Lorde joins Zane Lowe on New Music Daily on Apple Music 1 to discuss her highly anticipated new single “Solar Power”.
She tells Zane about the song leaking, the origins of the track and wanting to capture summer in New Zealand, why Jack Antonoff is an “incredible collaborator”, and having other vocalists on one of her songs for the first time (including Phoebe Bridgers and Clairo). She also says Primal Scream are “the spiritual forebears” of the song, that the group’s “Loaded” is “100% the original blueprint”, and shares that she reached out to Bobby Gillespie for his blessing.
Lorde Tells Apple Music About “Solar Power” Leaking…
I mean, listen I love it. Kids are insane. I love it. I respect it. I love how hungry they are. Tonight is the solar eclipse, you know, you got to follow the vibes.
Lorde Tells Apple Music About The Origins of “Solar Power”…
I was on Martha’s Vineyard with my good friend, Cazzie, staying at her house. We had just been for a big swim all day. My hair was wet and when I came back into my room, I had made a little Yamaha DX keyboard, and I just started singing and kind of figuring this thing out. I was like, what is this? It almost felt like a “Rock DJ” to me, the Robbie Williams’ song. I was like, I don’t know what’s going on here, but I love it. And then I just put it away and had a paddle board, I think, but it really was such a natural, like joyful extension of an awesome day. And then I think I took it back into, into the city to Jack’s and, you know, we had all the windows open. It was summer. And when we just followed it through. I sampled cicadas on my phone for the last few summers . I was like, it has to have the cicadas in it. I really wanted to capture something so specific about the New Zealand summer.
Lorde Tells Apple Music About Recording “Solar Power”…
Oh man. Well, it was so new for me, as you know, I spent my entire teens and early twenties kind of tightening snares, tightening high hats, getting everything as, you know, sterile as I could. And this was the complete opposite approach. I’d had a couple of incredible summers. I was like, the sound for it has to be raw and misty and feral, you know, real drums, stereo bass, like just lean into it. And it was the best five. We had the most incredible drummer Matt Chamberlain, legend.
Lorde Tells Apple Music Primal Scream’s “Loaded” Is The Original Blueprint for “Solar Power”…
I had never heard Primal Scream in my life. I’d been told to check them out. I wrote the song on the piano and then we realised like, this is, it sounds a lot like “Loaded”. It’s just one of those crazy things that like, they just were the spiritual forebears of the song. I reached out to Bobby and he was so lovely about it. And he was like, you know, these things happen. You caught a vibe that we caught years ago. And he gave us his blessing. So let the record state “Loaded” is 100%, the original blueprint for this, but we arrived at it organically. And I’m glad we did.
Lorde Tells Apple Music Why Jack Antonoff Is An “Incredible Collaborator”…
Yeah, he’s just, he’s an incredible collaborator. You know, he’s down for any idea. And when I came to him about this album, I was like, look, I have this crazy vision. We’re going to have all these organic instruments. You’re going to play a shitload of guitar and we’re going to see what happens. And he was like, cool. Okay. Sounds good. And we just had the best time. He’s just, he’s down for whatever. I love that about him.
Lorde Tells Apple Music About Having Other Vocalists On One of Her Songs For The First Time, Including Phoebe Bridgers and Clairo…
I love those girls so much. They killed it on the song. I was like, who are my most like God tier female vocalists friends that could be on this. And they both just crushed. It was such a pleasure for me to have them. So talented, so cool and I’ve never had any other voices on my songs. This is the first, first time people were singing with me. I just knew it had to be a gang. You know, I’ve got a couple of amazing male musicians on it as well from New Zealand, James Milne and Marlon Williams. And I just, yeah, it was like this record more than any that I’ve made. Isn’t just about me, you know, it’s my friends and my family and my country. And I knew it wasn’t just, the sentiments were not just mine alone to deliver. So yeah, it really it’s everything I hoped it would be in terms of having other people on it. It’s fun not to be alone. Finally.
Lorde Tells Apple Music About The Importance of Rejuvenation and How Summer in New Zealand Inspired Her Forthcoming Album…
I mean, when you come from where we come from, there’s so much value in just coming home and, you know, especially over the summer, there’s a solid, like five months there where I don’t want to be even thinking about work. I want to be thinking about, you know, what the tide’s doing, how the fishing is, what the sun’s doing that day, you know? And it’s so valuable for me and for my process. And I think people realise that about me now, I’m one who has to go away and figure it out and I’ll be back and I’ll bring you a full universe, you know, when I, when I come back, but it takes me a minute. So yeah, it was, it was so good. And I feel like you can hear that in the, in the work and the whole album and, and yeah, as we, when we do sit down and talk about it just felt light and casual and playful, and that’s the zone that I’m in. And yeah, I hope it translates.
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