The detective-level work that fans put in to decoding their faves' subtle hints and Easter eggs is so impressive that they should probably be recruited by the CIA. But in the case of New Zealand singer Lorde's fandom, the sleuthing has been so fervent that it's basically devolved into manifestation.
On June 2, Lorde's name was trending on Twitter with over 30,000 mentions. A casual user may have assumed that the singer had finally come out of her four-year hiatus since her 2017 critically-acclaimed album Melodrama — no, but close. Instead, fans have basically convinced themselves that she's dropping new music soon.
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The theory began when a Lorde fan account tweeted a rumour about a possible lead single. “no but there’s a new rumour going on about lorde’s lead single, apparently it’s called solar power but i’m gonna need lorde to release the damn single for me to believe in that. please iM BEGGING. WHERE’S LORDE,” they tweeted.
Fans then speculated that the first single would be called "Solar Power," and the next called "Mood Ring." To be clear, there's no hard evidence for this, but there were a few other things that seemed to tip fans off. First, she was announced as a headliner for Barcelona's Primavera Sound Festival 2022 (which usually means new music at some point). Then there was an announcement Lorde made last November that she’s releasing a book about her trip to Antarctica, which apparently influenced her new album and its title. Another possible tip-off: In her last newsletter post, Lorde said that she wouldn't put out another record "until [her] hair was long." Fans noticed in a recent photo that she had cut it, so they believe that means she's finished her third album.
LORDE CUT HER HAIR THE ALBUM IS FINISHED L3 IS COMING pic.twitter.com/5mRAcMJyoS
— Hamza- Lorde June 5 (@homemadebravado) June 4, 2021
Fans then speculated on the time; a few thought it would be June 4, because she had four fingers up in that same photo, but since we're still getting radio silence, they're taking that to mean another date in the upcoming weeks. All of the unbridled thirst for a Lorde comeback has turned into a meme within the fandom now, as fans joke that they've been manifesting the new music so much that Lorde herself is now scrambling to deliver.
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whos gonna tell lorde shes releasing an album tomorrow
— LORDE DAY??! (@sk83rb0y666) June 3, 2021
new lorde album soon?? pic.twitter.com/AV6Fa06rVE
— nic ☻ (@_nichenson) June 2, 2021
cant believe lorde is dropping in 30 minutes i hope she knows pic.twitter.com/9irRPw7F5f
— Moon is SOUR 🌙 || LORDE IS CUMMING (@moonluvslorde) June 4, 2021
it's okay, lorde will be back next week... pic.twitter.com/uyCzy6inoM
— gabo 🅴 ⚰️ (@lordesloveless) June 4, 2021
Jack antonoff finally escaping Taylor swifts basement to get this lorde single out this week pic.twitter.com/zuG5vYkNL4
— squidward tennisballs (@saltegan) June 2, 2021
Lorde stans looking for the new songs next week pic.twitter.com/7poytA1qbw
— mateo 🌖 (@melofknrockwell) June 2, 2021
lorde logging on to see that she's releasing two songs this month pic.twitter.com/SwAoVt8eI9
— angel (@demonphaggot) June 2, 2021
Best of luck to everyone involved, including Lorde.