New Zealand’s own teen songstress is no longer a teen – today, Lorde celebrates her 20th birthday!
Born and raised in Auckland, the Kiwi artist (whose real name is Ella Yelich-O’Connor) quickly rose to global superstardom after releasing her smash hit ‘Royals’ in 2013.
Since then, Lorde’s career has only gone from strength to strength, with a series of high-profile gigs following her initial breakthrough. She curated the soundtrack for blockbuster film The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and also contributed four tracks to the album, performed on Saturday Night Live and won praise for her tribute to David Bowie at the 2016 BRIT Awards.
Outside of music, Lorde also hit headlines for famous gal pals, including fellow singer Taylor Swift.
Today, Lorde has an impressive haul of awards under her belt including Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for ‘Royals’, and is estimated to be worth between $9 million and $11 million.
As a celebration of the massively talented Lorde, we’re taking a look back at some of her most memorable moments.
January 26, 2014
At the Grammy awards in 2014, Lorde’s nail polish stole the show. The young star’s tuxedo was largely overlooked in favour of her nails, which appeared to have been dipped up to the first knuckle in black, tar-like nail polish.
January 29, 2014
Lorde’s style is not only unique, it contrasts starkly against her famous friends such as Taylor Swift. She even collaborated with MAC cosmetics on a range of makeup that emulated her signature dark, vampy style. The style she is known for was developed early – here, she is pictured performing at Silo Park in Auckland.
When she was just 17, Lorde told Elle magazine that she knew she had developed something of a “fearsome reputation”. “People know that if you talk down to me, I will roll my eyes or whatever.” Which is just as well, since the star’s ability to stick to her guns has yet to steer her wrong.
November 10, 2014
Lorde attended the World Premiere of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 in London wearing our favourite take on a tuxedo to date. Her song ‘Yellow Flicker Beat’ was the lead single for the film’s soundtrack and earned her a Golden Globe nomination.
November 23, 2014
When she first became a household name, the world was struck by Lorde’s distinctive dance style – pictured here at the 2014 American Music Awards.
Lorde shunned the traditional floor-length gown for the Golden Globes in 2015, opting instead for a sleek black pantsuit by Narciso Rodriguez in keeping with her signature style.
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Lorde joined Taylor Swift as a surprise guest during one of her tour dates to perform a surprise duet on her big hit ‘Royals’. Taylor introduced Lorde as one of her “best friends in the entire world”. Awww!
See the besties perform together in the video on the next slide.
Lorde crashes Taylor Swift’s
Taylor later posted this cute pic on her Twitter.
Image: Taylor Swift/Twitter
In late 2015, Lorde ditched her traditional curls for this sleek, slicked back ‘do to go with her black Givenchy outfit.
At the 2015 Vodafone New Zealand music awards, Lorde took away plenty of awards alongside brother-sister duo Broods.
Lorde’s acceptance speech for the VMA song of the year award
After David Bowie’s death, Lorde paid tribute to the musical legend at the BRIT awards, performing ‘Life On Mars?’ accompanied by the backing band from his last tour in 2003.
Lorde performs a tribute to David Bowie
Lorde made a surprise appearance at Coachella Music Festival in California. Photo: Getty.
The New Zealand singer stunned on stage in a black crop top and high-waisted pants. Photo: Getty
Lorde’s acceptance speech for the VMA song of the year award
April, 2016
Off stage, Lorde was also spotted hanging out with Taylor Swift and Jack Antonoff, soaking up the sunshine at Coachella.
Lorde drew puzzled looks when she appeared on the red carpet at the Met gala with a cast on her arm, but the star still looked as regal as ever in a pastel-coloured Valentino creation.
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She took to Instagram later that night to reveal she had collected several celebrity signatures on her cast, posting this picture alongside the caption: “If u ever wanna know who was at the 2016 met gala they’re all on my arm.”
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