Notes

Lorde arrived looking and sounding like no one else to offer a more thoughtful take on what being a young and successful female singer/songwriter might mean. A New Zealander with a goth-flavoured image, feminist views and her feet planted firmly on the ground, she has since quietly asserted herself as someone who knows what she wants. In her debut album Pure Heroine (with its Grammy-winning single 'Royals') she blurred the line between niche and mainstream to produce a seductive collection of highly personal songs that attracted plenty of attention. At a stroke she had captured something about the spirit of the times, offering an alternative to naked exhibitionism and nubile excess in the form of a return to a more reflective musical mystique that has since won her legions of fans worldwide. This is her unique story.