Published by Cel Manero from Global One Media Inc.
The pop singer’s fourth studio album is set to drop on June 27.
Lorde is back!
On Wednesday, April 30, the “What Was That” artist — born Ella Yelich-O’Connor — revealed her first album in four years, titled Virgin.
The 28-year-old singer also took to Instagram to unveil the album’s artwork, which seems to depict an X-ray of a pelvis with a zipper running through the middle.
She simply captioned the post with the word “Virgin.”
On her official website, Lorde revealed that she co-produced Virgin with Jim-E Stack, with additional contributions from Fabiana Palladino, Andrew Aged, Buddy Ross, Dan Nigro, and Dev Hynes (known as Blood Orange).
Mixing was handled by Spike Stent and Tom Elmhirst, while Chris Gehringer took care of mastering.
“100% WRITTEN IN BLOOD,” wrote the Stoned at the Nail Salon artist.
In an email sent to fans, Lorde offered a deeper look into the essence of Virgin.
“THE COLOR OF THIS ALBUM IS CLEAR — LIKE ICE, WINDOWS, BATHWATER, OR SPIT. IT’S COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT,” she began. “THE LANGUAGE IS SIMPLE, STRIPPED OF SENTIMENT. THE SOUNDS REMAIN CONSISTENT WHEREVER POSSIBLE.”
She added: “I WANTED TO SEE MYSELF COMPLETELY. I AIMED TO CREATE A PIECE THAT EMBODIED MY FEMININITY — RAW, ELEMENTAL, PURE, GRACEFUL, VULNERABLE, SPIRITUAL, AND MASCULINE.”
Lorde ended with a candid admission: “THIS ALBUM BOTH FRIGHTENS AND FILLS ME WITH PRIDE. THERE’S NO COVER TO HIDE BEHIND. I TRULY BELIEVE THAT TURNING OUR DEEPEST TRUTHS INTO MUSIC IS WHAT LIBERATES US.”
On Thursday, April 24, the Royals singer dropped her newest single, What Was That, along with its official music video.
In a personal note posted on her website, Lorde opened up about the circumstances that shaped the song, sharing that it was written during a difficult time in “late 2023,” when she had returned to New York and was dealing with the emotional aftermath of a significant breakup and coming off birth control.
“Every meal felt like a struggle,” she wrote. “Flashbacks hit in waves. I let the grief pull me under and simply captured whatever came out when I opened my mouth.”
The video for the track follows the Grammy-winning artist wandering through New York City, ending with footage of her joining fans at Washington Square Park on April 22 — a spontaneous gathering that was ultimately shut down by police.
After encouraging fans to attend a 7 p.m. pop-up, she later posted on Instagram Stories: “Omg @thepark the cops are shutting us down. I’m honestly blown away by how many of you came!!! But they’re telling me you have to clear out… I’m really sorry.”
An NYPD spokesperson told PEOPLE that they had been notified about an unpermitted event in the park, explaining: “In order to hold a concert in a New York City park, sound and park permits are required. The organizers did not have either. They were informed they couldn’t proceed, and they left the area.”
