Many subcultures, movements, and zeitgeists formed throughout the past decades, and they have continued to influence the current trends. There were the goths, the punks, the beat generation, the emos, the hipsters, and many more. They’re all cool and fascinating, but each attracts some divisive opinions towards them. One of those movements is New Age spirituality. It’s also considered a religious practice and is closely related to the hippies, another counterculture movement.
You’ve probably seen people who wear their hair long and dreadlocked. They live an eclectic lifestyle, matching it with equally eccentric fashion and lifestyle choices. They usually wear loose clothes that sometimes look like something from some women’s clothing boutiques. Their rituals include connecting with nature to heal their mind, body, and spirit with the help of some crystals and sage. It sounds like a cult of some sort, but one that’s less sadistic. Then, in the picture comes Lorde with her new album and look.
What Happened To Pop Music’s Awkward, Sad, Goth-clad Girl?
Lorde is a Grammy-winning Kiwi singer and songwriter who stepped away from the limelight for four years after her last commercially and critically successful album, Melodrama. She was MIA presumably because of her awkward, anti-social media, pop antithesis persona and because she is finishing her new album Solar Power which came out on August 20, 2021.
Before the album release, Lorde dropped a single with a music video bearing the same title as the album. Fans noticed how her music and fashion had changed so much since she was musically active. Her dark electronic pop music evolved into something that sounded more upbeat, brighter, and happier. Along with her new brand of music, a new fashion sense emerged as she started sporting more colorful and flowing clothes.
It’s a new era in Lorde’s career as a musician, and some fans are not here for it, with some saying she has lost her “Lorde-ness.” Some fans were pleasantly surprised that she has departed from her sad girls’ kind of music and seems to be evolving.
Another notable change in Lorde’s musical and visual direction is how she seems to have a group of people around her as if she’s the leader of some cult. Some fans are saying she’s taken inspiration from the film Midsommar. Some fans thought maybe it’s just a coincidence. That is until Lorde dropped a new single and music video for Mood Ring, where she looked more like a cult leader.
Lorde’s Mood Ring
At face value, Lorde’s Mood Ring seems like a nod to the New Age movement with her lyricism, new look, crystals, and sage. But, is it? Or is there an undertone to all these?
It turns out that it is a satirical song and music video. If you have followed Lorde’s career, musicality, and lyricism, you know she likes being an antithesis of the current trends. You can hear it in her earlier songs like Royals, Team, and Tennis Court.
Lorde confirmed in a video that the YouTube channel Genius released on August 23 that Mood Ring is not her way of conforming to New Age spirituality. She explained how the song came about, the meanings behind each line of the lyrics, and the symbolism.
Each element of the song and the video references the New Age movement. The first verse and pre-chorus of the song is only the tip of the iceberg of Lorde’s message that it’s hard to tell what her intentions are. But as the song progresses, she sings, “Let’s fly somewhere eastern, they’ll have what I need,” which she explains is how she pokes fun at people flying to places like Bali to find themselves.
Although Mood Ring is social commentary, Lorde said she holds no animosity towards the New Age movement. She acknowledges that people who find comfort in practicing it are just finding solace in the health and wellness culture. She added by saying that it is a strange time to be alive, so you do you.
Lorder Than Ever
It might have been more in line with Lorde’s persona not to explain the meaning behind her songs. But, at the same time, it’s cool to know her ideas behind them. After all, the Lorde from Pure Heroine and Melodrama eras have evolved into the Solar Power girl. It may sound like a betrayal for some of her sad fans, but it just goes to show how multifaceted Lorde is. And if you listen closely, she is Lorder than ever.
