Lorde is, as we all know, such a magical little gift to the whole wide world. She’s so talented, and wise far beyond her 18 years, we just can’t help but love her to pieces. Of course, she’s taken some time off from her massive success, but she was gracious enough to take some time to have a conversation with Lena Dunham for Dazed magazine. And you are going to just love it.
You’re going to love her badassery:
I sometimes get asked, ‘Did people try to sexualize you early on in your career?’ But I came into this with such a strong viewpoint – even when I was 13 or 14, my sense of self felt too permanent for anyone to f— with. You know, whenever there was a makeover suggestion or like, ‘Do you wanna try this push- up bra?’ I think I freaked enough people out – or intimidated enough people – that it didn’t happen. But also, does that still happen these days? Is that a thing? I feel like people think more of teenage girls than that.
You’re going to love the things she’s been doing in her time off:
I had three months off. It was summer in New Zealand and I just went on all these road trips and did heaps of rock walking. I found the best dive spots, did some great fishing and saw some orca whales. It was amazing. Just lying in the ocean in front of my house and being like, ‘Life!’
You’re going to love her thoughts on Taylor Swift:
I mean, she definitely brought me into this amazing world of supportive female friendship. For me, someone starts talking about boys and I’m like, ‘I just don’t know what to say.’ I’m useless in that capacity and that was why I thought, ‘Well, I can’t have girl friends (because) I don’t know how to talk about boys.’ But Taylor just glosses over the fact that I’m terrible at that and she’s just like, ‘It’s OK, I’ll love you for your other qualities.’
And you’re definitely going to love her views on feminism:
I’m not just going to do a 180 on a girl because she hasn’t learned about feminism. I remember not being 100 per cent sure what feminism or intersectional feminism is – I’m still not 100 per cent sure! One thing I hadn’t come face-to-face with until I was about 16 was thinking really hard about whiteness and what it means to be white, and all these questions around race and sexuality, which are incredibly important. For a long time, I wasn’t aware of how important it was to be a feminist for all women.
Oh, Lorde. We certainly don’t deserve you, but we’re so happy you’re here.