Lorde and Universal are no longer on each other’s “Team.”
The “Royals” artist has revealed in a voice memo to fans, as captured by the fan account @lordecontent, that her contract with her long term label has come to an end.
“I have been in that contract for a very, very long time, in some form of that contract since I was 12-years-old, when I signed my first development deal with Universal,” the now 29-year-old Lorde says.
Lorde adds that she had an “amazing experience” with Universal but notes, “The truth is a 12-year-old girl pre-signed her, pre-sold her creative output before she knew what it would be like and before she knew what she was signing away.”
“I’m sure I’ll have a deal again, could well be with Universal,” Lorde continues. “But I knew that I needed to take a second to have nothing being bought or sold that comes from me.”
Lorde released four albums with Universal: 2013’s Pure Heroine, 2017’s Melodrama, 2021’s Solar Power and 2025’s Virgin.
Copyright © 2026, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.