South Park Skewers Lorde For... Some Reason

Forget chart domination, massive album sales and a rabid fan base — world-beating Kiwi chanteuse Lorde has only just achieved certified greatness as a result of "her" appearance on a new episode of South Park that screened in the States overnight.

The episode, Gluten Free Ebola, which will air in Australia this Sunday on SBS 2, is ostensibly a shot at gluten-free diets and their typically overzealous supporters, but series creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone found the time in their 21-minute running length to squeeze in a shot at the renowned young performer — although, if we're being totally honest, it's kind of a weak (or, at least, marginally muddied) one.

In the episode's B-story, Stan's father, Randy Marsh, alleges to have worked with Lorde's uncle but, when the boys start talking about booking the Royals hit-maker to perform at a party, Randy finds himself out of his depth and unable to snare the real Lorde's talents — so he takes on stage duties himself, dressed in trademark Lorde garb and wig, howling incoherently ... and nobody seems to notice.

The joke seems less to be about Lorde herself than about Randy's over-ambitious promises, but the whole moment is nonetheless uniquely South Park in its pull-no-punches satirising of the singer.

Unfortunately, most copies of the clip are unviewable in Australia (curse you, Americans!), but some crafty Kiwis have it up for watching if you're keen. So far, the response has largely hung around the "mild amusement" point, with several commentators expressing, above all else, confusion as to what Lorde did to deserve her unflattering — but still pretty tame — comparison/inclusion in the show (consider, for example, the cases of Kanye West, Tom Cruise, etc).

The Hunger Games soundtrack curator, who just released new track Yellow Flicker Beat, is currently on tour in the United States. She has yet to address her appearance in the show on any of her social media channels, but we'll keep you posted.