A surprise pop-up event in New York by Lorde to reveal her new track was shut down by police less than an hour beforehand.
Lorde — born Ella Yelich O’Connor — posted on her Instagram and Whatsapp group chat for her fans, telling them to meet her “in the park at 7pm”, with a photo of Washington Square Park.
It began when Lorde posted a cryptic story to her Instagram.
Fans started flooding the park an hour before her appearance, with many sharing photos online of eager fans scaling trees to catch a glimpse of the Royals hitmaker.
However, they were left disappointed when Lorde posted again just before she was due to appear, explaining that the police were shutting it down.
“Omg @thepark the cops are shutting us down,” the message read.
“I am truly amazed by how many of you showed !!!
“But they’re telling me you gotta disperse ... I’m so sorry.”
Lorde's surprise New York pop up was shut down by the police. Photo / Instagram.
An hour later, producer Dev Hynes, who goes by the stage name Blood Orange and was rumoured to have been working with Lorde on her new album, showed up with a speaker and started playing the full version of her new track according to fan’s online.
Previously fans were only given a 15 second snippet of the song - What Was That - but a few have now been able to listen to it in full while they chased the producer through the park.
A post last week included a headshot of Lorde, presumed to be the single’s cover art, in a red shirt with a dripping wet face. It was taken by New York-based photographer Talia Chetrit.
Washington Square Park is quickly becoming a theme for the Kiwi singer. She used the location for her return to social media to tease the new song.
REPORTING LIVE FROM LORDE’S WASHINGTON SQUARE POP UP THERE ARE PPL ON THE TREES pic.twitter.com/cqHPM3Zhn2
The video showed the Grammy-winning artist wearing a white button-down top and black jeans as she ran through New York’s Washington Square Park.
“Since I was 17, I gave you everything. Now, we wake from a dream. Well, baby, what was that? What was that?” Lorde sings over the video.
Kiwi singer Lorde has released a 15 second snippet of an unreleased song on social media.
Shortly after teasing the song on TikTok, Lorde sent subscribers to her email newsletter a cryptic message that included a US phone number.
On April 12, fans received an email with a headline written in red: “From the desk of Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor”.
“Hi, there’s so much to say. Probably easier if I txt it. Longer note here soon. +1 (212) 921-8323,” Lorde wrote.
While fans couldn’t call the number provided, when they texted via WhatsApp, they received a link to join the pop star’s Community website, an SMS platform designed so that celebrities can directly engage with fans.
They also received two automated texts from the singer herself.
Lorde’s last release was her 2021 album Solar Power, her third full-length record since breaking onto the music scene with her hit single, Royals, and the accompanying album, Pure Heroine, in 2013.
Since then, Lorde has released a new album every four years.
