Lorde hits out at opulent pop royalty

Lorde's song Royal went to No1 in New Zealand after its March release.

Kiwi pop star Lorde has taken a swipe at Lana Del Rey and other mega music stars for the "unattainable opulence" that runs through their songs.

The 16-year-old singer-songwriter - real name Ella Yelich-O'Connor - is attracting attention from the international music press ahead of the release of her debut.

Her first song, Royals, was described by Britain's Observer as "the most deliciously radio-ready critique of wealth you'll hear this year".

Lorde told the newspaper the song came from listening to the likes of Lana Del Rey and the Kanye West and Jay-Z project.

"What really got me is this ridiculous, unrelatable, unattainable opulence that runs throughout. Lana Del Rey is always singing about being in the Hamptons or driving her Bugatti Veyron or whatever, and at the time, me and my friends were at some house party worrying how to get home because we couldn't afford a cab. This is our reality."

The Auckland teenager, who was spotted singing at school when she was just 12, said her songwriting rejected that. "If I write songs about anything else then I'm not writing anything that's real."

Lorde's song went to No1 in New Zealand after its March release. It has gone on to crack American audiences, topping Spotify's "Most Viral" chart. She is working with music producer Joel Little on her album, due for release in September.

She told New York music magazine The Cut that the album would "paint this picture of who I am as an artist" and include some intimate songs about relationships.

But she quickly said that did not mean ex-boyfriends.

"I try to stay away from talking about boys all the time. You can go to Taylor Swift to hear that."

Lorde told the magazine that life had changed since her EP came out.

"I get recognised, which is weird, when I'm at a restaurant and I've got my mouth full of food. I had to make a different Facebook the other day because I get weird messages from dudes saying, 'We're going to be the best of friends', and I'm like, 'Ewww, we aren't'." But for the most part, people are really kind."

But she said her large family helped keep her feet on the ground.