Lorde Explained How She Came Up with Her Stage Name

For months, fans of Lorde have been speculating that she was gearing up to release new music. But she finally confirmed the rumors when she released her latest single, “Solar Power” and now fans are hoping that an album will soon follow. Thought Lorde is notoriously private, she has had a large and loyal following ever since she released her breakout single “Royals.” The New Zealand native was only 16 when her breakout hit released, but her sound showed maturity far beyond her years.

Though Lorde has always had a passion for music and a vested interest in songwriting and singing, for years she just viewed it as a hobby. Born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor, Lorde had a fairly normal upbringing. Unlike lots of other young celebrities, she attended public school and never considered herself one of the “cool kids” even after she rose to great success. However, when she did decide to pursue music professionally, she knew she wanted a stage name to separate her private identity from her public persona.

Why Lorde chose to go by her stage name instead of her real name

But how did Lorde decide on her stage name? Given that her hit single is called “Royals”, it’s not surprising that the songwriter had a strong interest in royalty and aristocracy when she was growing up. She finally settled on the name Lord, but added the additional e to add a touch more femininity. In an 2013 conversation with Interview Magazine, the “Solar Power” singer got more detailed about how she finally arrived at her stage name.

“My name is Ella, that’s who I am at school, hanging out with friends, while I’m doing homework,” Lorde shared. “But when I’m up on stage, Lorde is a character. My friends actually find that really difficult to digest, separating me from the theatrical character they see on stage; but they’re getting used to it. When I was trying to come up with a stage name, I thought ‘Lord’ was super rad, but really masculine—ever since I was a little kid, I have been really into royals and aristocracy. So to make Lord more feminine, I just put an ‘e’ on the end! Some people think it’s religious, but it’s not.”

The ‘Solar Power’ singer leads a very private life

While Lorde’s fans have likely gotten used to the drastic differences between her and the character that she plays on stage and in concert, the songwriter still does everything in her power to distance herself from the celebrity aspects of her profession. By living in New Zealand, the “Team” singer is able to create space between herself and the media. Furthermore, Lorde’s activity on social media is incredibly limited also, so she’s able to create even more privacy in her life. Lorde may like to feel like royalty when she’s on stage but clearly, in her private life, she prefers to live more like a commoner.