Lorde is one of the biggest stars in the world, a singular performer who has managed to reinvent herself over the past few years. She has surprised many who believed that she was a one-hit-wonder with her 2013 smash hit “Royals,” defying expectations and becoming an even bigger celebrity after stepping back into the spotlight.

Lorde’s latest album, Solar Power, is one that was years in the making – and in the months since the album’s release, the artist has opened up several times about the creative process she followed when making it. Notably, Lorde even admitted the unique color that she ascribes to Solar Power, a result of her synesthesia. 

What is synesthesia?

Lorde is far from the only person who experiences synesthesia, although the condition is rare. According to Scientific American, synesthesia is a neurological condition that causes a person’s different senses to become mixed. Synesthetes hear colors, feel sounds and taste shapes, and usually always consistently. Therefore, a specific word will almost always be associated with a specific color, and so on. This differentiates synesthetes from those who might experience a hallucination and see colors, for example. 

Roughly between one and four percent of people have the condition, and while it does display differently in different people, synesthetes typically have good memories and can perform most tasks in the same efficient manner as non-synesthetes. The causes of synesthesia are unknown, and there are many people who aren’t even aware of the condition. However, Lorde is doing a lot to spread awareness of this rare and intriguing neurological condition. 

What did Lorde say about her experience with synesthesia?

Lorde has opened up a few times about her own experience as a synesthete. She has admitted that having synesthesia actually helps her along in the creative process. As reported by Live Science, Lorde has stated that “from the moment I start something, I can see the finished song, even if it’s far-off and foggy. It’s about getting the actual thing to sound like what I’ve been seeing.”

“A song about partying would get a certain colour,” Lorde said, “but it might be a sad song, and that got its own colour, too.” The artist certainly drew on her life with synesthesia when she was writing Solar Power, her most recent album. In a video interview with Vogue, Lorde talked about what particular shade she assigns to the record. 

What colors does Lorde associate her albums with?

In a July 2021 interview with Vogue, just prior to the release of Solar Power, Lorde opened up about the colors she assigns to each of her three albums. Lorde readily admitted that her debut album, Pure Heroine, is “green,” while her 2017 release, Melodrama, is “violet.” Finally, when asked what color Solar Power is, Lorde smiled widely and revealed that she sees it as “gold.” That makes sense, considering the album’s title is a reference to the sun’s rays.

Solar Power was released in late August to immediate critical acclaim. Fans and critics alike praised Lorde’s ability to seamlessly craft an album that speaks of the essence of summer fun. Even after a hiatus of four years, Lorde was easily able to reclaim her place as one of pop music’s true innovators, an artist who doesn’t let anyone or anything define her, but is always ready and willing to craft her own destiny. With a bold new future before her, it seems likely that Lorde’s fans will continue to follow her career with great interest in 2022.