Lorde’s new album Virgin is finally on its way, and the journey behind it has been more personal than polished. For the New Zealand singer, known for her poetic introspection and moody soundscapes, it took more than time. It took an unexpected collaboration with Charli XCX to break through her own emotional wall.
Back in 2023, Charli released Brat, an album that didn’t just rack up awards but started conversations. One track, Girl, so confusing, subtly unpacked Charli’s own complicated feelings about Lorde. Rather than take offence, Lorde leaned in. She offered to jump on a remix and, in doing so, cracked open parts of herself she’d been avoiding.
“I was writing songs I didn’t think I’d ever share,” Lorde told BBC Radio 1. “Stuff I was saving for ‘future me’ to figure out.” But that changed with the remix. On it, she opened up about struggles with eating and the pressure to measure up, topics she’d always skirted around. The response was louder than expected and surprisingly warm. “It made me realise people were actually listening and what I said mattered.”
That moment of honesty, combined with Charli’s style on Brat, helped Lorde carve out a clearer path for her own music. “It made me define my album more sharply,” she said. “Charli set the bar so clearly, I had to think harder about my own message.”
Virgin, her first release in four years, arrives 27 June. The lead single What Was That, which debuted in the UK top 10, was teased on TikTok and marks a return to the signature Lorde sound fans first fell in love with. But this time, there’s more grit, more openness, and a sense that she’s no longer holding back.
Lorde also joined Charli on stage at Coachella to perform the remix live, a surprise moment that showed their new creative bond. “Through her, I realised we’re allowed to enjoy this too,” Lorde said, recalling how they sat in the grass after the show, eating bad pizza with Billie Eilish and Troye Sivan. “It reminded me why I do this.”
With Virgin, Lorde is just making sure she’s being honest. For an artist known for her quiet power, that might be her strongest move yet.
