Anjali Rao-Herel ‘22
By Emma Watkins ’23
Copy Chief and Staff Writer
“Solar Power,” the third album from New Zealand singer-songwriter Ella Yelich-O’Connor, more widely known as Lorde, is a sharp sonic departure from her earlier work. So far, “Solar Power” has been met with mixed reception from both long-time fans and critics. Released on Aug. 20, 2021, the album’s stripped-back, acoustic sound — reminiscent of pop songs from the early 2000s — ushers in a new chapter in her artistry.
Much of the album’s strength lies in its differences. While her second album, “Melodrama,” was atmospheric, rich and varied in its sound, much of “Solar Power” is more lyrically strong than “Melodrama.” Many of the songs in “Solar Power” could be read like poetry; in fact, Lorde highlights the poetic quality of her lyrics through a “music box,” a recently-released piece of merchandise that contained much of the contents of a traditional CD case, but held a booklet of lyrics instead of a CD.
After the emphasis Lorde placed on the return to long-form communication in her summer 2021 email updates to fans, it’s no surprise that much of the impact of “Solar Power” comes from its words.
“The Path,” the album’s first track, is a reflective and reverberating ode to Lorde’s journey from teen pop sensation to twenty-something seeking solace from the spotlight. By leading with “The Path,” “Solar Power” establishes its central theme of navigating identity while moving through the phases of life. In this opening song, Lorde gestures toward her complicated relationship with her road to fame and what she found once arriving there. The chorus begins with the pop star declaring, “Now if you’re looking for a savior, well, that’s not me.” In an album that revolves around a journey into selfhood, Lorde cautions her fans against hinging too much of their faith on another person, specifically seeming to speak to celebrity culture. Ultimately, she turns to the sun to guide her and suggests that others should do the same.
On “Solar Power” and “California,” the songs that could be considered the closest to musically “upbeat” on the album, Lorde paints two different pictures of a lifestyle that rejects fame. While “Solar Power” depicts the aftermath of the rejection of a more hustle-based and work-centered lifestyle, “California” takes listeners through the process of letting go of the glamor and appeal of “all the bottles / [and] all the models.” Despite its more upbeat sound, “California” provides insight into the burdens of fame that may have played a role in Lorde’s desire to distance herself from the spotlight.
In her review for the Washington Post, journalist Allison Stewart expressed admiration for Lorde’s first two albums, saying “[‘Pure Heroine’] expressed wonderment and skepticism at the lives of distant pop stars, it was a simple, personal, gorgeous album …”. She continued, “Her sophomore album, the even better ‘Melodrama,’ was a masterpiece of goth-y, sad girl maximalism.” However, voicing her disappointment with “Solar Power,” Stewart said, “ Lorde’s best feature was her wry relatability, and ‘Solar Power’ quickly gets to work erasing it.” Stewart specifically points to the line “Now the cherry black lipstick’s gathering dust in a drawer / I don’t need her anymore,” from “Oceanic Feeling,” the last track of “Solar Power.”
Stewart is far from the only critic to express disappointment in Lorde’s shift in musical style with “Solar Power.” Many reviews can be summed up by saying that some fans were just not ready to see Lorde grow up and move on from the girl who was introduced to the world during the rise of “Pure Heroine,” which “debuted and peaked at No. 3 in 2013 [on the Billboard 200 chart],” according to Billboard magazine. This attachment to the sound of “Pure Heroine” may be due to nostalgia, or simply taste, but Lorde anticipated this reaction, quoted in People saying, “I think I’m still giving something that’s really digestible, but it’s my pleasure to confound.”
In a positive review, Rolling Stone acknowledges the carefree sound and simpler vibe of the album. “Solar Power” is a nod to Lorde “searching for serenity in anxious times,” as perhaps the majority of us are in the midst of uncertainties presented by the pandemic and climate change.
In shedding pieces of her past, yet paying homage to them in the process, Lorde finally brings her fans along on her journey of self-discovery, which her lack of social media presence left fans mostly in the dark about in the time between “Melodrama” and “Solar Power.” When listening to “Solar Power,” Lorde’s long-time fans will note lyrical references to past albums and autobiographical details, such as mentions of wearing a cast at the Met Gala and a heartfelt tribute to her dog, Pearl, who died in 2019. These references keep the album rooted in the artist’s past, while expressing that she has grown in the years between her albums.
Nearly a week ago, Lorde unexpectedly released a companion EP, “Te Ao Mārama,” titled for a phrase meaning “world of light.” The EP includes five songs from the “Solar Power” album sung in te reo Māori, an Eastern Polynesian language spoken by those indigenous to New Zealand.
In an email bulletin to fans announcing the release of the EP, Lorde shared her excitement about the project and the work leading up to it. “It is my great pleasure to present TE AO MĀRAMA, a 5-song companion piece to SOLAR POWER, sung entirely in te reo Māori, the indigenous language of Aotearoa New Zealand,” she wrote.
In the same email bulletin, Lorde cited “traditional Māori principles” as a main inspiration for writing an album about caring for and appreciating her home country. “There’s a word for it in te reo: kaitiakitanga, meaning ‘guardianship or caregiving for the sky, sea and land,’” she wrote. “I’m not Māori, but all New Zealanders grow up with elements of this worldview. Te ao Māori and tikanga Māori are a big part of why people who aren’t from here intuit our country to be kind of ‘magical,’ I think,” Lorde added.
Lorde was quick to note her role as an unofficial cultural ambassador from New Zealand, saying, “I know I’m someone who represents New Zealand globally in a way, and in making an album about where I’m from, it was important to me to be able to say: this makes us who we are down here.”
Addressing potential backlash for releasing the album in te reo Māori, Lorde told The Spinoff, “I’m white — however you want to interpret me wanting to engage with our Indigenous culture, that’s fair enough. I totally accept that, because it is really complicated. This isn’t something where I have both feet on the ground — I am a little bit out of my depth, and I’m the first to admit that, and I’m opening myself up to any response to this.”
One powerful critique of the EP comes from a story from The Big Idea written by Jack Gray, a notable Māori choreographer and Artistic Director at a dance company in Auckland. “[W]ith yesterday’s album drop, I admit I was disappointed to see tokenism in full force,” Gray said. Gray went on to detail how he had been approached by Lorde’s creative team with the offer to choreograph the music videos for “Solar Power.” Gray stated that throughout this process he felt uncomfortable, and characterized much of the creative pitch as “a kaleidoscope of some shallow, self-centred, pop artist’s ponderings … [who had] little actual understanding of the way that her concepts were so white.” Gray stated that his pushback against the potential use of stereotypes in the videos was not well received. “From my personal experience, the record company couldn’t have given a flying fuck about my Māoriness. And yet oh so willing to row the waka [Māori watercraft] onshore when it suited them,” the choreographer explained. Gray clarified that he is not speaking ill of the Māori who chose to work with Lorde, describing them as idealists who genuinely want the language to be respected.
Gray also acknowledged that the bar is lower for Lorde as a white celebrity than it would be for a Māori individual in the same position. “Lorde gets to manifest a vision that isn’t hers. It’s a collaboration in which her celebrity-tanga is the focal point,” Gray explained. “People will justify her trying. Because a Pākeha [New Zealander of European descent] who tries is far more deserving of support than a Māori who tries.” In closing, Gray pointed to the place of privilege Lorde comes from, saying, “she won’t ever - ever - have to take anything on of the burden of Māoridom.”
Journalist and lecturer Morgan Godfery responded to the backlash regarding “Te Ao Mārama.” “My sisters and I are the first generation in almost 50 generations of our family who didn’t grow up speaking te reo Māori as a first language,” he said during an interview with The Guardian. He spoke to concerns voiced by other Māori, addressing and validating the trauma of language loss and tokenism. Godfery refutes the idea that the EP is net negative, characterizing it as “a pop culture landmark we [Māori] should welcome.” In closing, he stated, “If the Māori language is to survive against [English being the dominant language, due to empire] — and the forecasts are grim — we must allow non-Māori to speak and sing [the language].” He continued, “Lorde contributed to that, and under the direction and supervision of some of our greatest language champions. As a second language speaker I recognise that as a public good.”
With the release of “Te Ao Mārama,” the “Solar Power” saga feels complete. However, with Lorde setting a precedent of releasing surprise content, it seems doubtful fans will be taking their eyes off of their email inboxes any time soon in hopes of Lorde’s next big announcement.