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, professionally known as Lorde, is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. She gained international recognition in her teens with her debut single "Royals" and album *Pure Heroine*. Lorde is celebrated for her unique approach to pop music, characterized by introspective lyrics, minimalist production, and alternative soundscapes. Her subsequent albums, *Melodrama* and *Solar Power*, further explored themes of youth, fame, heartbreak, and environmentalism, solidifying her reputation as an influential and innovative artist in contemporary music.
1950: Inspiration from "There Will Come Soft Rains"
In 1950, Ray Bradbury's science fiction short story "There Will Come Soft Rains" served as inspiration for much of Melodrama's story, relating it to her own realities she faced.
1975: Inspiration from The 1975's "Somebody Else"
In 1975, The 1975's song "Somebody Else" inspired Lorde while writing her second album, Melodrama.
1986: Inspiration from Paul Simon's Graceland
In 1986, Paul Simon's album Graceland inspired Lorde while riding subways in New York City and on taxi rides on the way home from parties in her hometown of Auckland during the writing of her second album, Melodrama.
1987: Youngest Artist to Earn Number-One Single Since Tiffany
In 2013, after the success of 'Royals', Lorde became the youngest artist since Tiffany in 1987 to have a number-one single in the United States.
May 2009: Talent Show Win
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 Battle of the Bands
On November 18, 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 McDonald formed a duet called "Ella & Louis" and performed covers at local venues.
November 2011: Original Song Performance
In November 2011, Lorde performed her original songs for the first time at the Victoria Theatre.
2011: Collaboration with Joel Little
In 2011, Lorde began collaborating with producer Joel Little. They would go on to work together on The Love Club EP.
2011: Singing Lessons and Songwriting
In 2011, UMG hired a vocal coach for Lorde. During this period, she also began writing her own songs.
November 2012: Self-Release of The Love Club EP
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 self-released her first EP, "The Love Club EP", for free download on SoundCloud.
March 2013: Commercial Release of The Love Club
In March 2013, UMG commercially released The Love Club EP after it gained popularity through free downloads.
September 2013: Release of Pure Heroine
In September 2013, Lorde's debut studio album Pure Heroine, which contained the single "Royals", was released to critical acclaim.
November 2013: Publishing Deal and Hunger Games Soundtrack Feature
In November 2013, Lorde signed a publishing deal with Songs Music Publishing and was featured on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack.
2013: New Queen of Alternative
In 2013, Billboard named Lorde the "New Queen of Alternative" in a cover story.
2013: Inclusion on charity album
In 2013, Lorde's "The Love Club" was included in the charity album Songs for the Philippines to support the people in the Philippines who suffered from Typhoon Haiyan.
2013: Commercial Release of The Love Club EP and Success of "Royals"
In 2013, The Love Club EP was commercially released, and its single, "Royals," topped charts in multiple regions and spent nine weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
2013: New Zealand Music Awards
In 2013, after her breakthrough, Lorde won four New Zealand Music Awards.
February 2014: Pure Heroine Reaches One Million Copies Sold
In February 2014, Pure Heroine sold over one million copies in the United States, making Lorde the first female artist since Adele in 2008 to achieve this with a debut album.
April 2014: Performance with Nirvana at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
In April 2014, Lorde performed "All Apologies" with the surviving members of Nirvana during their induction ceremony at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
2014: Did Not Return to School
In 2014, Lorde chose not to return to Takapuna Grammar School to attend Year 13, choosing to focus on her music career.
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: Golden Globe Nomination and Featured on Disclosure's Song
In 2015, Lorde received a Golden Globe nomination and was featured on Disclosure's song "Magnets".
2015: Golden Globe Nomination
In 2015, Lorde received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song as a songwriter for "Yellow Flicker Beat".
2015: Charity single
In 2015, Lorde recorded "Team Ball Player Thing", a charity single, as part of the supergroup Kiwis Cure Batten to support research for the cure of Batten disease.
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" and Collaboration with Bleachers
In March 2017, Lorde released "Green Light", the lead single from Melodrama, and co-wrote with Bleachers on "Don't Take the Money".
May 2017: Pure Heroine Sales Update
As of May 2017, Pure Heroine had sold four million copies worldwide.
June 2017: Release of Melodrama
In June 2017, Lorde released Melodrama, which debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200.
June 2017: Album Sales Milestone
As of June 2017, Lorde had sold over five million albums worldwide.
December 2017: Political Controversy and Concert Cancellation in Israel
In December 2017, Lorde faced political controversy when she cancelled her scheduled June 2018 concert in Israel following an online campaign by Palestinian solidarity activists supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. Lorde stated that she was unaware of the political turmoil and decided that "the right decision at this time is to cancel".
2017: Release of Melodrama
In 2017, Lorde released her second studio album, Melodrama, collaborating with Jack Antonoff. The album was critically acclaimed and debuted atop the US Billboard 200.
2017: Views on Genre
In 2017, Lorde stated that she doesn't think about staying in her genre lane in an interview with NME.
March 2018: North American Leg of Melodrama Tour
In March 2018, Lorde's North American leg of her Melodrama tour took place with Run the Jewels, Mitski, and Tove Styrke as opening acts.
June 2018: Cancellation of concert in Israel
In June 2018, Lorde's concert in Israel was cancelled due to a political controversy after an online campaign by Palestinian solidarity activists supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign in December 2017.
November 2018: Patron of MusicHelps
In November 2018, Lorde became a patron of MusicHelps, formerly the New Zealand Music Foundation, a musical charity helping New Zealanders who are vulnerable to or experiencing serious health issues.
May 2020: Begins Working on Third Studio Album
In May 2020, Lorde started working on her third studio album with Jack Antonoff following the death of her dog Pearl.
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.
May 2021: Headlining Act at Primavera Sound
On 25 May 2021, Lorde was announced as a headlining act for Primavera Sound's June 2022 festival, marking her first live show performance in over two years.
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 with proceeds going to New Zealand-based charities.
2021: Release of Solar Power
In 2021, Lorde released her third studio album, Solar Power, which reached number one in Australia and New Zealand but received mixed reviews.
June 2022: Headline Act at Primavera Sound Festival
In June 2022, Lorde headlined the Primavera Sound festival, which was announced on 25 May 2021, marking her first live show performance in over two years.
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.
March 2024: Cover of "Take Me to the River"
In March 2024, Lorde covered Al Green's "Take Me to the River" as the third single from A24 Music's Everyone's Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense.
June 2024: Collaboration with Charli XCX
In June 2024, Lorde collaborated with Charli XCX on a remix version of the song "Girl, So Confusing".
September 2024: Signing with Universal Music Publishing
In September 2024, Universal Music Publishing executive Jennifer Knoepfle announced that Lorde had signed with UMPG earlier in the year, with the "Girl, So Confusing" remix marking her first release as a UMPG songwriter.
April 2025: Release of "What Was That"
In April 2025, Lorde released "What Was That" along with its music video, following teasers on Instagram and a pop-up event in New York City. The track exhibits a synth-pop style reminiscent of Melodrama (2017).
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