Nude New Zealand singer and songwriter Lorde

Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor, known professionally as Lorde (born on 7 November 1996 in Auckland, New Zealand), is a New Zealand singer and songwriter. She is known for her unconventional style of pop music and introspective songwriting, and has been referred to as the "Queen of Alternative". Her mother was born to Croatian immigrants from the region of Dalmatia, while her father is of Irish descent. Lorde first gained recognition as a teenager during a talent show performance. She signed with Universal Music Group (UMG) in 2009 and began collaborating with producer Joel Little in 2011. Their first effort, an extended play (EP) titled The Love Club EP, was self-released in 2012 for free download on SoundCloud before it was commercially released in 2013. The EP's single, "Royals", topped charts in multiple regions and spent nine weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It sold 10 million units worldwide, making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. Her debut studio album Pure Heroine was released that same year to critical and commercial success. The following year, Lorde curated the soundtrack for the 2014 film The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. In early 2024, Lorde began teasing her upcoming fourth studio album in a series of cryptic Instagram posts.