A teenager sings quirky, personal songs that are indie-informed but also ready for the pop mainstream: We’ve had two big records along these lines in 2021—Olivia Rodrigo’s “Sour” and Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever”—but Lorde got there first. When the album “Pure Heroine” was released in fall 2013, the New Zealand-born Ella Yelich-O’Connor was just 16 years old, and it was immediately obvious that she was a major talent. She sang with a cheerful smirk as she derided the indulgences of her peers—the No. 1 hit “Royals” was a commentary on the celebratory materialism found in pop and hip-hop—but she didn’t spare herself from criticism. Her vocal style, much imitated in the years since, was all her own.
Reality shows like “American Idol” had steered young pop stars toward technical displays, but Lorde delivered her lyrics in a half-spoken, rap-like cadence that went from a whisper to a sneer. Powered by “Royals,” which won Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance, “Pure Heroine” hit No. 3 on the charts.
