Lorde will turn 18 years old next weekend. That’s right, she’s only 17 years old right now. And the world is her oyster. Her next big project is about to come out – she “curated” the third soundtrack for Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1. Lionsgate basically handed her complete control of the soundtrack and they’re hoping it makes big money. Thus, Lorde got the cover of Billboard to promote it and talk about her new life as a pop star. I found this Billboard piece kind of charming. She’s young but smart – smart enough to know she doesn’t know everything, but occasionally you get those brief glimpses of “yes, this is a teenager speaking.” Some highlights from the piece:
She cold-called her “idol” Kanye West: Kanye remixed Lorde’s new song, “Yellow Flicker Beat,” for the compilation. “I’m the worst person ever at talking to people I don’t know on the phone — I can’t even order pizza. I would put off calling him. I’d say, it’s 12:57, I’ll do it at 1.” She wound up hanging out with West in the Malibu, Calif., studio where they assembled the track, although she won’t say more because “he’s private.”
Why she’s doing the soundtrack: “I knew this was right for me as an artist and I felt it would be cool for my career. People that see me as having a couple of hits and performing on an awards show would see that, between records, I’d committed to a pretty serious body of work.”
Her youth in New Zealand: “As weird as I am with communicating. I actually did have a lot of friends in high school. I live in a beach town, and there are these boats that sit on land, and we would break into them. We’d sit in them all night, doing Ouija boards and telling secrets. I remember that feeling so vividly, like, ‘We are here. It’s us against everything else.’ ”
Her strong attachment to youth: “I don’t only listen to music by teenagers, but how you feel and respond to things at this age is really special. We’re just cooler. Oh, no! That’s going to be the pull quote: ‘Teenagers are just cooler!’ The getting-older anxiety is a constant that I’ve learned not to pay attention to because there’s nothing you can do. I signed my deal when I was 13. I’ve grown up learning how to deal with people in business and market myself. You’re very aware of your age and the power and worth that comes with that.”
Friends in the industry: “When I came into this business I was like, ‘I’m not going to make any friends. Let’s face it.’ For the most part, people are really great.”
Her previous criticism of Taylor Swift and Selena Gomez: “The thing I regretted is that people knew me for that. Now, if someone does something really stupid, of course I’m going to talk about it. It’s important to me that I’m not just another famous person pretending nothing is wrong. But I’m aware of the fact that everyone is working really hard, and who am I to sh-t on that?”
The online slurs directed at her 24-year-old boyfriend James Lowe: “[At first] you think, ‘Wow, I didn’t realize people are that mean,’ but it’s because people don’t really think of you as a person. You’re this entity, this brand. I had a bit of a realization last year. I was taking things people would say about me quite hard.” She decided that “if something isn’t making me happy or making me better, then it shouldn’t be something that I’m thinking about. After that, everything was OK.” Fame for her is a little like high school. “I never got bullied,” Lorde says, but someone once did throw a rotten pear at her across the quad during lunch. “It hit me so hard in the stomach that it exploded everywhere,” she remembers with a cackle. “Look, you don’t have to do anything in high school to get a rotten pear thrown at you. It’s just what happens, and if you’re annoyed about it, you are silly.”
What she thinks of America: “Um, I think I would find it difficult to live here. I mean, it’s beautiful! There’s a simplicity here that’s really nice. I’m trying to think of something to say that won’t get me, what’s it called, deported?”
There are more details in the Billboard piece, like how she’s tight with Jennifer Lawrence now and they apparently email each other. Lorde mentioned that J-Law’s email address has the word “butt” in it. Because of course. I’m shocked that J-Law’s email isn’t fartbuttpizza@gmail.com (I’m truly sorry if that’s someone’s actual email). What do you think of the shade she’s throwing at America? I mean, it’s okay if someone doesn’t want to live here, but I feel like “simplicity” is major shade. Like she’s calling us stupid.
Photos courtesy of Austin Hargrave/Billboard.
The United States is a lot of things, but simple isn’t one them. Don’t know where she thought she was going with that one.
It wasn’t simple as “not diverse” or “without any problems,” she clearly means “not exactly bright.”
I’m probably biased because I am American, but saying we’re simple as in dumb, to me is completely ignoring our diversity and complex issues in our society. It’s really quite “simple” of her to say.
@Fiona, I’m a naturalized American and I feel exactly the same way. A lot of foreigners feel comfortable criticizing America because this country doesn’t persecute you for speaking your mind. She’s young and I’m giving her some slack but I hope she realizes sometime later in life that talking sh**t about a place that’s made you is poor manners at the very least.
I don’t think she is saying simplicity as in dumb. American culture for the most part is very straightforward. We are not a culture of subtlety like some places. We speak our minds and let you know exactly what we think. That is a certain kind of simplicity. There isn’t a lot of guesswork. Yes we have diversity and complex issues but we as a culture are not really over complex.
Her quote says that simplicity is NICE. How is that shade? There are a lot of places I love to visit and think are wonderful but I don’t want to live there.
I also think she meant it like that. The US is a low context culture, which tend to explain everything, they’re very straight forward.
Lucinda – that’s what I thought she was meaning too.
People can get so easily butthurt over some of the things celebs say…
I agree – that’s how I read it as well
Coming out of lurkdom to co-sign….
Agree as well. Just think of complicated cultures where there is so much going on between the lines and you have to tiptoe to make sure you don’t accidentally offend someone. Then it’s clear that in the US yeah, it’s much simpler.
Guess I’m gonna have to share some of the massive amount of gelato & sorbetto I just bought ($48 worth, just for myself tonight, been a rough day) with DebR and the rest if we’re all gonna shuffle out to agree when having planned to NOT get involved in this but agree – I read it as a compliment. You can say what you want, openly and do what you want, openly (barring it’s not illegal and you are willing to accept consequences) here. There is more freedom, and it’s also a much more… well. To not be allowed to have an opinion would come as shatteringly shocking here, we often take that ability and protection far beyond simply for granted. There is an easiness to life here a huge number of places don’t enjoy. It wasn’t shade. Now… who wants Double Dark Chocolate, who’s for Sea Salted Caramel and who wants some of the Roman Raspberry? Spoons… wherever you can find them in the moving mess and I even scored GF waffle cones and GF sugar cones. Help yourselves and try to not take it all so seriously. She’s a 17 year old, sometimes it doesn’t come out perfect but that doesn’t equal an insult.
I’m from Europe and I feel the same and it’ not and a negative thing. It’s just that the american culture is globally known in a superficial way, so you kind of understand how things work. It’s quite simple in that context. Here in Europe, you cross the border to a different country and the language, food, what’s in supermarkets, varies so much that you can struggle adapting.
Define America. If she’s talking about old media then she’s right to call it simple, due to its ability to reduce complex issues to partisan sound bites. Partisan sound bites that become words to live by for a large proportion of the general public.
In New Zealand we love simplicity and an easy going life. It’s a compliment. Don’t read so much into it. By simplicity we mean, not to much drama and being relaxed about situations you don’t need to worry about. I have never heard any of us class ‘simplicity’ as ‘stupid’.
It would be nice to see her smile sometime. The pout is not a good look for her.
She takes herself very seriously.
Overrated.
She talks about getting pelted with rotten fruit. Pretty sure she can take the piss…
I didn’t read it as stupid. I read it as America is more streamlined… It’s upfront, for the most part, people are equal and life is equal without lots of labels.
Like in the UK where I live, where there is a class system, which makes life feel complicated and hectic, we think of America as being straight forward: people are generally nice, people believe in freedom, etc.
Not sure if any of this is making sense, but I know what she means, the US isn’t stupid clearly, it’s just… it’s a lot more clearheaded than most other places, and life is easier there than most other places.
Yes. I should have read downthread before I posted. I said essentially the same thing.
That’s nice of you to say, but it’s not true. The US ranks 4th in income inequality ( we are almost the worst country in the world as far as the gap between the wealthy and the poor); it seems like everyday some unarmed person of color is killed by police; there is massive bigotry here; there is a definite class system in this country and people living in poverty are accused of all kinds of things and called names; women do not receive equal pay for the same jobs as men; one in five women in the US have been raped… I could go on and on, but it’s too depressing. But thanks for your kind look at how things could be.
Well, even if the class and equality comments don’t quite rate, the other quotes on this thread re: low culture context are pretty accurate. It’s pretty straightforward and we don’t have that many cultural practices that are the ‘must do across the board in a certain manner everytime’. We don’t have formal and informal greetings that are mandatory (ie, tu or vous, etc), layers of language and body language practices, formalities are not as ingrained and multi layered as they are in many cultures. And, even things like holidays and celebrations are more individual and nobody cares how your family spends yours. I’m generalizing, but low context cultures is a term you can google for more info, vs. high context cultures. It can be refreshing for some people to be in a low context culture, esp. if they are used to high context. But I would not have though that NZ was particularly complex; it seems even more ‘simple’ than the USA in that regard, to me.
How could America possibly be one of the worst countries in the world as far as the gap between the rich and the poor? There are far to many countries where there is almost no middle class, just filthy rich and poverty stricken 10%/90%. And, show me a country in the entire world that doesn’t pay men more than women. This is a worldwide problem. There is “massive bigotry” all over the world including africa, (see all the murders in the Congo), the middle east, europe etc, etc, etc. Women are raped all over the world, all the time. Most of the women who cross the boarder from Mexico are raped on the way over by their guides. Women in arab countries have no legal recourse if they are raped because once they are raped they are considered dirty. And, what about all the women in India being raped and having no way to protect themselves. To the point where women are going out in gangs and confronting the known rapists because they have no other resource. What about that poor Indian student who was gang raped to death on the bus on the way to school? Women are abused in England, Australia, France and on and on I go. I’m not American, but I have spent enough time there and around the world to know that even though america isn’t perfect, it’s a hell of a lot better than what you portray it as being. And, the class system in the US is NOTHING like it is in many other countries, not even close. Everything you describe is happening all over the world because there are shitty people everywhere.
America has a class system and a caste system but we cloak it in glittering generalities like Freedom of Speech! Anybody can make it if you work hard! Equality! Yada Yada Yada.
I don’t hate Lorde. I don’t find her to be a little nugget of special either.
ahahahahahah “I’m trying to think of something to say that won’t get me, what’s it called, deported?”
I adore her
Wouldn’t take offense at the ‘simplicity’ remark-we are pretty stupid and do look so to other countries, where the average person on the street no matter what age can tell you more about what’s going on in THIS country then the average ‘merikan’.
We talk about the kardashian’s -no shade here I’m guilty too.
See to me, that’s a very stereotypical attitude that is often mocked by Americans. Most young people I know don’t actually think that way, but we know other people think we do. Just kinda sad that a girl whose career took off here can’t come up with anything else to say.
“where the average person on the street no matter what age can tell you more about what’s going on in THIS country then the average ‘merikan’.”
I disagree. I see a lot of comments from people around the world that tell me differently.
“We talk about the kardashian’s -no shade here I’m guilty too.”
Murica is hardly the only place with inane reality television. :p
Just read the comments section of the the dailymail. Seriously.
I travel constantly all over world….I’m not talking about the comments on the daily mail but telling you that I can talk to any teenager on the street and they can have an educated conversation on OUR political system or the world market….not so much here…yes there are exceptions, but I think that is what her ‘simplicity’ comment reflected…or not.
Great interview, as usual. And I don’t think that’s what she meant.
Take her complimentary Bruce Springsteen headband away!!
We are stupid. Half of us can’t even find places in the map, let alone our own states*.
*From USA Today and Geography class.
One lesson I hope Lorde learned is to not be critical unless she can handle the criticism herself. Also ew to Kanye being her hero…just ew. I can relate to Lorde’s feelings on America though. I was living in the U.S. for two years getting my masters. Now I know most people who post here are American so I don’t mean to insult these are my personal feelings is all. It was the simplicity that I loved that in the beginning and I learned to despise so much that I couldn’t get back to Canada fast enough. That simplicity seems to come with an air of shallowness that almost comes off as brainwashing. The idea that looking at the surface of something is the answer rather than digging deep and getting to the root to deal with a problem. So many I met in the U.S. were so unwilling to do that which led to entitlement issues and a lack of personal responsibility. Just something I observed.
I think that’s what she meant too. Simplicity meaning superficial, etc.
If I take what you’re saying correctly, I agree. That is, we Americans are simple and that both good and bad consequences. On one hand, we’re direct, (usually) friendly, etc. On the other hand, we also see things in black and white. We don’t like to acknowledge grey areas, which I do think lends to a lack of personal responsibility in certain areas of life.
I am curious if you are referring to shallowness when it comes to political issues or everything. The US is such a 2-party system that is becoming a 2-party society, so on certain issues there is an entrenched viewpoint “illegal immigrants bad, US good, etc.” it is not that people aren’t more nuanced, but that everything is presented as if you are arguing the other side. Also, there is an ability to not question many things about the world when you are on top. I have to say though, I have lived all over the world and haven’t found that Americans are stupider or simpler as individuals. Most countries have their share of uneducated (but still lovely) people who like to drink beer and watch TV and aren’t terribly concerned about world events.
I’m not saying that Americans are stupid far from it and I doubt that’s what Lorde meant. What I was referring to was the lack of criticality in American culture. I assume despite the American media’s take in political issues and the corporate takeover of the American government that many individuals are smart and can see the bigger picture but the general apathy and inaction I found to be really disturbing. That’s where the brainwashing comes in that it seems many are brainwashed to believe that there are no solutions to the problems Anericans face while a highly exclusive elite class lines their pockets with the majority of the country’s wealth and has completely overtaken the government. While the rest of the developed world has seen this for years it feels like Americans are only just now waking up to this fact. Yet, any effort at changing the system is met with resistance. So in one hand you have those who are extremely entitled (to be fair Canada has the same entitlment issue problem, in some ways even worse). But then there is a complete lack of personal accountability at the proble s American culture faces and still resistance to change by the larger populous. I get that it boils down to the power in the elites hoarding the wealth but I met too many who were, yes, brainwashed, into thinkibg that was okay. It bothered me.
I guess it all comes down to me as being different strokes for different folks. I am an American who has lived elsewhere and I prefer my homeland. It doesn’t mean I don’t see that we don’t have problems, but I feel that this is my home. I don’t look down on anyone who doesn’t like it here, as long as they afford others the same right to feel the same way about their own country of origin. I can’t speak for Canada, which many Americans view as a paradise, though I expect we just idealize any place that we perceive as being better off then us. What I know of the world tells me it isn’t, though.
Winterlady: I hope I don’t come off as I am looking down on Americans. I couldn’t live there but I do love Americans. NYC and Chicago are still some of my fav cities. I still visit America often but I just found it maddening for me to live there on a long term basis and a lot of it I chalk up to living in a city that I was very ill suited to live in (San Francisco) not just American cultural attitudes (although your media did a lot to turn me off to the country as a whole).
Canadians are easy to spot. There is always a maple leaf article of clothing, tattoo something. It irks me how prentiously proud we can be but it makes spotting a Canadian really easy. :-p
Oh hell I give very little credence to my own Media, if I did I’d be more crazy then I already am :). For one, they oversimplify the norms and attitudes of our country as a whole imo. I tend to think national preferences come down to the old saying “better the devil you know then the devil you don’t know.” I’ve lived elsewhere then America (Germany) and was let down when I realized there were just as many problems elsewhere as there are stateside.
I live in a place were we get a lot of snow bird Canadians and have never had a bad experience with them. Seems like they are mostly polite, nice people. Heck, the New Yorkers and such have more of an attitude. I would like to visit Canada (not in winter lol).
@Arya thanks for clarifying your thoughts. But I think the problems you raise are endemic in many Western nations as well as some developing nations alike. Capitalism is a global issue and worldwide an elite few control the wealth while their fellow citizens live in poverty. Are some people brainwashed to believe in the pull-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps myth? But I don’t think the Occupy movement would’ve taken off here if no one objected to the class dynamics in the U.S.
I guess part of it also is where I lived in America too (I got my masters in psych in northern California). In Canada, in the schools, in the media and in our everday life, I feel that the culture trains its citizens to always look at the bigger picture. In America so much emphasis is placed on freedom, individualism and commercialism.
And you want an issue where Americans looked at the surface. I got it for you. 9/11. In the U.S. many people still believe that it happened due to the support of Israel in the Middle East and some go a little further and deeper and realize oil played a big part of it. What they fail to focus on is how the U.S. in the 80s played a big role in consolidating the wealth in the middle east to 2 nations: Saudi Arabia and Israel both of which have allowed a pillaging of the resources whose direct buyer for their goods is the United States. That corporations such as Dow Chemical, deBeers, ALCOA, Nike, Apple, you name it, have been allowed to desecrate and destroy areas in other parts of the world leaving behind a huge mess to clean up and a massive loss of lives (does the name Bhopal ring any bells?). Why was the WTC and the Pentagon targeted? It was to send a message to the world about the unethical trade and exploitation of resources and economic hoarding committed by the U.S. for the last 20 years. This may sound like a wacky conspiracy theory to some but trust me, this was the conversation that the world had in the weeks following 9/11. A conversation it seems the U.S. was unwilling to have.
Betty, my question though to you would now be what is the status of the Occupy movement? It was a valid movement that got squashed and nothing has been done since in America to make it better or to recognize what the movement stood for. And I sincerely believe that the U.S. set the precendent for the need of the Occupy movement. I’m all for it in my own way and even took hot chocolate and cookies to the protesters in support. It’s a big problem worldwide but you must admit it began in the U.S.A. and the U.S.A. is the one throwing up the most resistance.
I think you give is both too much and too little credit on 9/11. There was definitely an unwillingness to discuss any reason for the attack on the part of the right, even pointing to our support of Israel. To be fair, discussions in the immediate aftermath of massacring thousands if innocent civilians comes across as asking why a woman got raped. Obviously there were reasons the US was targeted, but I tend to believe the reasons Al-Queda gave as opposed to a purely economic theory. Our economic dominance is one example of our power, but Al-Queda seemed more focused on our military presence and targeting the WTC was targeting a symbol of our power and designed to cause disruption.
@Wren This is about to get uncomfortable. For that I’m sorry. For the most part I’m playing devil’s advocate at this point because you brought up valid points. But think further on what I’m saying on how complex this is from a global view.
You give the Bush Administration too little credit. You do realize that that was the only reason GIVEN to the American public right? That was where the focus was meant to be. Not on the human rights and sweatshop violations commited by American corporations. Not the mass monopolies on resources abroad, not on the Saudi Arabia royal family human rights violations on its people. As Al Jazerra, Le Monde and Spiegel all have stated since this began, the bigger affront in the Islam world was the corporate meddling and in turn the U.S. government influences on their respective nations. Besides if you are going to discuss the innocent 5,000 lives on 9/11 where is the mention of the 40,000 innocent lives lost in the Bhopal disaster which was declared to be the fault of one Dow Chemical a US corporation, the thousands if not millions maimed in overseas sweatshops, the conflicts, murder and slavery that many in the U.S. turned a blind eye to for decades. Or the middle east, let’s face it the U.S. has been meddling in that part of the world for the past 50 years, for oil? I won’t even pretend I know what and why for sure. National security? Profit? Who knows.
Now does that make what happened on 9/11 justified? Not in the slightest. Bin Laden was wrong and always will be but why did he attract so many people. When you think about the innocent lives lost on that day think of all the innocent lives the U.S. has damaged and taken in the time before and since and ask yourself how many lives the U.S. has taken before and since for the sake of the capital U.S. economy. Do I come off sounding a little socialist? Not that I necessarily am. I just don’t think you can trust a free market to do the right thing and I don’t think the general American public has the ability to see the larger world picture. They’ve been forced to look inward for too long.
Just noticed I put 40,000 (thanks autocorrect) when I meant 4,000. To be fair.
How do I put this so as not to insult you…did you really make multiple generalizations about millions of people and still claim to not be insulting? You claim to not look down on Americans and then proceed to do so. Maybe it’s just arrogance? Or do you not see that your opinion of an entire group of people you have so little experience and knowledge of is in itself an act of simplicity?
I don’t think she meant we’re stupid. I think she would have said so if that’s what she thought. Lol
I’m too stupid to figure out what she meant.
I’m simply stoopid.
That’s exact;y what she meant, who are you kidding 🙂 Stupid, simple, plain people of America that she, a deep and profound artist can’t quite get along with.
She’s trying not to get deported though, because that would _totally_ happen!
I think you guys are coming at it from the wrong angle. As a Kiwi, American life seems vastly different from life here, even though in many ways it’s not. But I think she didn’t want to say anything because she knew she’d get sh*t on no matter what. Which is exactly what’s happening in this thread. Can’t blame her, really. If she’d praised America to the nines, people still would’ve claimed she was ignoring political tensions and racism etc, yet if she’d criticised any part of it, people would be like “how dare she? WE, LIKE, INVENTED HER”.
Stop being Regina George, America.
That’s an interesting point.
“Teenagers are just cooler”… Yeah, this piece reads like a 17 year-old said it. That and the not not very subtle dig at America, as though we’re a small, uncomfortable, backwards country that doesn’t have any positive attributes (don’t get me wrong, there are aspects of the country I’m sure we can all agree are junk, but really?) She can’t think of anything nice to say about the whole country so she says America is “simple.” She obviously has no respect (or context of the scope) for the enormous diversity, confluence of opinions, and the ridiculous work ethic that defines our nation. There’s so much texture and passion here, and it seems to me she’s judging America on the tiny pinprick of our world she’s seen in LA. What a joke.
And when she’s talks about the rotten pair what she’s saying in all simplicity is “Haters are going to hate, hate, hate, hate, hate,” and that one just has to “shake it off.” Seriously. So she can just shut up about Taylor Swift too. Her music might not be much new or different, but at least Swifty knows how to play the game. Lorde could stand to learn a thing or two and check her ego at the door. That’s all I hear in this piece. One big mountain of youth-fueled ego.
Oh to be 17 again and think you know everything and have the whole world figured out. I really kind of feel bad for young celebrities. I had some pretty idiotic ideas in my younger days, but thankfully those words were never put in major publications.
Kkkkk 🙂 She’ll get over it. Oh, the things I said at 18 thinking I was sooooo coool… 😀
Haha exactly. She’s had the means to afford herself a certain level of self awareness, but she’s still a teenager. We all thought things like this as teenagers – insecure but so self-satisfied while waxing philosophical because it seems new and profound (and non-mainstream). She’ll grow and learn, just like we did (and still are).
Maybe for her, life is simpler in america – less complicated. She’s not claiming it’s simple for everyone.
Too bad she straightened her hair! I loved it all big with tight curls.
Arya, If I were to judge ALL Canadians by your words then I would consider them all arrogant as$holes with a complete lack of communication skills. Thank goodness this “simple” and “brainwashed” American knows that there’s absolutely no need, in a world as connected as ours, to stereotype nations of hundreds of thousands of people. The US is as wonderful and interesting as your words are shallow and brainwashed.
*Eye roll*. If you want to mske this an issue that’s your right. That wasn’t what I meant and I think you know that. There’s a lot I enjoyed about America but there were cultural attitudes that I didn’t like and made me realize that living in America wasn’t for me. Sorry that I offended.
P.S. Please tell me exactly how I failed to communicate? I would love to know.
Home Sweet Home – there’s no place like home, and all that… If people feel more comfortable at home, that’s fine and where they belong.
People do not seem to realize that Occupy was successful. President Obama remarked about income inequality being the next urgent issue for Americans. To give up now, to let Wall Street diminish this issue is so wrong. People need to understand it takes time for things to change – it takes time for 315 million people to become educated and aware. If people do not agitate for change, nothing happens! The Vietnam war ended because of civil protest! I always say that if one doesn’t vote, one does not have the right to complain.
Seriously, women’s rights, civil rights, gay rights et.al. all have taken time, and it is worth the effort! In my lifetime I have seen transfiguration occur. My children have grown up in a different world than mine. That is the best thing about America. Don’t give up – become educated, spread the word – and vote!
All valid points wolfpup and yes change is happening. I tend to see it as changes allieviating symptoms of a larger problem. I do vote..I was actually the president of my student political party when I was an undergrad…and am active within said party to this day and went to the last convention a few years ago. Mind you though, that party is in Canada.
I think cultural attitudes tend to change from region to region in the USA, just like it does in Canada. For instance, I think of Texas as culturally different from Massachusetts just the same way I think of Nova Scotia as different culturally from Ontario.
Is she basing this off what she’s encountered in (I’m guessing mostly) LA? Land of the superficial? Sorry to the Los Angelians on here, I know all of LA isn’t like that, but what she’s been privy to is probably quite simplistic.
I’m starting to get annoyed with people from other countries sh**ting on America but continuing to come here to make money. I’m an immigrant and I love this country. If I didn’t – I’d be somewhere else. One of my friends moved to India and she loves it there. You don’t like it here? Go someplace else. There are people who don’t even dare to dream of coming here much less actually becoming a part of it.
I put her songs on heavy rotation whenever I’m writing. Love her and this is another great interview.
HAHAHA aka not that bright
I love Lorde. I like her music and her interviews entertain me.
No matter how she meant “simplicity”, I don’t think it really applies. Our lives as “Americans” are so incredibly diverse. No matter if you are talking education, sophistication, attitude, ability to get around, etc. There is just such a wide span when it comes to lifestyle here. To sum it up in one word like “simplicity” just isn’t accurate, unless you qualify it with a phrase like “in some areas” or “for some people” etc.
Yeah, it’s hard to generalize about 315 million people.
It’s interesting she brings up the perception of it’s us against everything else. Every song I’ve heard from her seems to be about who “we” are vs all the rest of the others. Very driven by working out Identity, which I expect from a 17 year old I guess. But it makes me wince.
I know. I don’t know if I’m just out of touch with what it felt like, but the “us vs. them” thing that’s so prevalent in music these days makes me want to vomit. It’s so…selfish? Close-minded? Pretentious? Ignorant?
Lorde is a teenager so of course that’s to be expected (not trying to totally write her off, but it’s definitely there), but in general, I find those types of songs painfully narcissistic. Also, no one else seemed to find it ironic that the hit that made Lorde one of the “royals” of today’s pop music scene is all about how she’s not like that.
I don’t dislike Lorde, I think she’s intelligent and articulate and will probably evolve into a great person. But still, eyeroll.
The idea of wearing a medium weight nylon jacket with a sports bra has me more confused than anything. Was it pulled off the shoulder because that pit was getting sweaty? Is she hot or cold and what season is it?
Lol. I thought the same thing.
Maybe she means living in USA is simpler than New Zealand? Either way she is just a teenager, so whatever.
It’s easy to think something is simple when you are in no way participating in the politics, race, social, and socio-economic issues as both a minor and a non-citizen. As she’s technically still a minor, voting and activism in a country she finds “simple” probably isn’t at the forefront of her focus. Most of the citizens I know are the antithesis of simple, with various concerns citizens tend to have, such as the economy, women’s rights, health care, race issues. I can see how life here is “simpler” when you don’t have to be involved or don’t feel the obligation, as it isn’t your country.
I find her perplexing. On one hand she’s a smart young lady, on the other she’s still so unaware.
Lorde seems very gifted intellectually but I think she’s still learning the nuances of human behaviour.
It’s hard when you’re seventeen. Even if you’re smart, your brain is still subject to the psychological ideas of the imaginary audience and personal fable like any other teenagers. So it makes sense she thinks she is profound and that teenagers are experiencing something that has never been experienced before they have experienced it.
I think she meant that life is very simple in the USA. And is true. Everyone is so relaxed, like you have no problems, you wear sweatpants and uggs, you eat any type of food you want of any country, you can buy whatever you want. I don’t know how to explain it. You just seem to have a simple life.
See, I see Europeans, in general, as much more relaxed. You take hour or 2 hour lunches, no one seems to be under a time crunch, customer service may or may not happen….
Yeah, I always thought of European life as much more relaxed. Or at least it seemed to be described that way in French class.
I’m from Germany and this customer service thing is not because we are more relaxed here in Europe, but because we have bad customer service 😛 There is a German word for it which can be translated to “service desert Germany”. Sometimes, when you come to a shop the people there act like you’re a real annoyance to them 😀 That’s not being relaxed, it’s just bad.
And I wouldn’t care to much about what Lorde says about the USA, because she’s 17 Years old. She had her breakthrough one year ago so there wasn’t really much time to travel the USA and get to know the country, so I don’t think she knows that much about the american lifestyle. And she’s from New Zealand, which is mostly known for its sheep and not for being the cultural capitol of the world.
I just want to hear “yellow flicker beat”.
I don’t like her. But the part when she says about being a brand, an entity, it’s quite clever. Still, I see a typical teenager, and typical teenagers suck most of the time.