Lorde defends claims she isn't part of Taylor Swift's 'squad'

Lorde has been quick to defend her comments about not being part of singer Taylor Swift's infamous "squad", telling fans she "f***** up".

The 20-year-old pop singer told Sunrise co-host David Koch in an interview that aired Friday: "I don't hang out with these people at all," according to the Daily Mail.

"But hang-on, you're part of Taylor's squad, all the magazines tell us," Koch replied.

In response, Lorde cringed and groaned, appearing to disagree with the association.

"You know, you make friends in different places, but I think for the most part I'm not like, calling my idols for advice necessarily."

The young Kiwi has set the record straight in a Twitter post today.

"Taylor is a dear friend. I love her very much.

"I f***** up an interview question. Now go sip a beverage and head out on a walk."

In her post to Twitter, Lorde said the "idols" she was referring to were Bowie and Patti Smith, who she had just been discussing.

"Those were the 'idols' I was referring to that I was saying I'm not friends with, not Taylor."

Lorde said it felt "really sh**ty" waking up to headlines questioning her friendship with Swift, emphasising how strong the pair's relationship is and has been for the past five years.

The Green Light singer went on to explain how "frustrating" people's perception of Swift's squad was.

"It was never some exclusive club or secret society, but a wide circle of people, some of whom I know, and some who I've never met, like most wide groups of friends," she wrote on Twitter before asking fans to forgive her for eye-rolling when Koch raised the subject.

In the interview, Lorde insisted that her biggest mentors were her parents, and that she uses make believe to cope with Hollywood personalities.

"The second you think too hard about it, you'll just go insane, so it's best to be like 'we're in wonderland and it's just what happens around here'," she said.

Last month, Lorde apologised after comparing her friendship with Swift to having a friend with "an autoimmune disease".

"It's like having a friend with very specific allergies. There are certain places you can't go together. Certain things you can't do," she said.

Swift did not publicly reply to the blunder.

As a self-confessed recluse, Lorde's disinterest in being part of Hollywood "squads" was confirmed on Friday, telling Today Host Richard Wilkins celebrity life was "a drag".

After her Grammy success, the beauty didn't hang around: "I really withdrew myself from being a public person and went home."