Biography
Who is Lorde?
Early life
Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor was born on November 7, 1996, in Takapuna, a suburb of Auckland, New Zealand. Her parents are Sonja Yelich and Vic O'Connor, and she grew up as the second of four children with siblings Jerry, India, and Angelo. She attended Vauxhall School and Belmont Intermediate School during her childhood years. As a student, she participated in speech competitions and a local drama group, which helped build her public speaking skills.
Career beginnings
Lorde and her school friend Louis McDonald won an annual talent show at Belmont Intermediate School as a duo in 2009. They also performed cover songs on Radio New Zealand and played at local venues such as cafés in Auckland and the Victoria Theatre in Devonport. McDonald's father sent recordings of the duo singing covers to Universal Music Group executive Scott Maclachlan. Maclachlan subsequently signed her to the label for artist development when she was a teenager.
Breakthrough and Pure Heroine
In November 2012, Lorde self-released her debut extended play, The Love Club EP, for free download on her SoundCloud account. Universal Music Group commercially released the project in March 2013 after it accumulated tens of thousands of downloads. The release featured the lead single Royals, which became a big commercial success and topped the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States. This achievement made her the youngest artist to earn a number-one single in the United States since 1987.
Subsequent albums
Lorde collaborated with producer Jack Antonoff for her second studio album, Melodrama, which was released in 2017. The album debuted at the top of the US Billboard 200 and received widespread critical praise. She later explored indie folk and psychedelic styles on her third studio album, Solar Power, released in 2021. She returned to an electronic-oriented sound for her fourth studio album, Virgin, scheduled for 2025.
Real name and family
Her full birth name is Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor. She adopted the stage name Lorde when she began releasing music professionally. Her mother, Sonja Yelich, is a poet, and her father, Vic O'Connor, is a civil engineer. She holds dual citizenship in New Zealand and Croatia due to her maternal heritage. Her family background and upbringing in the North Shore suburbs of Auckland played a significant role in shaping her artistic perspective.
Birthday and age
Lorde was born on November 7, 1996, which makes Lorde 29 years old today. That birthday falls under the Scorpio sign. Lorde shares the date with 29 other famous people.
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