'I’m Going To Fuck Some Stuff Up At Some Point' Lorde On Being A Role Model

Due to Ella Yelich-O'Connor's own personal relationship with music, she couldn't particularly envisage her material as Lorde resonating with a wide, popular audience. It's not that she didn't have faith in it, it's just that it's her music, largely written by, about and for her.

“For me, I know a record is important to me if I can hear my life in it. If you write super personally, like I do, the worry for me is that if it means so much to me then it's not gonna mean too much to other people because it's going to be too specific or whatever,” she explains.

“I feel like a lot of people my age really reacted to it which is so cool for me and is kind of the dream. I was lucky. I feel like teens are a tough audience and I feel like a lot of the art and that a lot of the material aimed at teens is usually super corny and feels patronising or whatever, and I am aware of that. But people I guess didn't feel that about Pure Heroine which is super cool.”

She's a relatable voice for the not-so-disenfranchised teen market who aren't necessarily interested in the ersatz world of Bieber, Taylor and Miley. Her brand of cool is certainly defined, but it's accessible. Whether Lorde likes it or not, she has become a role model, and if her success continues then she'll be one for a long time to come.

“That's a crazy one because, obviously I am 17, I'm going to fuck some stuff up at some point, because I think that's a natural part of becoming an adult,” she says when asked if she's comfortable with such exemplar status. “But as long as people are willing to accept me as an imperfect role model, then I guess I'm honoured.”

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