Lorde has revealed she is now operating as an independent artist after her long-standing deal with Universal Music Group quietly came to an end late last year.
Per Variety, the New Zealand pop star shared a series of voice memos with fans this week, reflecting on the significance of closing a deal she first signed at just 12 years old – a moment she now sees with fresh perspective.
She referred to the team at UMG as “incredible people” adding that she “adores” them, before saying: “The truth is that a 12-year-old girl pre-sold her creative output before she knew what it would be like and before she knew what she was signing away. I’m sure I’ll have a deal again, could well be with Universal, but I knew that I needed to take a second to have nothing being bought or sold that comes from me.
“When I see an opportunity for a clean slate, I try to take it,” she continued. “It does feel different. It sounds like it wouldn’t but that it really does. A feeling of openness and possibility and inspired, of course. I’m working and all this stuff but it just feels exciting to have I don’t know remove the container for a second.
“So yeah, newness is kind of a theme, a clean slate to open this newness. I don’t know if you saw my phone background that says ‘I have no master.’ But I’m trying to feel what that feels like.”
The news comes following the release of her fourth album Virgin and midway through her global ‘Ultrasound World Tour’. In the voice memos, she noted that her upcoming shows in LA in May will conclude the trek.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ attended the opening show of the tour’s local leg, and gave it a glowing five-star review. “This was a homecoming — not just for a superstar, but for the thousands who’ve grown up alongside her. Lorde has soundtracked our coming-of-age,” we wrote. “On Wednesday night in Auckland, she proved she’s not done evolving. And neither are we.”
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Since breaking through with Pure Heroine in 2013, Lorde has carved out a singular space in pop music, revered for her poetic lyricism, minimalist production, and emotionally raw performances. Across her career, she’s amassed more than 18 billion streams and sold 18 million albums globally.
Her global rise began in 2013 with “Royals” – which we named the Best Australian and New Zealand Song of the 21st Century So Far. Just 16-years-old at the time, the song’s youthful perspective combined with her sharp, ironic commentary made it feel revolutionary. It effortlessly launched Lorde into the stratosphere of global pop, despite her being one that shies away from the spotlight. Over the years, she navigated the challenges of sudden fame on her own terms.
