Lorde will kick off a world tour this year in support of her forthcoming album, Virgin, but fans may have to wait a little longer for Australian and New Zealand dates.
On Friday, the New Zealand superstar announced the ‘Ultrasound’ tour, which will head to the US, UK and Europe. Following the album’s release on June 27th, the tour will kick off in Texas on September 17th and wrap up in Sweden on December 9th.
Lorde will bring a stack of support acts on the road with her including Blood Orange, Japanese House, Nilüfer Yana, Chanel Beads, Empress Of, Jim-E Stack and Oklou.
Australia and New Zealand dates are yet to be announced.
Lorde kicked off the Virgin era with a bang when she previewed her new song “What Was That” in Washington Square Park last month. She had announced a fan event via text blast, and by the designated start time of 7 p.m., so many people had filled up the park that the police came and shut the whole thing down. She performed the song a couple of hours later for the part of the crowd who stuck around.
The event ended up being a scene in the music video, which came out two days later. Over the weekend, “What Was That” topped the Spotify U.S. charts, her first song to do so since “Royals,” from 2012.
In a recent interview, Lorde said Charli XCX’s hit album, Brat, was an inspiration for her own new record.
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“Brat coming out really gave me a kick in a lot of ways,” Lorde said.
“It forced me to further define what I was doing [with Virgin], because Charli had so masterfully defined everything about Brat, and I knew that what I was doing was very distinct to that.”
Lorde and Charli XCX collaborated on a remix of Brat’s “Girl, So Confusing,” a song that fans decided hinted at jealousy Charli felt for Lorde. It came out on the expanded reissue, Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat. In the final chorus, Lorde exclaims, “I ride for you, Charli.” Lorde told the BBC she appreciated the vulnerability of making the remix, which gave her a new perspective on her own music. They performed the song together in April at Coachella.
“It’s an amazing thing when a peer throws the gauntlet down like that,” Lorde said. “You’re like, ‘OK, I’ve got to pick it up.’ I’ve spoken to a lot of peers who’ve all had the same feeling.”
