Career Timeline of Lorde: Major Achievements and Milestones
Discover the career path of Lorde, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.
Lorde, born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor, is a New Zealand singer-songwriter recognized for her unique brand of pop music. She is notable for introspective and unconventional songwriting. She is a prominent figure in contemporary music.
1950: Inspiration from Ray Bradbury's 'There Will Come Soft Rains'
In 1950, Ray Bradbury's science fiction short story "There Will Come Soft Rains" inspired Lorde for much of Melodrama's story, relating it to her own realities she faced.
1971: Release of "Life on Mars" by David Bowie
In February 2016, Lorde and David Bowie's final touring band performed a tribute of Bowie's 1971 song "Life on Mars" at the Brit Awards. Bowie's family and management chose Lorde for the performance as he admired her and considered her "the future of music."
1975: Inspiration from The 1975's 'Somebody Else'
In 1975, The 1975's song 'Somebody Else' was one of the melodic styles of musicians that inspired Lorde when writing her second album, Melodrama.
1985: "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" Release
In November 2013, Lorde covered the song "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" originally released by Tears for Fears in 1985, for "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" soundtrack.
1986: Inspiration from Paul Simon's Graceland
In 1986, Lorde frequently listened to Paul Simon's album Graceland while riding subways in New York City and on taxi rides on the way home from parties in her hometown of Auckland, as inspiration when writing her second album, Melodrama.
1987: Lorde Youngest Artist since Tiffany to Top Charts
Following the success of "Royals", Lorde, at age 16, became the youngest artist since Tiffany in 1987 to achieve a number-one single in the United States, highlighting her rapid rise to fame.
2008: Adele's 19 Album Release
In February 2014, Lorde became the first female artist since Adele’s 2008 album "19" to have her debut album sell over one million copies in the United States.
May 2009: Belmont Intermediate School Talent Show Win
In May 2009, Lorde and her friend Louis McDonald won the Belmont Intermediate School annual talent show as a duo, marking an early performance success.
November 2009: Third Place at North Shore Battle of the Bands
On November 18, 2009, Lorde, as part of the Belmont Intermediate School band Extreme, placed third in the North Shore Battle of the Bands finals held at the Bruce Mason Centre in Takapuna, Auckland.
2009: Signs with Universal Music Group
In 2009, Lorde signed with Universal Music Group (UMG), marking the beginning of her professional music career.
2010: Formation of Ella & Louis Duet
In 2010, Lorde and Louis McDonald formed a duet called "Ella & Louis", performing covers live at local venues, including cafés in Auckland and the Victoria Theatre in Devonport.
November 2011: First Performance of Original Songs
In November 2011, Lorde performed her original songs for the first time at the Victoria Theatre, marking a significant step in her songwriting and performance career.
2011: Collaboration with Joel Little
In 2011, Lorde began collaborating with producer Joel Little, a partnership that would shape her early musical style and lead to her first commercially successful works.
2011: Vocal Lessons and Songwriting Development
In 2011, UMG hired vocal coach Frances Dickinson to provide Lorde with singing lessons twice a week for a year, and she began learning how to write songs through short fiction.
November 2012: Self-Release of The Love Club EP on SoundCloud
In November 2012, Lorde self-released "The Love Club EP" for free download through her SoundCloud account, increasing her visibility and attracting a wide audience.
2012: Self-Release of The Love Club EP
In 2012, Lorde self-released her first extended play (EP), titled "The Love Club EP", for free download on SoundCloud, marking her first major public release of music.
March 2013: Commercial Release of The Love Club EP
In March 2013, UMG commercially released "The Love Club EP" after it had garnered significant attention with 60,000 downloads, marking a key step in Lorde's career.
September 2013: Release of Debut Album Pure Heroine
In September 2013, Lorde released her debut studio album, "Pure Heroine", featuring the hit single "Royals", which received critical acclaim and marked her breakthrough as a major artist.
November 2013: Publishing Deal with Songs Music Publishing
In November 2013, Lorde signed a publishing deal with Songs Music Publishing for a reported US$2.5 million, granting the publisher rights to license her music for films and advertising.
November 2013: Featured on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Soundtrack
Later in November 2013, Lorde was featured on the soundtrack for the film "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire", performing a cover of Tears for Fears' 1985 song "Everybody Wants to Rule the World".
2013: Commercial Release of The Love Club EP and Success of "Royals"
In 2013, "The Love Club EP" was commercially released following its initial free release, and the single "Royals" achieved significant success, topping charts and selling 10 million units worldwide, establishing Lorde as a major artist.
2013: Inclusion in Songs for the Philippines charity album
In 2013, "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: New Zealand Music Awards
In 2013, After her breakthrough, Lorde won four New Zealand Music Awards.
2013: Billboard Names Lorde 'New Queen of Alternative'
In 2013, Billboard named Lorde the "New Queen of Alternative" in a cover story, recognizing her contribution to a "female rock resurgence."
February 2014: Pure Heroine Reaches One Million Sales in the US
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 joined the surviving members of Nirvana to perform "All Apologies" during the band's induction ceremony at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a performance noted for its representation of "Nirvana aesthetics".
2014: Decision Not to Return to School
In 2014, Lorde chose not to return to Takapuna Grammar School for Year 13, deciding to focus on her flourishing music career.
2014: Curated Soundtrack for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
In 2014, Lorde curated the soundtrack for the film "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1", taking on a significant role in music production for a major motion picture.
2015: Golden Globe Nomination for Yellow Flicker Beat
In 2015, Lorde received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song as a songwriter for "Yellow Flicker Beat".
2015: Involvement with Kiwis Cure Batten and The Art of Peace
In 2015, Lorde recorded "Team Ball Player Thing", a charity single, as part of the supergroup Kiwis Cure Batten. All sales from the song went towards research for the cure of Batten disease. Also in 2015, the singer was featured in the compilation album The Art of Peace: Songs for Tibet II to raise funds for the preservation of the Tibetan culture.
2015: Golden Globe Nomination and New Zealand Music Award
In 2015, Lorde's track "Yellow Flicker Beat" earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song and won Single of the Year at the New Zealand Music Awards, marking her third consecutive win in that category.
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, Lorde released "Green Light", the lead single from her second studio album, "Melodrama". The song was critically acclaimed and achieved commercial success, reaching number one in New Zealand.
May 2017: Pure Heroine Sales Reach Four Million Worldwide
As of May 2017, Lorde's debut album "Pure Heroine" had sold four million copies worldwide, indicating its lasting global appeal and success.
June 2017: Album Sales Milestone
As of June 2017, Lorde had sold over five million albums worldwide and 15 million certified single units in the United States.
June 2017: Release of Melodrama
In June 2017, Lorde released her second studio album, "Melodrama", to widespread critical acclaim, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 and earning a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year.
December 2017: Lorde Cancels Israel Concert
In December 2017, Lorde cancelled her scheduled June 2018 concert in Israel following an online campaign by Palestinian solidarity activists supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign.
2017: Release of Melodrama
In 2017, Lorde released her album "Melodrama" in collaboration with Jack Antonoff. The album received widespread critical acclaim and debuted at the top of the US Billboard 200.
2017: Declaration of Genre Independence
In a 2017 interview with NME, Lorde declared "I don't think about staying in my genre lane", highlighting her unconventional pop sound and introspective songwriting.
March 2018: North American Leg of Melodrama Tour
In March 2018, Lorde held the North American leg of her Melodrama tour, with Run the Jewels, Mitski, and Tove Styrke as opening acts.
June 2018: Lorde Cancels Israel Concert
In June 2018, Lorde's scheduled concert in Israel was cancelled following an online campaign by Palestinian solidarity activists supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign. While Lorde did not explicitly indicate her reasons for the cancellation, she admitted that she had been unaware of the political turmoil there.
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 work on third studio album
On 20 May 2020, Lorde revealed that she started working on her third studio album with Jack Antonoff following the death of her dog Pearl.
November 2020: Announcement of 'Going South' book release
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 for 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 as a companion piece to Solar Power, sung entirely in Te Reo Māori, with translations by Hana Mereraiha, Sir Tīmoti Kāretu and Hēmi Kelly and proceeds going towards New Zealand-based charities: Forest & Bird and Te Hua Kawariki.
2021: Release of Solar Power
In 2021, Lorde released her album "Solar Power", which explored indie folk and psychedelic styles, eliciting mixed reactions from critics and listeners.
June 2022: Primavera Sound Festival Performance
In June 2022, Lorde headlined at the Primavera Sound festival, which was her first live 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.
September 2024: Charli XCX Concert Performance and UMPG Signing
In September 2024, Lorde collaborated with Charli XCX on a remix of "Girl, So Confusing", performing the track together at Charli XCX's Madison Square Garden concert. Also in September, it was confirmed that Lorde had signed with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) earlier that year, with the remix being her first release as a UMPG songwriter.
April 2025: Music snippet on TikTok and Release of WWT
In April 2025, Lorde cleared her Instagram feed and shared a music snippet on TikTok, later revealed as "WWT" (short for "What Was That"), her first original solo single since Solar Power.
April 2025: Coachella performance with Charli XCX
In April 2025, Lorde collaborated with Charli XCX on a remix of "Girl, So Confusing", performing the track together at the Coachella music festival.
June 2025: Release of Virgin and Glastonbury Performance
In June 2025, Lorde's fourth studio album, Virgin, was released, debuting at number one on the official charts in multiple countries. She also performed the album in its entirety during an unannounced set at the Glastonbury Festival on the same day.
2025: Release of Virgin
In 2025, Lorde is set to release her fourth studio album, "Virgin", in collaboration with Jim-E Stack. The album marks a return to electronic-based pop music.
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