After much anticipation, Lorde’s new single which marks her comeback, “Solar Power,” is finally here.
Lorde Makes an Enigmatic Comeback
The last time we heard from Lorde, she was dissecting her first major heartbreak in one of the best break-up albums of all time, Melodrama. Lorde said she was “waiting for the right moment” to release her comeback single, “Solar Power.” She opted for June 11 to coincide with the year’s only solar eclipse. Her chosen date resonates beyond the obvious thematic associations of her hazy, sun-worshipping comeback single and its cheeky cover art.
Lorde shared about the new song, “‘Solar Power,’ written and produced by myself and Jack, is the first of the rays. It’s about that infectious, flirtatious summer energy that takes hold of us all, come June (or December, if you’re a Southern Hemisphere baby like me; but I know that’s literally IMPOSSIBLE for you all to wrap your little heads around so don’t worry about it!!).”
She also said about the track’s visual, “I love the video. We made a whole bunch of videos for this album. We built basically a universe on a beach, a secret beach. This video was kind of like me introducing you to the world of the album and the videos. I kind of play like a quirky tour guide.”
“Solar Power” Features Vocals by Phoebe Bridgers and Clairo
Phoebe Bridgers and Clairo are featured as background vocalists on the song. It is the first time Lorde has worked with either of them on record. She discussed their collaboration while speaking with Zane Lowe, where she said, “I love those girls so much. They killed it on the song. I was like, who are my most, like, God-tier female vocalists friends that could be on this. And they both just crushed. It was such a pleasure for me to have them. So talented, so cool, and I’ve never had any other voices on my songs. This is the first time people were singing with me. It felt right.”
“Solar Power” will be the two-time Grammy award winner’s third album, following 2017’s Melodrama and 2013’s Pure Heroine. Lorde delayed the release of Solar Power, which had originally been scheduled for June 2020, after the sudden death of her pet dog, Pearl, in November 2019. “It was indescribably painful,” she said at the time. “A light that was turned on for me has gone out. The bright energy I was trying to communicate to you has gone, for now.”
Lorde told Australian youth radio station Triple J on Friday morning that the forthcoming album will be “light, playful and fun”.
