What Was That? New Lorde music?
After four long years of waiting, Lorde is back.
BY Chloe Rudnick ★ May 3rd, 2025
design by Maisy Wood
As the seasons change, the snow melts–and she defrosts. For the first time since Solar Power dropped in 2021, new music isn’t just in the works—it’s coming. Soon.
Goodbye brat summer, hello Lorde summer. On Saturday, April 12 at Coachella, it all began… Just days after teasing a song from her upcoming fourth album, Lorde surprised fans by joining Charli XCX on the main stage to perform their internet-breaking collab, “Girl, So Confusing.” A week later, during Charli’s weekend two set, she seemingly ended the brat era—passing the torch to a list of artists, with Lorde front and center.
Meanwhile, that teaser Lorde casually posted? It broke the internet.
On Tuesday evening, April 22 she posted a cryptic Instagram story, along with an email and text blast to fans that simply read: “Meet me in the park. Tonight. 7 p.m.” No details. No location.
But by sundown, Washington Square Park—and the streets around it—were overflowing. Lorde had seemingly shut down Greenwich Village, all in the name of what’s shaping up to be the most chaotic (and iconic) album rollout of the year, with a little help from a friend.
There’s nothing fans love more than a surprise pop-up performance—and in typical Lorde fashion, surprise was the theme of the night. After hours of waiting, the NYPD (tried to) shut it all down.
At 6:50 p.m., Lorde posted to her Instagram story: “Omg @thepark the cops are shutting us down. I am truly amazed by how many of you showed up!! But they’re telling me you gotta disperse… I’m so sorry.”
The crowd barely budged. And a little while later, Lorde’s longtime collaborator Dev Hynes showed up with a speaker blasting What Was That.
Around 9:30 p.m., Lorde made her entrance—dancing on a wooden table, hard-launching the song. The next day, her new single What Was That was officially announced, set to drop at midnight.
By the morning of Thursday, April 24—fresh off the song’s release—the music video dropped. It’s a mix of candid clips: Lorde walking and biking through Greenwich Village, fans crowding the pop-up, and the moment she plays the song for them. Super nonchalant, super casual—you know, just another chill night in the city (that happened to become a music video).
The song is the perfect transition into a new Lorde era—it sets the tone effortlessly, pulling fans right back into that Green Light, Supercut kind of vibe.
It’s sharp. Nostalgic. Totally her. Hot girl walk on the surface, scream-in-the-car lyrics underneath—the perfect soundtrack for both.
If Virgin (the album set to drop June 27) is anything like this single, we’re in for something big…
What Was That is now available on all streaming platforms.
Buckle up—Lorde summer has officially begun.