In her first visit to Adelaide in almost 10 years, Lorde shows that her poetic and relatable music still resonates with audiences today. (Image: Clem Stanley)
By Clem Stanley | @ClemStanley2
On March 16 2023, New Zealand singer Lorde brought her Solar Power tour to Adelaide as part of the Adelaide Festival.
It marked the first time Lorde has performed in Adelaide in almost 10 years since the Pure Heroine tour in 2014. This album skyrocketed the singer to fame… and for good reason.
Lorde’s distinctive singing voice, poetic and expressive lyrics, and unique and connective stage presence have had a powerful grasp on audiences over the last decade.
I’d like to say I’ve been a long-time fan over the last 10 years, but it was really only since mid-2021 — in the midst of COVID uncertainty, when I heard Olivia Rodrigo mention that Lorde was one of her inspirations — that I dove deeper into her discography.
Since then, I don’t think there has been a time when I haven’t been listening to Lorde in some capacity, and Melodrama ranks highly in my personal list of favourite albums. Solar Power became the soundtrack to my 2021/22 summer on hot afternoons and trips to the beach.
For me, it’s the way her lyrics are relatable, yet still nuanced and poetic. I’ve found that, combined often with production that vividly captures each song’s essence, Lorde’s music is the full package.
I was keen to hear from others on what makes Lorde such a stand-out in the music industry, and her Adelaide concert was the perfect place to do so.
After the curtains closed last week, I spoke to three different fans who had all been supporting Lorde since the release of her debut track in 2013.
“I’ve been a fan since the Tumblr and ‘Royals’ days; that’s when it all started,” one fan told me, referencing a popular social media website of the early 2010s, along with Lorde’s first single.
Another follower, who had also been around since the early days in 2013, thought Lorde’s uniqueness is what appeals to audiences the most.
They appreciated Lorde’s exploration of different genres with Solar Power, saying “I like it when artists sort of explore beyond what we know of them, whether I like it or not could go either way, but I like when they do that.”
“She’s got a very unconventional voice, and I think people really identify with how slightly off the cuff, and how slightly odd she presents herself.”
Lorde’s vocals and music have matured alongside audiences throughout her career. Fans have felt that they have grown up with Lorde who, like most pop stars, began her career in her teenage years.
A third fan I spoke to had this experience, saying “we’ve sort of grown up at the same time.”
“She was a similar age to all of us when her first album came out, and then ever since then, whatever she was writing about would kind of relate to the stage of life that I was at because we’re around that similar age.”
Talking with these long-time fans made me wish I’d listened to more of Lorde’s music earlier. Her emotional lyrics would likely have resonated with me throughout my teenage years.
Whether it was Pure Heroine’s hip-hop-esque beats and teenage angst; the rushing, yet often heartbreaking, velocity and pounding production on Melodrama; or more recently, Lorde’s lush reflective and introspective Solar Power, which also conjures thoughts about the increasingly imminent issue of climate anxiety, it goes without saying that Lorde’s music has become a soundtrack for a generation.
In the 10-year span of her career, Lorde’s sound and perspective in her music has evolved, and yet her distinctive ambiance is always recognisable. In a lot of ways, Lorde has always been there reminding us that, although we grow and change, we can do this while embracing and staying true to our own uniqueness.
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