A funny thing has happened during Lorde‘s rise to the top of the charts: she’s become the go-to source for journalists looking for an eye-raising assessment of her pop contemporaries.
Earlier this summer, in her first interview with MTV News, she berated Justin Bieber for not providing “a real depiction of what it’s like to be a young person.” The next time we spoke with her, she took issue with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ setlist (“Do you know they open and close with ‘Thrift Shop?'” she asked. “That’s bad,“) and recently, she’s taken Taylor Swift to task for being “flawless and unattainable,” and scolded Selena Gomez for the themes in her hit “Come & Get It.”
In part, that’s a byproduct of the sentiments she expressed on her hit single “Royals,” but Lorde’s also proven that she’s not afraid to speak her mind. And though she did clarify the remarks she made about Swift, she’s not about to change just because she’s got a #1 hit on her hands.
“I think there’s a funny culture in music that’s only happened over the last 15 years, that if you have an opinion about something in music that isn’t 100-percent good, you’re a ‘hater,’ even if you have perfectly reasonable grounds for that critique,” she said. “People will say exactly what they think about a movie or a TV show, and that’s fine, but as soon as you say it about a record, you’re like some little zombie in a funny dungeon.
“I have pretty strong morals and opinions being in pop music, and I can’t help but express those, which I think people appreciate,” she continued. “I mean, I don’t think I say anything that isn’t backed up. Most of the time I will stand by things that I’ve said.”
Of course, as she continues to promote her Pure Heroine debut, Lorde’s learning how to play the game: She said she’s becoming more aware of journalists seeking salacious quotes, and she’s determined not to give them what they want. But, at the same time, she’s also aware that some things are beyond her control, and that sometimes it’s best just to let others do the talking … even if they’re talking for her.
“I was on the internet the other day, and I saw that someone had made up a quote about me not liking gay people, and I was like ‘Wha?!?'” she sighed. “Now there are probably a bunch of people out there who think I hate gay people now, which is ridiculous. But you have to let it go. I just want to continue making music; it’s the reason I’m here in the first place.”
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