Career Timeline of Lorde: Major Achievements and Milestones
Discover the career path of Lorde, from the first major opportunity to industry-changing achievements.
Lorde, whose real name is Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor, is a highly acclaimed New Zealand singer and songwriter. Celebrated for her distinctive and alternative pop music style, she stands out for her introspective and often unconventional songwriting. Her unique artistic approach has earned her the moniker "Queen of Alternative,"
1950: Inspiration from "There Will Come Soft Rains"
Lorde cited the 1950 science fiction short story "There Will Come Soft Rains" by Ray Bradbury as inspiration for much of Melodrama's story, relating it to her own realities she faced.
1971: David Bowie Tribute Performance
In February 2016, Lorde and David Bowie's final touring band gave a tribute performance of his 1971 song "Life on Mars" at the Brit Awards.
1975: Inspiration from The 1975
When writing her second album, Melodrama, Lorde took inspiration from the melodic styles of a variety of musicians, including the 1975–especially their song "Somebody Else".
1986: Listening to Graceland
Lorde frequently listened to Paul Simon's 1986 album Graceland while riding subways in New York City and on taxi rides on the way home from parties in her hometown of Auckland.
1987: Youngest artist to earn number-one single since Tiffany
In 2013, with "Royals" reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100, Lorde, aged 16, became the youngest artist to earn a number-one single in the United States since Tiffany in 1987.
2009: Signed with Universal Music Group
In 2009, Lorde gained recognition as a teenager and signed with Universal Music Group (UMG).
2010: Formation of "Ella & Louis" Duet
In 2010, Lorde and McDonald formed a duet called "Ella & Louis" and performed covers live at local venues.
November 2011: Original Songs Performed
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.
2011: Vocal Lessons and Producer Search
In 2011, Lorde received singing lessons, and UMG attempted to partner her with producers and songwriters.
November 2012: Self-released The Love Club EP
In November 2012, Lorde self-released The Love Club EP through her SoundCloud account for free download.
2012: Self-released The Love Club EP
In 2012, Lorde and Joel Little self-released their first collaborative work, an extended play (EP) titled 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 after the EP was downloaded 60,000 times.
September 2013: Release of Pure Heroine
In September 2013, Lorde's debut studio album Pure Heroine was released to critical acclaim.
November 2013: Signed publishing deal
In November 2013, Lorde signed a publishing deal with Songs Music Publishing for US$2.5 million.
2013: New Zealand Music Awards and APRA Silver Scroll Award
After her breakthrough, Lorde won four New Zealand Music Awards at the 2013 ceremony. The single "Royals" earned the APRA Silver Scroll Award.
2013: Inclusion in Songs for the Philippines
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 Queen of Alternative"
In 2013, Billboard named Lorde the "New Queen of Alternative" in a cover story. After her breakthrough, Lorde won four New Zealand Music Awards at the 2013 ceremony.
2013: Commercial release of The Love Club EP and success of "Royals"
In 2013, The Love Club EP was commercially released. The EP's single, "Royals", topped charts in multiple regions and spent nine weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
2013: Featured on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack and recognition by Time and Billboard
In November 2013, Lorde was featured on the soundtrack for the film The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, performing a cover of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World". Time and Billboard also recognized her as an influential teenager.
February 2014: Pure Heroine sold over one million copies in the United States
In February 2014, Pure Heroine sold over one million copies in the United States, becoming the first debut album by a female artist since Adele's 2008 album 19 to achieve the feat.
April 2014: Performed with Nirvana at Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction
In April 2014, Lorde performed "All Apologies" with the surviving members of Nirvana at 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: 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 with Kiwis Cure Batten
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.
2016: Inspiration from Frank Ocean's Blonde
During the recording process of Melodrama, Lorde stated that Frank Ocean's 2016 album Blonde inspired her to eschew "traditional song structures."
March 2017: Release of "Green Light" and collaboration with Bleachers
In March 2017, Lorde released "Green Light", the lead single from her second studio album Melodrama, to critical acclaim. She also co-wrote and provided background vocals for Bleachers' song "Don't Take the Money".
May 2017: Pure Heroine Sold 4 Million Copies Worldwide
As of May 2017, Lorde's album Pure Heroine had sold four million copies worldwide.
June 2017: Release of Melodrama
In June 2017, Lorde's second studio album, Melodrama, was released to widespread critical acclaim and 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: Cancellation of 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. She admitted she was unaware of the political turmoil and felt cancelling was the right decision at this time. Billboard also included Lorde on their 2017 edition of 21 Under 21, while Forbes included her in their 30 Under 30 Asia list.
2017: Release of Melodrama
In 2017, Lorde collaborated with producer Jack Antonoff for her second studio album Melodrama, which received widespread critical acclaim and debuted atop the US Billboard 200.
2017: Genre declaration
In a 2017 interview with NME, Lorde declared "I don't think about staying in my genre lane".
2017: Melodrama Resemblance
On 24 April 2025, "What Was That" was released along with its music video; the track presents a synth-pop style reminiscent of Melodrama (2017).
March 2018: North American Melodrama Tour Leg
In March 2018, Lorde's North American leg of the Melodrama tour was held with Run the Jewels, Mitski, and Tove Styrke as opening acts.
June 2018: Scheduled Israel Concert
Lorde's concert in Israel was scheduled for June 2018, but was canceled in December 2017 due to a political controversy.
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: Started working on third studio album
On 20 May 2020, Lorde revealed she started working on her third studio album with Jack Antonoff following the death of her dog Pearl.
November 2020: Release 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 for Primavera Sound
On 25 May 2021, Lorde was announced as a headlining act for Primavera Sound's June 2022 festival, which would be 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. The EP is sung entirely in Te Reo Māori.
2021: Release of Solar Power
In 2021, Lorde ventured into indie folk and psychedelic styles for her third studio album, Solar Power. The album reached number one in Australia and New Zealand.
June 2022: Primavera Sound Performance
Lorde performed at Primavera Sound in June 2022, which was announced on May 2021, marking her first live show performance in over two years.
August 2023: Debut of new songs at Boardmasters Festival
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 Talking Heads' "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: Performance at Madison Square Garden and UMPG signing
In September 2024, Lorde performed "Girl, So Confusing" alongside Charli XCX in a surprise appearance at Charli XCX's Madison Square Garden concert. Also, Universal Music Publishing executive VP Jennifer Knoepfle stated that they had signed Lorde earlier this year, and that the "Girl, So Confusing" remix was her first release as a UMPG songwriter.
April 2025: Release of "What Was That" and Washington Square Park Performance
In April 2025, Lorde cleared her Instagram feed and posted a snippet of new music onto TikTok, labelled "WWT". On 22 April, Lorde played the track in full to a crowd at Washington Square Park, New York City. On 24 April, "What Was That" was released along with its music video.
April 2025: Coachella performance with Charli XCX
In April 2025, Lorde performed "Girl, So Confusing" alongside Charli XCX in surprise appearance at the Coachella music festival.
June 2025: Release of Virgin Album
On 30 April, Lorde announced that her fourth studio album, Virgin, would be released on 27 June 2025.
September 2025: Start of the Ultrasound World Tour
Lorde revealed on 8 May 2025 that she would support the album Virgin with the Ultrasound World Tour, set to begin in September 2025.
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