Lorde's New Album: Singer Updates Fans in Poetic Email
Lorde knows the coronavirus pandemic has resulted in a “wild time.” And like you, she’s finding ways to cope.
On Tuesday night, the singer dropped a poetic email into fans’ inboxes, divulging how it feels to work on a new album during the era of social distancing, and especially after a period of intense grief, given she had to say goodbye to her dog Pearl in late 2019. “I found a note in my phone from November which said: I eat a grief sandwich / I wear a grief coat / I see a grief film,” she wrote in the letter. “If you know how it feels to lose someone close, I’m sure that makes sense to you. Everything about you becomes a grief thing!”
“I started going back to the studio again in December, just for something to do, and to my surprise, good things came out,” she continued. “Happy, playful things. I felt my melodic muscles flexing and strengthening. Jack [Antonoff, her producer] came over to work in the studio in Auckland, and I went to LA. It flowed. A thing started to take shape. And then, of course, the world shut down.”
The singer was in her home country of New Zealand when the coronavirus hit, and she said she’s grateful for the governmental intervention that resulted in a strict, six-week lockdown and plenty of safety measures, from testing to contact tracing. Such work, led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, has so far paid off. “New Zealand is creeping back to normal. Shops and restaurants are open again. I’ve seen some friends. I feel so grateful for such calm, sensible leadership by our government, now more than ever,” Lorde said.
She also extended her love to people who live in countries where the federal response to the pandemic hasn’t been as effective. “I know you may not be afforded that where you live, and I hope you’re taking it one day at a time and trying not to feel too destroyed by the news,” she said. “I’m thinking of you all the time.”
As for that new album, she says it’s coming, but “it’ll take a while longer.” In the meantime, she’s using FaceTime to work with Jack, and she wants fans to know that the really good things are worth the wait.
“I’ve been looking at some of your notes online, and I can feel the (extremely sweet, EXTREMELY flattering) desperation creeping back into your voices,” she noted. “You need it! The thing can’t come soon enough! I understand— I want nothing more than to feed you treats, pop perfect morsels straight into your little mouths. But as I get older I realise there’s something to be said for the pleasant feeling of waiting for something of quality to become available to you. You could have something of lesser quality much faster, but as the high quality thing comes into fruition, a warm feeling grows inside you. Do you know what I mean?”
She also listed out all of the things that typically come with a new album, which she’s excited to do — but beyond the photoshoots and interviews, she’s most “jazzed” about concerts, festivals, and meeting and hugging her fans. Even so, she’s learning how to enjoy being safer rather than sorry, and waiting until doing so is safe.
“I get this feeling when I make bread, or put my seedlings in after the last frost, or even when I wait for a particular package to arrive. Waiting, the thing that felt so pointless and annoying when I was young, is now this kind of delicious activity,” she wrote. “In my opinion, the greatest treat I can give you is work that will last ten, twenty, thirty years. And that kind of work takes time. So if you can, I’d like for you to try tuning in to the time spent waiting for something of the highest quality to arrive. Enjoy the sensation as it builds. When the moment comes, our wave will crest super f--king high.”
“I can tell you, this new thing, it’s got its own colours now,” she hinted. “If you know anything about my work, you’ll know what that means.”
Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue
