album sales
As of June 2017, Lorde had sold over five million albums worldwide and 37 million certified single units in the United States.
June 2017: Release of Melodrama
Melodrama, produced mainly by Lorde and Jack Antonoff, was released on 16 June 2017. The album debuted atop the US Billboard 200 chart.
December 2017: Cancellation of Israel Concert
In December 2017, Lorde cancelled her scheduled June 2018 concert in Israel following an online campaign by Palestinian solidarity activists. She cited being unaware of the political turmoil as a factor in her decision.
2017: Last Top 40 single in US before "What Was That"
Before "What Was That" in 2025, Lorde had not had a top 40 single since 2017.
2017: Release of Melodrama
In 2017, Lorde released her album Melodrama in collaboration with Jack Antonoff, which debuted atop the US Billboard 200.
2017: Comments on genre
In a 2017 interview with NME, Lorde stated that she doesn't think about staying in her genre lane.
June 2018: Scheduled Israel Concert
Lorde's scheduled concert in Israel was supposed to happen in June 2018, but was later cancelled due to political pressure.
November 2018: Became a patron of MusicHelps
In November 2018, Lorde became a patron of MusicHelps, formerly the New Zealand Music Foundation.
January 2019: Visit to Antarctica
In January 2019, Lorde visited Antarctica, which was later documented in her book "Going South".
May 2020: Started working on her third studio album
In May 2020, Lorde revealed she started working on her third studio album with Antonoff following the death of her dog.
November 2020: Announcement of "Going South" book
In November 2020, Lorde announced the release of "Going South", a book documenting her January 2019 visit to Antarctica with photos taken by photographer Harriet Were.
August 2021: Release of "Solar Power" Album
Lorde's third studio album, "Solar Power", was released on August 2021. Its sound was a departure from her previous work, and the album peaked at number one in Australia and New Zealand.
September 2021: Release of Te Ao Mārama
On 9 September 2021, Lorde released Te Ao Mārama, a companion piece to Solar Power sung entirely in Te Reo Māori. All proceeds from the album are going towards two New Zealand-based charities: Forest & Bird and Te Hua Kawariki.
2021: Release of Solar Power
In 2021, Lorde released Solar Power, exploring indie folk and psychedelic styles, which received polarised reactions from critics and listeners.
November 2022: Primavera Sound Brazil
In November 2022, Lorde headlined the Primavera Sound Brazil edition as part of promoting her album Solar Power.
August 2023: Debut of "Silver Moon" and "Invisible Ink"
In August 2023, Lorde debuted the songs "Silver Moon" and "Invisible Ink" during her concert at the Boardmasters Festival in Cornwall, England, and continued her festival run throughout the month.
March 2024: Release of "Take Me to the River" Cover
In March 2024, Lorde released a cover of Talking Heads' "Take Me to the River" for A24 Music's tribute album.
September 2024: Performance at Charli XCX's Madison Square Garden concert and signing with UMPG
In September 2024, Lorde performed a remix of Charli XCX's "Girl, So Confusing" at Charli XCX's Madison Square Garden concert and Jennifer Knoepfle confirmed Lorde had signed with UMPG earlier that year.
April 2025: Performance at Coachella
In April 2025, Lorde performed the remix of Charli XCX's "Girl, So Confusing" at the Coachella music festival.
April 2025: Release of "What Was That"
On 24 April 2025, Lorde released "What Was That", the lead single from her fourth studio album, Virgin. It achieved her first top-10 single in Australia and first top-40 single on the US Billboard Hot 100 since 2017.
June 2025: Release of "Virgin" and Glastonbury Performance
On 27 June 2025, Lorde released her album "Virgin", which garnered positive reviews, and performed the album in its entirety at Glastonbury Festival 2025 on the same day.
October 2025: Solidarity with Palestinians
In October 2025, during a concert in New York City, Lorde exclaimed "free fucking Palestine" to show solidarity with the Palestinians.
December 2025: Removal of Songs from Apple Music in Israel and UMG Deal Expiration
In December 2025, Lorde removed all of her songs from Apple Music in Israel and her deal with UMG expired.
2025: Release of Virgin
In 2025, Lorde worked with Jim-E Stack and returned to electronic-based pop music for her fourth studio album, Virgin, which garnered more critical acclaim.
January 2026: Donation to Minnesota and Immigrant Defence charities
In January 2026, Lorde donated $204,000 to the Minnesota Immigration Rights Action Committee and Immigrant Defense Network.
March 2026: Consideration of Future Record Deal
In March 2026, Lorde explained to fans that she may sign another record deal, possibly with UMG, but needs time as an independent artist.
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