Refusing to Rest on Royalty

Though the accessories and gadgets in Hollywood have shifted since the age of the silver screen, the sought-after celebrities that occupy stardom in 90210 have yet to experience a shift. With international shipping-and-handling of a more angst-driven type, the teen singer-songwriter, Lorde, is defining her own status of celebrity in the star-studded zip code.

Whether you draw parallels between the blonde bombshells from then and now or the slick and shimmering fashions that have ever walked the red carpet, most of the stars we follow for their image and not their intellect. With lyrics written to linger on her listener’s ear, the “Royals” singer is playing a melody meant for depth and analysis—a true anomaly compared to many a “Queen of Pop” that she shares the stage with.

Rolling Stone, January 2014 cover

“I think the thing that people relate to about me is that I—you know—I kind of try not to fall into your typical traps of song writing,” Lorde said in an interview with Studio Q. 

Peering in on the lives of celebrities, one might find the images, air and behaviors that belong to them indicative of what our society deems a “stereotype”. For the American pop star, the subconscious associations bring to mind a slew of all-too-expensive objects and all-too-chiseled body types. It is a stereotype unfitting of 17-year-old Lorde’s gothic stylings.

In Lorde's cover story in the January 2014 issue of Rolling Stone, Tavi Gevinson, editor of Rookie said: "Everyone talks about Ella [Lorde] as the anti-Miley because she dresses like a witch and she doesn't twerk. But it's more nuanced than that. She sings about partying, she curses like a sailor and her songs aren't completely asexual. She reflects an intelligence in girls our age, and normalizes it." 

Certainly for the celebrity culture that has proven a steady market in America, there is what Patricia Divine of University of Wisconsin at Madison calls, “inevitability of prejudice”. As consumers, we tend towards the stereotype that the unintelligence that celebrities have is more than redeemed with their unshakeable choruses and good looks. The type of pop star that Lorde proves to be helps us to marry the all-too-familiar “cool factor” with the keen factor, which she carries from her image and into her work in the recording studio.

For this Aussie, the American Dream of fame and stardom does not come at the cost of incapability. It comes with a dark lipstain, a shattered celebrity stereotype and lyrics with a clever likability factor all their own.

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Lorde performs hit song, ‘Royals’, for U.S. Television Debut

You don’t have to be a churchgoer to be entranced by New Zealand’s latest standout star, Lorde. At 17 years old and with a sound all her own, she’s defying the boundaries of her island homeland and gaining listeners on an international level.

On Tuesday night’s show of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, Lorde sang her hit song, ‘Royals’, and baptized the first of many stages in America. The kiwi’s debut studio album, ‘Pure Heroine’, became available for purchase on iTunes Sept. 30. At $9.99, the entire album features ten tracks of Lorde’s smoky voice that manages to engage listeners song after song.

While her growing fan base can attest to her fresh and strong sound, the young star has made few television appearances. Tuesday night gave Lorde a new medium to grab the attention of the masses not only with her raspy voice, but with her bold appearance, as well. Revealing her youth and her mane of curls, Lorde swayed into the tempo of the song as she sang.

It’s apparent after her performance on Late Night that her fans aren’t the only ones who get lost in the rhythm and poetic lyrics of her songs—she, too, connects with the music. From co-writing her songs and gaining traction in New Zealand, Lorde offers tribute to the traditional journey towards fame. And if she continues on this streak of passion and lyrical depth, her fans will surely sing along. 

Check out Lorde's U.S. television debut above or click here ---

Musical Match-up from Overseas

We all love a classic face-off; The Beatles vs. The Beach Boys, the Confederates vs. the Union in the civil war, the cheeseburger vs. the hotdog.
This summer, the alternative music junkies from Humboldt County, CA. to Atlanta, GA. are turning up the volume for a musical battle from overseas—the United Kingdom versus Australia & New Zealand. Ripe with instrumentals that make you believe you can make the head bob look cool, and countless, catchy choruses, the Brits, the Aussies, and the Kiwis are showing Americans a worthwhile head-to-head—or vocal cord-to-vocal cord—matchup.
If your summer siestas have taken place at the nearby indie café, you might’ve turned your ears towards the stereo in order to hear Bastille’s new music over the crushing of coffee beans into espresso. Initially formed in 2010, the band is comprised of four men from London. This is further evidenced from their often skinny jean clad legs and mussed hair.
Dan Smith, the lead vocalist of the group, has a sound comparable to the fluid lead singer for The Lumineers, Wesley Schultz. However, Smith retains his own style in a wide vocal range that is supported by occasional hints at his English accent. While the band’s premiere studio album, Bad Blood, began to catch attention from the U.K. rdebut in March of 2013, the U.S. was not far from earshot. Early stand-out singles, like ‘Pompeii” with a rhythm made for summer, will have you and your slew of friends walking in step down the sidewalk; undoubtedly looking less British and rugged than the members of Bastille, yet enjoying yourself all the same.
Now, if you’re less of the café, siesta type of summer soul, and you like to cut straight to the nightlife, drink-in-hand technique, you might make fast friends with another U.K. band—Disclosure. Recognized for their addicting tempo that picks up when it should, and slows down just as you need to catch your breath from your own awkward interpretation of dancing, the electronic duo is coming into the American spotlight quickly.
Brothers Guy and Howard Lawrence, the duo behind Disclosure, hail from Surrey. Yet, the undeniable likeness of their music on U.K. streets and U.S. soil alike has led to appearances such as the stages at Coachella last April. “Latch ft. Sam Smith” (attached below) comes from their premiere album, Settle. This single has hit number one on U.K. charts, and number two on American electronic charts. Perhaps, electronic music does, in fact, have a place in 2013 and Disclosure stands tallest among the rest to make this argument.



To combat these two groups from England, are two solo artists from down under. The first is singer-songwriter, Lorde from New Zealand. With two number-one hits in New Zealand, her single, “Royals” is climbing the charts in the U.S. Upon watching the music video to “Royals” (attached below), and finding a striking fair-skinned, blue-eyed, brunette singing to you—directly to you—you’ll be left jarred just long enough to watch the music video at least once more.
This alternative pop maven also gleans popularity from her songs, “The Love Club”, and “Tennis Court”. These hits all tie together with bridges as equally tranquil as heard in “Royals”. The clarity in her voice and freshness in her look has jumped from the island and has us all in a kiwi tizzy. If you haven’t knelt to praise Lorde’s musicality thus far, then surely finding out that she’s but 16-years-old will make you throw in the towel and succumb to her fandom.



Lastly, Betty Who a native of Sydney, Australia lends listeners her own classic pop persona just in time for rolled down windows and topless… Jeeps of this season. Her overarching, popular single, “Somebody Loves You” was first premiered by American bloggers in late 2012. Now, her lyrical “ooh’s” and “aah’s”, that we’ve long associated with the work of Madonna and Whitney Houston are making a comeback. Betty Who is settling in as one of the most preferred artists to lose track of time to on hot summer days.
From innovation within electronic music and the revival of meaningful lyrics, these groups and artists from overseas are meant to stay awhile. Boys versus girls, Brits versus Kiwis and Aussies—call it what you will, surely we’ll all be singing along regardless.

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