A pop princess who keeps on giving: here’s the buzz about Lorde.

It hardly seems possible 17 year ­old New Zealand singer ­songwriter Lorde released her debut “Pure Heroine” album just six months ago. It’s made such splash globally and has already earned her a huge world­wide following.

Meshing portions of electronica and synthpop, “Pure Heroine” instantly hooked us with Lorde’s smoky, sophisticated vocals and her astounding musical instincts – an impressive and potent combination.

A self­-described feminist, Lorde, backed only by a drummer and keyboardist, performed at Portland’s Crystal Ballroom in early December. She played for just an hour ­­ and if you were lucky enough to be there, by all means, share your comments with the rest of us who couldn’t get tickets.

Lorde

Last month, Lorde performed live on the Grammys, taking home two awards for “Royals,” one for Song of the Year and another for Best Pop Solo Performance.

This week on Billboard, “Royals” is charting at #9 while “Team” is #10. But the track from Pure Heroine that’s still my favorite is “Buzzcut Season.”

As beautiful as it is elusive, one can’t help but ponder its meaning. One guess is that it’s a love song of sorts ­ a love song set in “interesting times” that include bombs, war, all that stuff nobody wants to think about. Haunting, melancholy and mysterious, it’s a track fans hope will be making radio airwaves soon.

Buzzcut Season

“Hopefully, I am showing that pop can be taken seriously,” Lorde said in a recent interview. We couldn’t agree more.

Upcoming Tour Dates

Lorde’s upcoming concert dates include Austin March 3, Houston March 5, Washington D.C. March 7, Seattle March 24 and Oakland California March 26. She’ll play Coachella in Indio, California on April 12 and is also slated to perform an extended set in Baltimore during the infield festival May 17 at the 139th Preakness Stakes.

Let’s hope she adds a Portland date to the mix!

For a complete list of tour dates, check out her Facebook page.

Cynthia Orlando
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