Lorde has released her new single Green Light to massive fanfare. Brigitte Purcell gets the initial reaction from NZ Herald Deputy of Entertainment and huge Lorde fan Chris Schulz.
After three years of silence, Lorde finally treated her fans to some new music on Thursday, debuting a very different style of track that quickly sparked fury among some of her most dedicated fans.
Unlike the moody, angsty hits that made the teen a sensation, Green Light is a distinctlyuptempo dance track - and not everyone is happy about it according to Daily Mail.
While the song has already had plenty of praise heaped upon it, others are less than taken with the poppy track - and the blame is not being laid at the feet of Lorde herself, but rather with her superstar best friend Taylor Swift.
Users on social media and even some members of the media have mused that the 20-year-old New Zealand native's new sound is following the Taylor pop song formula to a T.
'Green Light by Lorde sounds like a Taylor Swift song and I'm just... not here for it,' wrote one disappointed fan.
Another mused: 'Greenlight sounds like something straight off of Taylor Swift's 1989.'
One particularly vitriolic review read: 'Green Light first impressions: sounds like Taylor Swift puked into my ears. How could you do this to me Lorde?'
green light first impressions: sounds like taylor swift puked into my ears
Taylor herself is clearly in love with the track, taking to social media to write: 'g2g brb just gonna make up an interpretive dance to this magnificent bop for the ages. ELLA I LOVE YOU.'
Given the perceived similarities between the new track and the music of Lorde's good friend, many began blaming Taylor for the change away from the Royals singer's formerly gritty sound.
'Taylor Swift ruined Lorde,' wrote one user. 'Green light literally sounds like a Taylor song and I'm p***ed.'
While blaming Taylor herself for the new direction may seem over the top, the similarities are certainly not unfounded, as both Lorde and Taylor share a producer and collaborator in Jack Antonoff.
The 32-year-old co-wrote and co-produced multiple tracks on Taylor's 1989 album, including Out of the Woods and has done the same for Lorde's new offering.
Lorde herself has expressed excitement over her new sound, writing on Twitter: 'I am so proud of this song. It's very different, and kinda unexpected. It's complex and funny and sad and joyous and it'll make you DANCE.'
She added: 'It's the first chapter of a story I'm gonna tell you, the story of the last 2 wild, fluorescent years of my life. this is where we begin.'
