Lorde is opening up about her mixed feelings toward her 2021 album Solar Power, a project she says was essential to her artistic growth—even if it no longer feels like an authentic reflection of who she is.
In a recent appearance on Jake Shane’s Therapuss podcast, the New Zealand singer-songwriter spoke candidly about the album’s creation and how her mindset has shifted since its release. The project followed the critically acclaimed Melodrama and marked a noticeable shift in tone and style.
“I love Solar Power so much, and I truly needed to make it,” Lorde said. “I wouldn’t be here with another album if I hadn’t made Solar Power. But I think it showed me that you have no choice but to be who you’re supposed to be.”
Lorde, now 27, described how the success of Melodrama left her feeling overwhelmed and disconnected. “This thing that was my hobby that I did after school is now, like, my employment,” she recalled. “It’s gotten too big. Like, I’m a kid.”
Following the high-pressure arena tour for Melodrama, she returned home to New Zealand to reset. “I got a dog,” she said. “I had this moment of being like, ‘I don’t know if I want to do all of that. I’m going to be this girl who’s sort of off the map and really mysterious and even more distant.’”
That desire for simplicity shaped Solar Power, an album Lorde said came from a place of feeling “very joyful and chill.” But over time, she began to question if the serene, beachy image she projected truly matched her identity. “Me disappearing and being all wafty and on the beach… I was like, ‘Actually, I don’t think this is me.’”
Despite its Billboard 200 chart debut at No. 5 and singles like “Stoned at the Nail Salon” and “Mood Ring,” the album didn’t produce hits on the level of “Royals” or “Green Light.” Still, Lorde views the experience as vital.
“It was kind of sad for me ‘cause I love to vibe out,” she said. “In an alternate universe where I just lived in New Zealand and worked at an organic farm or something, that would be my vibe. But it’s not the life for me, I think, right now.”
Now, with her next album Virgin set for release on June 27, Lorde says she’s leaning back into her strengths. “I’m meant to make these bangers that f— us all up and just rip through a festival ground,” she said. “I don’t think I’m supposed to vibe out.”
Her new chapter may look very different from Solar Power, but according to Lorde, it took stepping away from herself to figure out exactly where she wants to be.
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