New Zealand singer Lorde has been in the public eye since she was a teenager, effectively growing up in the spotlight and coming into her own in front of millions of fans. Her upcoming fourth studio album Virgin is shaping up to be a treatise on discovering who you are and reconciling who that person is with what others — in this case, the world — might think of you. The recently released single “Man of the Year” elaborated on that sentiment, and her latest single “Hammer” gives a wider look into her psyche at this moment in her life and career.
“I burn and I sing and I scheme and I dance / Some days I’m a woman, some days I’m a man,” she sings on the track. “I might have been born again / I’m ready to feel like I don’t have thе answers / There’s pеace in the madness over our heads / Let it carry me on.”
Much like the Polaroid photo on the album cover, Virgin is meant to represent a snapshot of the Kiwi crooner’s life as she enters her late twenties.
“This is just me at this exact age and stage. It feels like a section of my favorites in my camera roll or something. Just like, ‘These are the iconic moments from age 26 to age 28,’” she said on the Therapuss podcast.
Ultimately, what came out of her hard work and deep introspection was her favorite project to date. “[This album] sort of took some bravery, actually,” she confessed. “I’ve never loved anything I’ve made so much. It’s so sick.”
Lorde is supporting the new project with the Ultrasound World Tour, set to criss-cross North America and Europe later this year. Hit-making musicians Blood Orange, Empress Of, Nilüfer Yanya, and Oklou will join her on select dates throughout the tour.
Virgin is out June 27. The Ultrasound World Tour kicks off Sept. 17 in Austin and wraps up Dec. 17 in Brooklyn.
