History YMMV / Lorde

* GatewaySeries: Lorde has served as a gateway for people looking for an 'alternative' to standard pop music, leading to them discovering acts such as Music/LanaDelRey, Music/EllieGoulding, Music/CharliXCX, Lykke Li, Banks etc.

* BrokenBase:

* ToughActToFollow:
** ''Melodrama'', early on, was viewed as this as the singles and album failed to gain much momentum on the charts, [[EvenBetterSequel even if it's completely averted with critics]].
** Generally viewed as why ''Solar Power'' has gotten a bit of a SoOkayItsAverage reception. [[CriticalDissonance While fans have warmed up to it more so than the critics]], where the former often argue it's more mellow, LighterAndSofter tone is the point and not necessarily meant to be taken at face value, others view it as rather thematically scattershot (some would say just vague) and far less musically immediate and adventurous than ''Melodrama'' especially that it suffers considerably in comparison.

%%* UnfortunateImplications: Lorde uses the sound of protests in her 2021 song "Dominoes," a song which has nothing to do with any protests, because it was the "vibe" of the summer when it was recorded. Many have criticized this as a tone-deaf choice, especially in the context of BLM protesters getting assaulted and murdered in 2020. Some have suggested that perhaps the protests she used were from the 2019 climate change protests -- which, while still bad, is less so. However, given that in the album credits she specifically thanks NYC's Electric Lady Studios for letting them record in the summer of 2020, it's highly unlikely that she was referring to anything ''but'' the BLM protests.

* BrokenBase: ''Melodrama'' has caused a rift between fans who prefer the unusual, fresh style of ''Pure Heroine'' to the more mainstream style of the new album and fans who are fine with it. Some vocal disgruntled fans have accused Lorde of "selling out", while others have argued that artists are free to pursue whatever style they want and Lorde was going through a difficult time while making the album. There is next to no middle ground between both camps.

* {{Irony}}: The song that criticizes the rich was the song that made her rich.
** The lyrics "And I'm not proud of my address, in a torn-up town, no postcode envy..." - her hometown of Devonport (postcode 0624) is among the richest 10% in New Zealand, although despite that, an [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation argument]] could be made that she ''is very indifferent'' to it.
* PeripheryDemographic: She's ''much'' more respected by adults, particularly men, than most teenage singers.
** She's also had surprising crossover success with the rock community, many of her songs have placed high on the rock charts and she gets pretty consistent airplay on modern rock/alternative stations.

* ToughActToFollow: ''Melodrama'', early on, was viewed as this as the singles and album failed to gain much momentum on the charts, [[EvenBetterSequel even if it's completely averted with critics]].
** Generally viewed as why ''Solar Power'' has gotten a bit of an SoOkayItsAverage reception. [[CriticalDissonance While fans have warmed up to it more so than the critics]], where the former often argue it's more mellow, LighterAndSofter tone is the point and not necessarily meant to be taken at face value, others view it as rather thematically scattershot (some would say just vague) and far less musically immediate and adventurous than ''Melodrama'' especially that it suffers considerably in comparison.

* BrokenBase:
** ''Melodrama'' has caused a rift between fans who prefer the unusual, fresh style of ''Pure Heroine'' to the more mainstream style of the new album and fans who are fine with it. Some vocal disgruntled fans have accused Lorde of "selling out", while others have argued that artists are free to pursue whatever style they want and Lorde was going through a difficult time while making the album. There is next to no middle ground between both camps.
** Again with ''Solar Power.'' Some fans believe that it’s a fresh, new, imaginative sound with a complex message about fame and stardom, while others hate the new direction and think that Lorde’s complaints about her celebrity status make her sound like an entitled millionaire with first-world problems. Again, there’s little to no overlap between the two camps. Unlike ''Melodrama,'' which received massive critical acclaim, ''Solar Power'' got mixed reviews, inciting more drama in the fanbase.

* BrokenBase: ''Melodrama'' has caused a rift between fans who prefer the unusual, fresh style of ''Pure Heroine'' to the more mainstream style of the new album and fans who are fine with it. Some vocal disgruntled fans have accused Lorde of "selling out", while others have argued that artists are free to pursue whatever style they want and Lorde was going through a difficult time while making the album. There is next to no middle ground between both camps.

* SophmoreSlump: Completely averted with ''Melodrama'', though commercially it was considered a big dissapointment.

* SignatureSong: "Royals.", easily her biggest commercial smash and generally viewed as one of the key turning points in the pop-music landscape of the mid-10's, though choice ''Melodrama'' singles like "Green Light" and "Perfect Places" certainly compete with this title with her loyal fanbase even if they're less widely known.

* ToughActToFollow: ** ''Melodrama'', early on, was viewed as this in terms of it's dissapointing commercial run, [[EvenBetterSequel even if it's completely averted with critics]].
** Generally viewed as why ''Solar Power'' has gotten a bit of an SoOkayItsAverage reception. [[CriticalDissonance While it's gotten a warmer reception from fans]], who argue it's more mellow, LighterAndSofter tone is the point and not necessarily meant to be taken at face value, others view it as rather thematically scattershot (some would say vague) and far less musically immediate and adventerous especially in comparison to ''Melodrama'' that it suffers greatly in comparison.

* HollywoodHomely: Being an UnkemptBeauty early on unfortunately got her some unflatting comparisons to her more glamorous pop star contemporaries, perhaps an obvious indicator (if not the only one) why there's been a particularly sour relationship with the press throughout her career. ''Solar Power'', in contrast, has reached [[MemeticMutation memetic levels for it's pants-less cover of Lorde]], and her press releases and interviews have gotten notice for her sudden MsFanservice appearance.

* SignatureSong: "Royals." "Team" is also very well-known, but the gap between it and "Royals" is still much wider than that between, say [[Music/{{Macklemore}} "Thrift Shop" and "Can't Hold Us."]]

* ToughActToFollow: ''Melodrama'' is ''far'' from a terrible album, with some fans even arguing that Lorde did a great job experimenting with more piano and softer elements, but compared to the high sales of it to ''Music/PureHeroine'', it's a stark struggle, [[EvenBetterSequel even if it's averted with critics]].

* UnfortunateImplications: Lorde uses the sound of protests in her 2021 song "Dominoes," a song which has nothing to do with any protests, because it was the "vibe" of the summer when it was recorded. Many have criticized this as a tone-deaf choice, especially in the context of BLM protesters getting assaulted and murdered in 2020. Some have suggested that perhaps the protests she used were from the 2019 climate change protests -- which, while still bad, is less so. However, given that in the album credits she specifically thanks NYC's Electric Lady Studios for letting them record in the summer of 2020, it's highly unlikely that she was referring to anything ''but'' the BLM protests.

* UnfortunateImplications: Lorde uses the sound of protests as a "summer vibe" in her 2021 song "Dominoes," a song which has nothing to do with any protests. Many have criticized this as a tone-deaf choice, especially in the context of BLM protesters getting assaulted and murdered in 2020. Some have suggested that perhaps the protests she used were from the 2019 climate change protests -- which, while still bad, is less so. However, given that she specifically thanks NYC's Electric Lady Studios for letting them record in the summer of 2020, it's highly unlikely that she was referring to anything but the BLM protests.

* MemeticMutation: [[WesternAnimation/SouthPark Ya ya ya ya ya, I am Lorde, ya ya ya!]]

* {{Narm}}: "I'm kinda like a prettier Jesus."

** The high amount of KubrickStare in both "Royals" videos. Particularly jarring in the US version from her as they're usually [[JumpScare blink and you'll miss it]], and the teen boys in the Kiwi version, one of whom twists his lips to the left in a fashion that is just wrong. *shudder*

* ToughActToFollow: ''Melodrama'' is ''far'' from a terrible album, with some fans even arguing that Lorde did a great job experimenting with more piano and softer elements, but compared to the high sales of it to ''Music/PureHeroine'', it's a stark struggle, [[EvenBetterSequel even if this it's averted with critics, who have called it superior to ''Music/PureHeroine'']].