One of Us: Lorde "Gets" Adolescence More Than Any Other Pop Star on the Planet

Lorde released her highly anticipated sophomore album Melodrama—the follow up to her acclaimed Pure Heroine—just a few weeks ago.

And to be honest, my initial thoughts of this new album weren’t great; it just seemed like another adolescent love ballad targeted at the vulnerable, newly broken-up teenager who was desperately searching for some kind of meaning at any kind of party they could find.

It’s a classic theme that’s been repeatedly recycled and reused in recent years. Yet the more I listened to Melodrama, the more I fell so helplessly, desperately and irresistibly in love with each of the tracks.

Adolescence is so often portrayed in the media to the point of cliché. What people fail to realise is that it’s so much more than the generic Hollywood glitz and glam, with all the endless parties, disco lights and constant barrage of being told to ‘throw your hands up in the air’ (we don’t want to do this, please stop telling us to do this).

Adolescence is a hurricane of every possible emotion, and then some. Underneath all the wild nights and fanatic infatuation, there’s an overwhelming sense of confusion, a guilty desire to hide from your problems and that looming sense of regret in the morning.

And it’s these unspoken (yet so genuine) hard feelings that Lorde describes so effortlessly and so honestly on Melodrama. Take this lyric from “Perfect Places” (admittedly my favourite track from the new album): “I’m 19 and I’m on fire.” What on Earth does it mean to be "on fire"? It’s so deceptively simple, yet not: Is it a scorching pain? A furious rage? A lust for love? A burst of adrenaline? To the untrained ear, it’s just an overly crude metaphor. To a 19-year-old, it’s everything you feel on a Saturday night.

That lyric succinctly conveys all of these untamed, uncontrollable burning emotions. It’s this kind of lyrical simplicity that makes her album so relatable to this generation of adolescents.

What’s so unique about Lorde is that she creates music that encapsulates entire periods of time. Pure Heroine was the album of teenage fantasy: the primal age of discovery, mystery and whimsy. Melodrama is what happens after that wears away; it’s about what happens when we start growing up.

This new album isn’t just another rehash of adolescent angst; it’s the album for adolescent angst. And that’s what I think is so alluring about Lorde as an artist: She’s the voice behind this generation. She consistently captures all these delicate, subtle emotions and presents them in a way that’s eerily relatable. I may not know exactly what I’m feeling, but I can guarantee Lorde knows how to describe it. In fact, Lorde just seems to know everything about how I feel at this point in my life.

It’s comforting to know Lorde exists, like she’s a gallant crusader who ensures our voices and our experiences aren't ignored. It’s something no other pop star has been able to accomplish with such vivid accuracy.

Whether you like her music or not, there is no denying she’s had an enormous impact on how people perceive adolescence and adolescents, while also expanding the breadth of what pop music can be.

Congratulations to Andy for winning this week's writing challenge: Is Lorde the Best Pop Star on the Planet? Andy wins a $50 Westfield gift card for his submission. For your chance to win, check out our latest writing challenges in our Comps section. Also, be sure to follow this guide on how to win the writing challenge!

Photo: Republic