She’s opinionated, feisty and a self-confessed feminist – and while singing superstar Lorde continues to tour America with her debut single still at number one in the US, she’s also ruffled a few feathers.
She performed on Ellen DeGeneres’ show last week to widespread acclaim, with the host saying, “God, I love you!” after her performance of Royals. “[Lorde’s] only 16 and has the number one song in the country. When I was 16, my best friend was a blanket named Tammy,” enthused Ellen.
But the same week the Auckland student took Ellen by storm, an online blogger accused her of being “racist”, saying the lyrics of Royals implied a discrimination towards African-Americans – something most critics have rubbished. However, the comments come only a week after Lorde – real name Ella Yelich-O’Connor – aired her opinions on fellow singers Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift, saying Selena’s lyrics to her hit song Come and Get It sent the wrong message to girls, and that Taylor Swift was “too perfect” to be a role model.
The headstrong Kiwi makes no apologies for her lyrics, and continued her United States publicity tour for her new album, Pure Heroine, unfazed.
Royals has also been used in a global Samsung commercial, with Lorde and co-writer Joel Little negotiating the song’s placement in the advertisement last July.
It features young children singing the powerful lyrics on the streets of Barcelona, and focuses on international soccer star Lionel Messi.
Vivienne Archer
