Lorde Debuts New Song "What Was That" Live at Washington Square Park
In a surprise move, Lorde debuted her forthcoming single "What Was That" at New York’s Washington Square Park on Tuesday, April 22. The singer took to a wooden platform at the center of the park’s now-dormant fountain and sang along to the track as it played from a minimal speaker stack.
According to reports from the event, Lorde had earlier teased the pop-up appearance with a message shared via her fan text line: "Meet me in the park Tonight 7pm -xx." However, when 7 p.m. rolled around, she followed up with a post to her Instagram story, informing attendees that the event had been shut down by park rangers and local police. "I am truly Amazed by how many of you showed up !!!" it read, in part. "But they’re telling me you gotta disperse … I’m so sorry."
Despite the initial setback, much of the crowd stuck around for the next hour, until Blood Orange’s Dev Hynes—who is speculated to have worked on Lorde’s next album—arrived with a rolling speaker blasting "What Was That" and led them out of the park. Lorde finally showed up after 9 p.m., pausing to thank the assembled fans before launching into her song. As reported by Pitchfork, newly revealed lyrics included the following: "I’m missing you/And all the things we used to do/MDMA in the back garden, blow our pupils up/We kissed for hours straight but baby, what was that?/I remember saying then/This is the best cigarette of my life/Well I want you just like that."
This latest development comes on the heels of Lorde’s recent appearance at Charli XCX’s weekend one Coachella set, where she collaborated with the British singer-songwriter. Lorde has also been working with New Zealand singer-songwriter Marlon Williams. Her latest studio album to date is 2021’s Solar Power. As noted by Pitchfork, Lorde first teased "What Was That" via a snippet posted to TikTok, accompanied by a video of her strutting around Washington Square Park.
The new song is expected to feature on Lorde’s upcoming album, which is rumored to be in production. The singer has been tight-lipped about the album’s details, but fans are eagerly anticipating her next release. As Pitchfork reports, Lorde’s pop-up performance at Washington Square Park has generated significant buzz among fans and industry insiders alike.
In related news, Charli XCX’s collaboration with Lorde, "Girl, so confusing featuring lorde," was recently named at No. 9 on "The 100 Best Songs of 2024" by Pitchfork. The recognition highlights the ongoing creative partnership between the two artists and sets the stage for Lorde’s upcoming album release.
Source: Pitchfork – Lorde debuted her forthcoming single "What Was That" this evening (Tuesday, April 22) at New York’s Washington Square Park. The singer stood on a wooden platform at the center of the park’s now-dormant fountain and sang along to the track as it played from a minimal speaker stack. Watch footage of the performance.
