I think we all know the narrative of a young artist who rises to fame and is then taken advantage of by the music industry. Burn out, the stress to constantly deliver, living life in the public eye — they all add up. That happened to Lorde after the release of her critically acclaimed smash hit first album, Pure Heroine. It was impossible to avoid hearing “Royals” wherever you went, and the song is still a mainstay. It’s already been 12 years since it came out — it was released when Lorde was only 16.
To be 16 and have a global hit like that is a lot to absorb. Lorde followed Pure Heroine with her sophomore album Melodrama, which was a decent follow-up but didn’t reach the heights of the debut (“Green Light” is a banger for sure though). Then came album three. Solar Power was a weird offering that nobody really knew how to respond to. It more or less came and went.
Now we have Virgin. This record is much more concise and checks a lot of modern pop boxes. It's not as culturally significant as Pure Heroine, but Lorde doesn’t want it to be. This is the album that Lorde wanted to make, and she doesn’t care what you think. She’s been there and done that and she’s moving on — either you're with her or you’re not.
I’ll admit I’m not a huge fan of the lead single “What Was That.” Some of the lyrics caused me to eyeroll: “MDMA in the back garden / blow our pupils up” “This is the best cigarette of my life." Maybe I just have party fatigue from all the other pop stars making these their topics of choice.
However, the album's not all party pop. Strong tracks “Favourite Daughter,” “Hammer” and “GRWM” really shine. “Favourite Daughter” is Lorde grappling with fame and the struggle to constantly deliver. “Hammer” is a solid groove and the lyrics — for the most part — deliver.
“GRWM” is a melancholy track with a powerful bass and interpretive lyrics. My take was it was about Lorde coming to terms with growing up too fast while idolizing people who seem like they have it all figured out — but then discovering they're just as lost as you are.
The album highlight for me was “Broken Glass.” This should be a single. Lorde knocked it out with this track. The production is stellar, the lyrics are powerful. It's a tight track that bounced beautifully between its sonic and lyrical impacts. It's my favorite track off the album, hands down.
My main takeaway from Virgin is that Lorde has reinvented herself. Is it a huge reinvention? No. But, it’s enough to keep things interesting. As a pop star you have to do that every other album or so. It also hit home that music is therapeutic, and this album is a Lorde therapy session that she shares with us fans. Lorde conquered some demons with this one. I hope she's able to leave behind her insecurities and past trauma. She's a great musician, and she's entitled to own it.
