Lorde joined some of New Zealand’s biggest music stars in attending the 2025 Aotearoa Music Awards (AMAs).
The biggest music night of the New Zealand music calendar is taking place at Auckland’s Viaduct Events Centre tonight (May 29th), and Lorde, fresh from popping into the bathrooms of a local YMCA for a surprise performance (more on that below) yesterday, appeared on the red carpet.
Credit: Stijl / James Ensing-Trussell
Lorde’s red carpet appearance followed the release of her new single “Man of the Year”, which arrived today alongside a mesmerising music video (watch below).
The track follows previous single “What Was That”, which Lorde memorably previewed in New York City’s Washington Square Park in April. After sending out a text blast to fans announcing the unexpected teaser event, so many people filled up the park that the police had to come and shut the whole thing down. (She performed “What Was That” in the same place just a couple of hours later anyway.)
Both tracks will feature on the forthcoming Virgin, due June 27th, which is the long-awaited follow-up to 2021’s Solar Power. She discussed Virgin at length in her Rolling Stone cover story, her first in-depth conversation about her new album.
Lorde ramped up promotion for her new album this week, delivering a surprise pop-up performance in a bathroom at Auckland’s YMCA on Wednesday night.
The intimate show followed a cryptic Instagram post earlier that day: a grainy photo of a cracked iPhone tucked into the waistband of a pair of jeans, tagged simply “Auckland.” The post linked to a WhatsApp chat where fans could message Lorde directly.
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“Auckland I wanna play you something .. Meet me in the city tonight? Message me if you’re keen,” she wrote.
Fans quickly gathered in the CBD, with reports of more than 300 people lining the street outside the venue. According to the NZ Herald, organisers let groups of about 30 in every 15 minutes. Some fans, invite or not, stayed in the cold hoping for a glimpse of the star – or for a miracle wristband.
Several winners have already been announced at the 2025 AMAs, including MOKOTRON (Best Electronic Artist), Cassie Henderson (Best Pop Artist), Holly Arrowsmith (Best Folk Artist), and more.
We’ll bring you all of the winners later tonight.
