Lorde announces first album in four years

Otago Daily Times

01-05-2025

The album cover for Lorde's upcoming fourth album, Virgin.
The wait is over - Lorde has announced a new album.
The 28-year-old singer has not released a record since Solar Power in 2021, but following the release of her single What Was That earlier in 2025, it has been confirmed that Virgin will be available from June 27.
The Grammy-winning star - who shot to global fame as a teenager with her signature track Royals - has released three albums and, according to a media release, Virgin will showcase a "bold evolution in her sound and storytelling".
The announcement comes just more than 18 months after the Green Light hit maker revealed she had been working on new music while living in London.
The New Zealand pop star - whose real name is Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor - revealed in an email newsletter to fans that she had been living in the British capital since mid-2023.
"Things feel clear here. I haven't seen many friends; mostly, I'm alone with my thoughts," she said.
"I go swimming, I go to work, I walk home or take the train, I eat in my kitchen, I go to bed thinking about what I'm making. I'm starting to miss my friends and family, like a vitamin I'm deficient in."
Lorde also revealed in the same update that she has been battling a mystery illness.
At the time, she noted that she had stopped taking her regular medication after spending more than a decade on it and found herself becoming ill on several occasions.
"The little yellow pill I took every morning for thousands of mornings since I was 15. My gut isn't working properly, my skin is worse than ever, I've gotten sick half a dozen times."
The Royals hit maker went on to explain to fans that she has "never really listened" to her body and has used this year to focus on her health after "ignoring" it for so long.
Virgin will be released on June 27.