Jessica: October 2018

Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor may be her real name, but the singer-songwriter is now more commonly referred to as Lorde, her stage name.

Image result for ella yelich o'connor and louis

Ella and Louis

Lorde was born in Takapuna, Auckland and raised in the nearby suburb of Devonport with a Croation mother, Sonja and an Irish father, she was raised alongside her older sister, Jerry, younger sister, India, and her younger brother Angelo. She first entered the music industry when she won the annual Belmont Intermediate talent show with her friend, Louis McDonald as a duo. From there the pair made an appearance on Jim Mora's Afternoons show on Radio New Zealand, where they performed covers of Pixie Lott's 'Mama Do' and King of Leon's 'Use Somebody'. Louis' father Ian soon after took his home recording of the pair doing a cover of Duffy's 'Warwick Avenue' and Pixie Lott's 'Mama Do' and sent them to Universal Music Group (UMG) A&R Scott Maclachlan. In the same year, Lorde was signed to UMG so she could develop her talent. All in the same year, Lorde was also part of the Belmont Intermediate band 'Extreme' who placed third in the North Shore Battle of the Bands finals.

In 2010 Ella and Louis started to perform their covers on a regular basis at small cafes and restaurants and they soon performed at the Vic Unplugged at Victoria Theatre and Devonstock in Devonport.

In 2011 UMG got her a vocal coach, Frances Dickinson who gave Lorde singing lessons twice a week for a year. During all of this she began to write all of her own songs and on the 16 November 2011, she performed her own original songs publicly at The Vic Unplugged II on the Devonport Victoria Theatre stage. In December 2011, MacLachlan paired Lorde with Joel Little, a songwriter and record producer. The pair recorded five songs at Little's Golden Age Studios.

Lorde's official line of work is a singer and songwriter. Her impact is that she has inspired New Zealander's and shown them that we can go far as well and we can't be restricted just because of how same of a country we are. It has not just been New Zealander's she's inspired, Lorde is known to be a feminist and supports women strongly. "It's about all women, women who might not have the opportunities that I have or the privileges that I have. Trying to fight for better, better conditions, better treatment of all women. Whether that be trans women or women of colour or women in professions that don't typically get a lot of respect. That to me is what feminism is about."

What is her most popular and famous song?

The most popular song is either Royals or Green Light.

How old was she when she signed her first record deal?

Lorde was just thirteen years old when she signed her first record deal with University Music Studios.

How many awards has she won?

Lorde has won two Grammys, two Billboard Music Awards, 4 New Zealand Music Awards, one MTV Music Award and probably many other awards as well that I couldn't find, there is thought to be around 32 which she has won and 85 she has been nominated for.

Why did she choose Lorde?

The name was decided when she was sixteen and was obsessed with nobility and aristocracy, "It was a good spontaneous choice, I think. I’m quite proud of my 16-year-old self for not messing that one up, cause if I’d given myself a cool, weird, hip name I hated now, that would be super annoying. Again, it’s that nobility, aristocracy obsession that I had. I hit upon ‘Lord’ and loved the way it sounded, and then I was like, ‘It would be quite cool to add an ‘e’ to feminise it.’".

What is Lorde's net worth?

Lorde's net worth is believed to be $12 million.

What are some interesting facts?

She began to date a photographer named James Lowe, but broke it off with him and has been known to have written some of the songs in the album, Melodrama, about him.

In August 2013, Lorde became the first woman to top the Billboard Alternative Songs chart in the United States since Tracy Bonham back in 1996.

Lorde was only 15 when she wrote the song Royals.

Lorde turned down the opportunity to give the opening act on Katy Perry's own Prism tour after Katy Perry asked her when Lorde's song Royals topped the charts.

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Jessica

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Wednesday 31 October 2018

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Thursday 11 October 2018

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