In 2012 was a regular high schooler in New Zealand. In 2013 she was the voice behind the global pop phenomenon, “Royals.” This year, she’s looking toward the next phase of her career. In 2020 she could be old news, a fad that came and went that will end up on some nostalgia show with “Angry Birds” and “Fifty Shades of Grey.” Or she could be as big as or bigger than she is now, on her way to becoming the next Adele, Kate Bush, Fiona Apple or Amy Winehouse (without the drugs).
But that will depend on Lorde’s next move.
With her dark yet pop-friendly music, mane of curly brown hair, mature temperament with the media and sudden launch into international fame, Lorde has been fascinating to watch.
After “Royals” topped the Billboard Hot 100 and her subsequent 2013 debut, “Pure Heroine,” hit the top five, she won two Grammys. She toured the world, made her and returns to play the even bigger 1stBank Center on Sept. 28.
At just 17, she’s at a stage in her career that most musicians will never reach: following up and capitalizing on breakout success. Though she’s touring arenas across the world, the media blitz will inevitably slow — pop-music listeners are a fickle bunch with short memories. In a year, fans could easily be asking, “Lorde who?”
How does she stay relevant, live up to the bar she set and, most important, not screw up the improbable success? Recently, we’ve already seen the industry gears behind team Lorde start to move, giving us some clues.
Earlier this month rumors circulated that . Such a move hints that she’s going the “featuring” artist route with her career, meaning she’ll appear on tracks by other musicians while buying time to release her follow up to “Pure Heroine.” Not a bad idea: She keeps her voice out there, makes some money and stayss relevant. And when she’s ready for her own album, she hasn’t been forgotten. Frank Ocean did this after his initial success, as did Kendrick Lamar.
There’s another option: On Sept. 29, Lorde will release her It’s a single that lands on the “Mockingjay — Part 1 Soundtrack,” a series that has featured the likes of Coldplay and Arcade Fire. A one-off single on a compilation album could mean that Lorde is planning to pepper fans with individual tracks and EPs in the months or years leading up to a full LP. Certainly in our age of Soundcloud, iPods and Bandcamp, where individual songs rather than albums rule, this can be a successful path.
But, being a featured artist and releasing a series of singles are the usual game plan for artists, and Lorde is hardly your typical musician. Wouldn’t it make sense for her to create a different kind of buzz, as she urges in “Royals”?
So, here’s what Lorde should do next: Nothing.
Pop listeners get bored as easily as they forget, and if Lorde sticks around as a featured artist or releasing B-side singles, fans could get sick of her.
She should continue to tour and in the meantime lay low and work on new music. Give it a year, maybe two, more if need be, and let the tension between albums build. Don’t let the short attention spans of pop listeners make her push out something too fast that doesn’t live up to her excellent debut. If her talent as a vocalist, as a writer and as a musician is what truly set her apart the first time, then the music should stand alone again.
Think of the shock: In a year or two, suddenly out of thin New Zealand air, we have another single that rivals “Royals.” The Lorde Story would continue, because it fits with her persona and music as a whole: She’s stylish without trying, moody without being depressing, and popular without appearing to want fame or money. The next chapter in the Lorde Story should be a series of blank pages — keeping that mystery alive.
It’s an unconventional thing to imagine, maybe even a bit romantic. But given that Lorde emerged from nowhere with a romantic success story, wouldn’t it make sense for her to do it again?
Matt Miller: 303-954-1785, mrmiller@denverpost.com
