Lorde has announced her highly anticipated fourth studio album, Virgin, out June 27 via Republic Records.
Virgin, Lorde’s first full-length album in four years, is produced by Lorde and Jim-E Stack, with additional contributions from Dan Nigro, Dev Hynes, Buddy Ross, and others. Described by Lorde as “100% written in blood,” the album signals a deeply personal and visceral new chapter in her artistry. It’s shaping up to be her most emotionally direct and sonically stripped-back work yet.
In a new statement via her newsletter, she writes:
“THE COLOUR OF THE ALBUM IS CLEAR. LIKE BATHWATER, WINDOWS, ICE, SPIT. FULL TRANSPARENCY. THE LANGUAGE IS PLAIN AND UNSENTIMENTAL. THE SOUNDS ARE THE SAME WHEREVER POSSIBLE. I WAS TRYING TO SEE MYSELF, ALL THE WAY THROUGH. I WAS TRYING TO MAKE A DOCUMENT THAT REFLECTED MY FEMININITY: RAW, PRIMAL, INNOCENT, ELEGANT, OPENHEARTED, SPIRITUAL, MASC. I’M PROUD AND SCARED OF THIS ALBUM. THERE’S NOWHERE TO HIDE. I BELIEVE THAT PUTTING THE DEEPEST PARTS OF OURSELVES TO MUSIC IS WHAT SETS US FREE.”
The announcement comes on the heels of “What Was That,” a fiery new single co-produced by Lorde, Jim-E Stack, and Dan Nigro. The track has already proven to be a massive success, rocketing to #1 on Spotify in the U.S. making it Lorde’s first time topping the chart since her breakout hit “Royals.” It also charted at #3 in the UK and #5 globally, marking a triumphant return to form.
Accompanying the single is a music video filmed in New York, featuring a surprise performance in Washington Square Park. The visuals echo the track’s spontaneous, intimate energy and hint at the emotional landscape fans can expect from Virgin.
With Virgin, Lorde seems poised to peel back the layers more than ever before, offering a body of work that’s as vulnerable as it is self-possessed. As the early momentum behind “What Was That” shows, this new era is already striking a chord and June 27 can’t come soon enough.
Preorder/presave Virgin here.
