From Pure Heroine to Solar Power: how well do you know Lorde?

New Zealand singer Lorde. Illustration: Guardian Design

New Zealand-born pop star Lorde has inspired such fierce devotion since her debut in 2013 that on the very first song of her third album, Solar Power, she asks fans to just, please, let it go: “If you’re looking for a saviour, that’s not me.”

Still, it’s not hard to see why the musician born Ella Yelich-O’Connor has sparked such dedication: her music is littered with vivid literary references, and the accompanying visuals run the gamut from ghoulish to romantic to deviously camp. She’s also become one of pop history’s great interview subjects, name-checking writers like Jia Tolentino and Jenny Odell, dissing fellow pop stars, and speaking frankly about her experiences as a young woman in the music industry.

Add to that a penchant for cult fashion – she once attended a Christian Dior show at Paris fashion week with Kanye West, caused a boost in sales for the indie label Collina Strada after the release of the Solar Power video, and name-checks the designers Phoebe Philo and Simone Rocha on the song Leader of a New Regime – and you have yourself a truly obsession-worthy pop icon.

But how devoted are you? Is Lorde truly your saviour, or are you clamouring for her to abdicate the throne already? Test your knowledge below.

1. Despite becoming more and more social media-averse over the years, Lorde maintains an anonymous Instagram account where she posts food reviews. Which deep-fried snack is her main area of interest?

   1. Potato cakes

   2. Onion rings

   3. Chicken wings

   4. Deep-fried Mars bars

2. Which of the following is not a Lorde lyric?

   1. “I'm a princess cut from marble, smoother than a storm”

   2. “Dancing with my girls, only having two drinks, then leaving”

   3. “I'm gonna mess your life up, gonna wanna tape my mouth shut”

   4. “We clawed, we chained, our hearts in vain”

3. 

   Lorde has associated her most recent album, Solar Power, with a specific drug. Which?

   1. Weed

   2. Acid

   3. Cocaine

   4. Caffeine

4. True or False: Lorde has a neurological condition.

   1. True

   2. False

5. 

   In an attempt to be more environmentally conscious, Lorde is selling Solar Power in an eco-friendly music box format, which contains a digital download code and other exclusive items. Which of the following Solar Power merch items can you NOT purchase?

   1. Vinyl

   2. Ashtray

   3. CD

   4. Bucket hat

6. Solar Power includes contributions from New Zealand singer Marlon Williams, indie pop star Clairo, and recent Grammy nominee Phoebe Bridgers, among others. But which pop big name provides a spoken word cameo halfway through the record?

   1. Taylor Swift

   2. Robyn

   3. Natalie Imbruglia

   4. Frank Ocean

7. Lorde was famously parodied on which hugely popular cartoon?

   1. The Simpsons

   2. Family Guy

   3. South Park

   4. Rick & Morty

8. 

   True or false: Lorde’s stage name is inspired by the Black feminist writer and activist Audre Lorde.

   1. True

   2. False

9. Which legacy act has not endorsed Lorde in some way?

   1. Morrissey

   2. David Bowie

   3. Nirvana

   4. Stevie Nicks

10. Who doesn’t get name-checked on Solar Power?

    1. Carole King

    2. Uma Thurman

    3. Mette-Marit, Crown Princess of Norway

    4. Jack Antonoff

Solutions

1:B - In mid-2017, an intrepid fan tipped off the New Zealand-based website Newshub to the fact that the onion ring review account @onionringsworldwide was followed by Lorde and her close friends, and seemed to correspond to Lorde’s movements. When Newshub connected the account to Lorde, it was shut down – and Lorde confessed to running the account on Fallon. In late-2020, the account was reactivated: “Don’t call it a crumb back…” the admin wrote. , 2:D - Lyric A is from Lorde’s Hunger Games theme; Lyric B is from Secrets From A Girl (Who’s Seen It All); Lyric C is from Hard Feelings / Loveless; Lyric D is from Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball. Four great lyrics from four great songs!, 3:A - Speaking to the New York Times, Lorde said that she initially thought Solar Power would be an acid album, but realised it was a weed album after she had a bad acid trip. Although not inspired by heroin, Lorde’s debut album was titled Pure Heroine., 4:A - Lorde is one of many pop stars, including Pharrell, Kanye West, Frank Ocean, Billie Eilish and Billy Joel, who has sound-to-colour synesthesia, a neurological condition which causes one to interpret certain sounds as colours. Solar Power, Lorde says, evokes gold., 5:C - Lorde decided she only wanted Solar Power to be available in formats she herself would want, nixing CDs over records. You can buy Solar Power in a variety of vinyl colours, and Lorde is also selling branded Zippo lighters, water bottles, hoodies, T-shirts and tote bags., 6:B - Lorde is friends with Taylor Swift, inspired by Natalie Imbruglia, and shares a producer, Malay, with Frank Ocean. But it’s Robyn who appears on Secrets From A Girl (Who’s Seen It All) to guide Lorde through sadness and her early 20s. , 7:C - Two episodes in South Park season 18 involve the character Randy Marsh living a secret life under the guise of Lorde; the musician Sia provided a song in character as Lorde., 8:B - Lorde’s stage name is inspired by her interest in aristocracy; the "e" was added in order to feminise the word Lord. “Ever since I was a little kid, I have been really into royals and aristocracy,” she told Interview magazine. “So to make Lord more feminine, I just put an ‘e’ on the end! Some people think it’s religious, but it’s not.”, 9:A - David Bowie’s family has said that the late musician thought Lorde was “the future of music”, and the pair were photographed together (with Tilda Swinton) before his death; Nirvana members Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl chose Lorde to sing with them at the band’s Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall of Fame induction; Stevie Nicks said Lorde probably would have been the third girl in Fleetwood Mac. Radio silence from Morrissey! , 10:D - Lorde’s friend Jack Antonoff isn’t referenced by name on the album, although he did produce most of it with her.

Scores

1. 10 and above.

   You’re a total Melodrama queen, and Lorde might actually be your saviour.

2. 9 and above.

   You’re a total Melodrama queen, and Lorde might actually be your saviour.

3. 8 and above.

   You’re running at about 80% Solar Power; let’s hope you can upgrade to 100% renewable by the time summer comes around.

4. 7 and above.

   You’re running at about 80% Solar Power; let’s hope you can upgrade to 100% renewable by the time summer comes around.

5. 6 and above.

   You’re not quite hooked on Pure Heroine, but you’re about halfway there.

6. 5 and above.

   You’re not quite hooked on Pure Heroine, but you’re about halfway there.

7. 4 and above.

   You’re not quite hooked on Pure Heroine, but you’re about halfway there.

8. 3 and above.

   Meh! To borrow a phrase from Lorde: you’ll never be a royal.

9. 2 and above.

   Meh! To borrow a phrase from Lorde: you’ll never be a royal.

10. 1 and above.

    Meh! To borrow a phrase from Lorde: you’ll never be a royal.

11. 0 and above.

    Meh! To borrow a phrase from Lorde: you’ll never be a royal.