An analysis of Lorde’s Discography Over The Years

Aoife McEvoy

Ever since her breakout single “Royals” gained unprecedented fame in 2013, 24-year-old New Zealand native singer-songwriter Lorde has taken the music industry by storm. After becoming a musical force to be reckoned with at the ripe age of 16, Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor, known as Lorde, has captivated audiences everywhere. For years, her breathtaking electro-pop accounts of growing up as a young woman have become a staple of her music career.

On her 2013 debut album “Pure Heroine,” she delivers an angsty, electric tale of rebellion and her teenage life. Nearing the end of the album on the track “A World Alone,” O’Connor reveals that she is still coming to terms with her newfound fame, her “fake friends,” and how she constantly feels like she is “in this world alone.” However, the track “Still Sane” exhibits Lorde’s brighter, more positive outlook on her new status, because although she feels as if she’s “not in the swing of things,” she’s showing no signs of slowing down. Her next album “Melodrama” topped the charts with 1.2 billion streams and many critics calling it her best work yet. “Melodrama” is a riveting, playful yet still melancholic depiction of the phases of heartbreak, and what it means to find yourself in your 20s. Throughout the album, O’Connor sings of late nights and reckless endeavors such as “cleaning up … champagne glasses” (Sober II) and closing her teeth around a “liquor wet lime,” (Sober) desperately using parties and fits of adrenaline to escape the emotions that lie beneath. Despite the glitz and glam of songs such as “Green Light” and “Sober,” there is an underlying theme of O’Connor longing to find herself amidst the shambles of a particularly painful breakup. The album is heartbreakingly relatable, riddled with poignant phrases, wistful piano chords and O’Connor’s hauntingly powerful voice. But in the end, it’s about self acceptance and finding yourself, as she reveals that she is slowly “letting go of little things” (Hard Feelings/Loveless) she was holding onto from her relationship. In her latest album “Solar Power,” Lorde takes a sharp turn away from her usual dark, grunge, techno-pop style and replaces it with a lighter, more airy tone. “Solar Power” is about her four-year hiatus in which she retreated to her homeland of New Zealand, took a break from technology, and began to free herself from her previous life. She develops a deep love and appreciation for nature, which is seen in tracks such as “Solar Power” and “Fallen Fruit,” and encourages her listeners to also take a step back and immerse themselves in the natural world. She tells her audience that she is leaving her once signature, goth/grunge rebellion vibe behind, stating that the “the cherry black lipstick's gathering dust in a drawer, I don't need her anymore.” (Oceanic Feeling) Simple guitar and whimisical vocal arrangements replace her once famed dark techno beats and ‘us against the world’ style lyrics as she gives us a sneak peak on the benefits of self-enlightenment. From edgy stories of teen rebellion to heart wrenching hymns of healing and bright, breezy odes to nature and life itself, Lorde continues to showcase her evolution as a person and represents the growth of all young women through her groundbreaking discography.