By Emma Watkins ’23
Staff Writer & Copy Editor
An artist’s rendition of New Zealand singer-songwriter Ella Yelich-O’Connor, better known as “Lorde”, by Gaby Gagnon ‘23.
After four long years, New Zealand singer-songwriter Ella Yelich-O’Connor, better known as “Lorde,” has released the first single and titular track from her upcoming third studio album, “Solar Power,” scheduled for release in late August.
“You ready?” Lorde began the June 10 edition of her subscribers-only newsletter accompanying the single’s release. She then introduced the album, describing its vibe as a “modern girl in a deadstock bikini, in touch with her past and her future, vibrating at the highest level when summer comes around.”
The Grammy-winning pop star described her song, fittingly released on June 10, the day of the only solar eclipse of this year, as “the first of the rays” of her new album. “It’s about that infectious, flirtatious summer energy that takes hold of us all,” Lorde said. That “summer energy” seemingly describes the phenomenon known as “Hot Girl Summer,” a phrase epitomizing a carefree, confident attitude, popularized by American rapper and songwriter Megan Thee Stallion in 2019.
“The album is a celebration of the natural world, an attempt at immortalising the deep, transcendent feelings I have when I’m outdoors,” Lorde explained in the newsletter, outlining how she has found solace in nature whenever she is hurting or lost, and how this album came out of those experiences.
In the “Solar Power” music video, which can only be described as radiant and celebratory, Lorde and a collection of barefoot beachgoers sway to the beat in earth-toned attire, soaking in the sun and building on each other’s energy until the video ends with everyone standing together near the ocean.
When fans heard Lorde’s sophomore album, “Melodrama,” they knew the then-19-year-old as a girl searching for healing and stability. But in “Solar Power,” they meet the woman who has healed from past wounds and promises others they can do the same.
Featuring Phoebe Bridgers and Clairo on backing vocals, Lorde throws a bone to her fans as she exits her more melancholic “Melodrama” era, characterized by crooning vocals, soaring piano and electrifying synthesizer. The “Melodrama” tunes are upbeat, but the lyrics revolve around loss and yearning, encapsulating the feelings of adolescence’s steady ascent into adulthood at a moment when one can’t help but reflect on the past. In “Green Light,” the lead single for “Melodrama,” Lorde sings, “Cause honey I'll come get my things, but I can't let go / I'm waiting for it, that green light, I want it / Oh, I wish I could get my things and just let go” over a backdrop of electric dance-pop. In “Solar Power,” carefree lyrics like “Forget all of the tears that you've cried / It's over (over, over, over) / It's a new state of mind / Are you coming, my baby?” encourage her admirers to join her out in the sun and leave any previous gloom behind.
In an interview with the hosts of Australian radio show “triple j Breakfast,” Lorde stated she wanted every song on her upcoming album to sound like the sun. “The guitars, the drums — everything’s so sunny,” she said.
This evolution from the sad, dejected girl fans knew on “Melodrama” to the untroubled, relaxed woman heard on “Solar Power” is also seen in the comparisons listeners are making to well-loved ’90s pop-rock songs. The tracks that have come up most are Primal Scream’s “Loaded” and George Michael’s “Freedom! ’90” — tunes that, much like “Solar Power,” revolve around themes of freedom and independence. According to Variety, both Primal Scream and the estate of George Michael have since given their blessing to the Solar Power singer.
“We are aware that many people are making a connection between ‘Freedom ’90’ by George Michael and ‘Solar Power’ by Lorde which [Michael] would have been flattered to hear, so on behalf of one great artist to a fellow artist, we wish her every success with the single,” Michael’s estate wrote in a statement on the late English singer-songwriter’s website.
While fans were still recovering from the excitement of the release of the title track, on the June 21 solstice — summer solstice in the northern hemisphere, but winter in New Zealand — Lorde made her next big announcement via subscriber email. This bulletin included tour dates, the album’s track list and confirmation that, while she will not be returning to social media, she will be communicating with fans, but in a more longform way through the Solar Institute, described as “part news bulletin, part diary, part old-school fan site.” Lorde expressed she knows this method is unusual, but it may be a welcome return to slower-paced communication in an otherwise fast-paced social media world. (You can sign up to receive the bulletin here).
Throughout her career, Lorde has been known for her more lowkey, personal and somewhat mysterious existence as arguably one of the world’s biggest pop sensations. Between projects, she is known for staying off of social media and generally not generating buzz until she is ready to promote her work. An article in The Cut from June 2013 covering her rise to fame was fittingly, albeit a bit condescendingly, titled “Meet Lorde, the Teen Pop Star With a No Selfies Policy.”
Lorde’s emphasis on slow, personal forms of communication is reflected in her vision for her upcoming “Solar Power” tour, kicking off in New Zealand in February 2022. In a recent email with the subject line “Daydreaming,” Lorde describes a summer evening dinner party where the “garden is exploding, a riot of flowers and bees, the small space seeming taller than it is wide.”
“Later, we’ll all be faded dancing in each other’s arms somewhere, but for now everything’s still light, shoes are off and sundresses are on and the night is all potential. That’s how the show is gonna feel,” she continued, simultaneously evoking a sense of comfort and excitement that will have fans on the edge of their seats until the album’s release.