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Lorde, the enigmatic pop star from New Zealand, has just made a striking return with her new single ‘What Was That?‘ After a four-year absence from the spotlight, the release of this deeply personal track has sparked widespread curiosity: what happened to her during all this time? And what exactly is she trying to tell us through this song?

The answers, as it turns out, are layered and emotional — a blend of personal healing, heartbreak, and artistic rebirth. The singer recently stepped back into the public eye with an intimate surprise performance in New York’s Washington Square Park and a high-profile collaboration with Charli XCX at Coachella 2025. But her reappearance isn’t just musical — it’s emotional, spiritual, and deeply human.

@los40usa 💥🎤 #Lorde sorprendió a sus fans al presentar por sorpresa su próximo single #WhatWasThat ♬ sonido original – LOS40USA

Life in the Shadows: Why Did Lorde Disappear?

In September 2023, Lorde broke her silence in a raw and vulnerable letter to fans. She revealed that her time away wasn’t about avoiding fame, but about navigating intense physical and emotional struggles. She described living alone in London, disconnected from friends and family, while facing persistent health issues — «inflammation, gut problems, skin flare-ups» — and a difficult breakup that left her heartbroken.

“I ache all the time, I forget why and then remember,” she wrote, candidly admitting that she had stopped taking an antidepressant she’d used since her teens. She also spoke about experimenting with psychedelics, not as an escape, but as a way to confront the trauma her body had endured over the years.

These admissions painted a picture of an artist in recovery — not from fame, but from the toll it took.

‘What Was That?’: The Meaning Behind Lorde’s New Song

Now, with the release of ‘What Was That?’, Lorde turns her pain into poetry. The track feels like a late-night confession: nostalgic, trippy, and unresolved. Lines like “MDMA in the back garden, blow our pupils up” and “I cover up all the mirrors, I can’t see myself yet” explore themes of disconnection, memory, and longing.

The references to psychedelics aren’t just stylistic — they reflect a real «emotional strategy.» For many artists, substances like these serve as both escape and exploration, allowing them to temporarily silence the noise of fame and unlock repressed feelings. In Lorde’s case, the use of drugs— which she has openly written about — appears to be part of a broader effort to reconnect with her body and psyche after years of internalized stress, burnout, and public scrutiny. Rather than glamorizing drug use, the song hints at how fragile the search for clarity and self-acceptance can be under the weight of relentless expectation.

It’s more than a breakup song. It’s a reflection on how trauma haunts intimacy, how fame distorts self-image, and how emotional clarity can be just out of reach. Sonically, it bridges the introspective dream-pop of Melodrama with the meditative tone of Solar Power — but with an urgency that suggests something new is coming.

Her Coachella Comeback with Charli XCX

Just weeks before the surprise release of ‘What Was That?’, Lorde made headlines by joining Charli XCX at Coachella to perform the remix of ‘Girl, So Confusing.’ The track, already a meditation on competitiveness and confusion between female artists, gained new weight with Lorde’s contribution. Her presence on stage marked a symbolic re-entry — not just into the music scene, but into the conversation about how fame impacts identity and relationships.

The moment resonated deeply with fans. It wasn’t just about the music — it was about solidarity, vulnerability, and shared experience between women navigating the pop industry.

@wonderlandmagazine Girlsoconfusingchella? Letsworkitoutontheremixchella? We’re so here for it… chella💚 @Charli XCX and @Lorde perform “Girl, so confusing” at Coachella. 📸 Charli xcx via Instagram #brat #lorde #charlixcx #coachella ♬ original sound – Wonderland Magazine

A Return on Her Own Terms

Lorde’s comeback isn’t polished or packaged for pop perfection — and that’s exactly the point. In her 2023 letter, she made it clear: “I promised myself I’d never be one of the people in the light smiling if it wasn’t real.”

Now she’s back, not to chase hits or dominate charts, but to reconnect through her most honest art yet. ‘What Was That?’ feels like the start of a new era — not defined by sound, but by truth.

With a new album likely on the horizon, Lorde is no longer the teen sensation of ‘Royals‘ or the sun-soaked mystic of Solar Power. She’s something richer: a woman who’s lived through the fire and is now telling us, in her own words, exactly what it felt like.