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Revision as of 20:13, 26 November 2013 by 64.4.237.212 (talk) (→Awards)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) This article is about the New Zealand singer-songwriter. For the civil rights activist, see Audre Lorde. For other uses, see Lorde (disambiguation).
Lorde | |
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Lorde performing on 28 September 2013 (2013-09-28) at Showbox at the Market, during the Decibel Festival in Seattle, Washington, USA | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O'Connor |
Born | (1996-11-07) 7 November 1996 (age 28) Devonport, North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand |
Genres | Art pop, indie pop, minimal, electronica, electropop |
Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
Instrument | Vocals |
Years active | 2012–present |
Labels | Universal, Republic, Lava |
Website | lorde.co.nz |
Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known by her stage name Lorde (/ˈlɔːrd/), is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. Her first EP, The Love Club, was released on 22 November 2012 (2012-11-22), and her first single, "Royals", debuted at number one on the New Zealand Top 40, and also reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2013, making her the first New Zealand solo artist to have a number one song in the United States. Her debut album, Pure Heroine, was released on 27 September 2013 (2013-09-27). She jointly won the 2013 Silver Scroll award for "Royals".
Early life
Ella Yelich-O'Connor was born in Auckland, New Zealand on 7 November 1996 to Vic O'Connor, a civil engineer, and Sonja Yelich, a prize-winning New Zealand poet. She was raised in suburban Devonport, Auckland alongside three siblings: a younger brother and sister; and an older sister. She is of Croatian and Irish ancestry.
At the age of five, Lorde followed her friend into a drama group and discovered a love of singing and acting. Lorde has said she enjoyed how she had to "switch on a different side to myself and become a different me." Lorde was encouraged to read books by her mother, who is quoted as saying that when 12 years old, Lorde was reading Raymond Carver and Kurt Vonnegut and that at fourteen, Lorde was proofreading her master's thesis for her.
—Lorde speaking of her songwriting technique"I started writing songs when I was 13 or 14, because I've always been a huge reader. My mum's a poet and we've always had so many books, and that's always been a big thing for me, arguably more so than music."
Lorde attended Belmont Intermediate School, where in 2009 she and friend Louis McDonald participated in, and won, the school's talent show. After seeing her performance at the talent show, McDonald's father sent out recordings of Lorde covering Duffy's hit song Warwick Avenue and Pixie Lott's Mama Do to various talent scouts. Later, when Lorde was 13, A&R scout Scott Maclachlan signed her to Universal and at the age of 14, she began working with their songwriters. Lorde began writing songs with her guitar at "about thirteen or fourteen". As of July 2013, Lorde is a Year Twelve student at Takapuna Grammar School
Music career
2012–present: Pure Heroine
Main article: Pure HeroineLorde's debut EP, The Love Club, was originally posted on SoundCloud in November 2012. Officially released digitally in March 2013 and on CD in May 2013, The Love Club EP features five songs, including the number one hit "Royals". On 27 May 2013, "Royals" was covered on national television on the New Zealand version of The X Factor by all-girl group Gap 5, mentored by Melanie Blatt. "Royals" debuted as a single at number 1 on the New Zealand Top 40 on 15 March 2013 and remained in the top position for three weeks. On 8 May 2013, The Love Club EP debuted in the number 2 position on the album chart. In August 2013, with "Royals", Lorde became the first female in 17 years to top the U.S. Billboard Alternative Songs chart, since Tracy Bonham with her 1996-hit, "Mother Mother". Following the release of "Royals" in the United States in June 2013, 85,000 copies were sold during a single week in July. In a subsequent interview, Lorde stated, "I had a sneaking suspicion that it might do all right". The song also peaked number 1 in the U.S. on the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the Alternative charts and the Rock charts. With "Royals", Lorde became the first solo artist from New Zealand to top the US Billboard chart, and the youngest artist to hold the US number one in more than 25 years.
The "Tennis Court" single was released in New Zealand on 8 June 2013. The Tennis Court EP was released digitally in the UK on 7 June (due to the timezone difference) and physically on 22 June. It was played during the BBC Sport coverage of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships – Women's Singles final. On 14 June 2013, Lorde's second single "Tennis Court" debuted at number 1 on the New Zealand Top 40 singles chart. In the same week, she also became the first New Zealand artist to simultaneously have four songs in the top 20 tracks of the New Zealand Top 40. Previously, Titanium held this record with three songs. Lorde was the replacement for Frank Ocean, who cancelled because of illness, at the 2013 Splendour in the Grass festival. She was contacted on 26 July 2013, the Friday immediately prior to the weekend of the festival, while she was at a party with friends in Auckland, New Zealand. She performed before 10,000 people in northern Byron Bay, Australia, where the festival is based in 2013.
On 12 August 2013, Lorde announced on her Twitter profile that her debut album Pure Heroine would be released on in the US on 30 September 2013. The album's release was preceded by a New Zealand advertising campaign, with its lyrics displayed in classified ads, shop windows, posters and fax broadcast to media offices. In early September 2013, Lorde and co-writer Joel Little were shortlisted for the 2013 Silver Scroll Award—the award honours outstanding achievements in the writing of original New Zealand pop music songs—for "Royals". On October 15, it was announced they had won. In a September 2013 interview for TV3's 3rd Degree, Lorde revealed that she had declined an offer from singer Katy Perry to be a supporting act on Perry's world tour. Her cover of Tears for Fears' hit song "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" was included on the The Hunger Games: Catching Fire film soundtrack.
Musical style and influences
"Royals" A sample of Royals."Team" A sample of "Team"
Problems playing these files? See media help.
Musically, Lorde's debut album Pure Heroine followed in the same vein as the The Love Club EP, incorporating influences of ambient, art pop, dark wave, electronica, indietronica, minimal and synthpop. Lyrically, the album was primarily inspired by her youth and critiques mainstream culture.
Lorde's music draws from electropop, but she grew up listening to soul musicians Etta James and Otis Redding, as well as her parents' favorite records by the likes of Cat Stevens, Neil Young and Fleetwood Mac. She cites the unusual vocals of Grimes, the band Sleigh Bells and producer SBTRKT as prominent influences for Lorde. Lorde also stated that she was inspired by the initially hidden identities of Burial and The Weeknd, explaining, "I feel like mystery is more interesting", and called American musical artist Nicki Minaj an "important female in pop". Lorde describes short story writers Raymond Carver, Wells Tower, Tobias Wolff and Claire Vaye Watkins as lyrical inspirations – particularly noting their sentence structures.
During the writing of The Love Club (2013), Lorde was particularly influenced by Kanye West and she performed a cover version of West's song "Hold My Liquor" at her Auckland concert on 7 September 2013. Lorde has also cited Prince as an influence.
Public image
Time placed Lorde on their list of The 16 Most Influential Teens of 2013. Lorde is a self-identified feminist.
Other ventures
In November 2013, Lorde signed a publishing deal with Songs Music Publishing worth a reported $2.5 million after a bidding war between various companies including Sony and her label Universal. The agreement gives the publisher the right to license Lorde's music for films and advertising.
Discography
Main article: Lorde discography See also: List of songs recorded by Lorde- Pure Heroine (2013)
Awards
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result
Not avalible... References
External links |
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- 1996 births
- 21st-century singers
- Female singer-songwriters
- Feminist musicians
- Living people
- New Zealand female singers
- New Zealand feminists
- New Zealand pop singers
- New Zealand singer-songwriters
- People from Auckland
- Pop singer-songwriters
- Universal Music Group artists
- New Zealand people of Croatian descent
- New Zealand people of Irish descent