Why Lorde's New Music Announcement Is Turning Heads

Pop star Lorde hasn't released new music since the launch of "Melodrama" in 2017, but that hasn't stopped fans from wishing for new hits. And recently, it seems, they've wished so hard, it's turned into a little bit of manifestation. Things first started to get interesting on June 2 when a fan account tweeted speculation that Lorde was planning to put out a new single. "There's a new rumor going on about lorde's lead single, apparently it's called solar power but i'm gonna need lorde to release the d*mn single for me to believe in that. Please iM BEGGING. WHERE'S LORDE," the tweet read.

Though the post wasn't based on any hard evidence, people seemed to believe that Lorde was poised to drop new music based on the fact she was announced as a headliner for Barcelona's Primavera Sound Festival 2022. Additionally, the "Royals" singer had previously told fans in a 2020 email that she wouldn't be putting out new music until her hair was long again — and Twitter went wild after spotting she'd recently cut her lengthy locks in a photo. Did all of these clues add up to a new album? Apparently so, because Lorde officially announced her comeback single, "Solar Power," on her website on June 7. Looks like these fans-turned-internet-sleuths were right after all! Keep reading to find out why the new announcement is turning heads.

Lorde fans have been begging for the singer to drop new tunes for the past four years, so the announcement of "Solar Power" was met with an explosion of excitement. "WE WON OMG," one fan tweeted, while another wrote, "ALBUM OF THE YEAR," despite the fact we've yet to hear the new music. 

Not only that, but the cover image seems a bit out of character for the talented hitmaker. Normally, Lorde doesn't reveal much of her body, but this image features a risqué shot of her from below, as she frolics across the sand. The picture was accompanied with the equally tongue-in-cheek copy: "ARRIVING IN 2021 ... PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE," nodding to the four years since she last dropped music. 

But is Lorde chastising fans for pressuring her to release an album before she was ready? Either way, "Solar Power" heralds a new era for the star, who hasn't engaged much with fans since first teasing that an album was in the works back in May 2020, according to Paste. She wrote in an email to fans, "As I get older I realize there's something to be said for the pleasant feeling of waiting for something of quality to become available to you. You could have something of lesser quality much faster, but as the high quality thing comes into fruition, a warm feeling grows inside you." Clearly, "Solar Power" is worth the wait!