I got a lot of regrets in my life. I regret not trying harder in high school. I regret not traveling when I was younger. I regret not spending more time with my family.  Those are my real regrets. Then I have the bullshit regrets. I constantly regret the one last drink of the night that has me puking my brains out. I regret not hooking up with this girl Kim back in college because I thought I could make it work with my ex-girlfriend that treated me like shit. Most of all, I regret never becoming a child prodigy. I don’t care at what. I just wish I could have been a prodigy at anything. Instead of focusing on one thing and excelling at it, I reenacted scenes from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movies in my backyard. Alone.
If only my parents were hard nosed Koreans that made me sit at the piano for hours on end, turning me into a preteen piano phenom. But that wasn’t the case. To this day I get on edge when I am around a kid that is way better than me at something. It’s bullshit. You’re 6, why are you so fucking good at badminton?
I guess it’s jealousy. I lacked focus then. Hell, if I’m being honest with you guys, I lack focus now. While jealousy is generally the feeling I get around the uber talented youth, this is not the case as of late. I started listening to this week’s Artist Of The Week not too long ago. This girl has been into music since she was a toddler. She signed with Universal at age of 12. Now she’s recording her very first album at the age of 16. She’s not recording just any pop. This is not that Whip My Hair bullshit. Her songs are deep, thoughtful, and catchy as all hell. This week’s ARTIST OF THE WEEK: Lorde
The brain behind Lorde is New Zealand’s own, Ella Yelich-O’Connor. At first glance she is your average high school student. She attends class, hangs out with friends, goes to the movies, and writes songs in her spare time. Lorde is her onstage persona. A character she invented to be more comfortable on stage. She transforms. No longer is she your run of the mill kid. She becomes a looming figure, more creature than woman, with a powerful voice, and a piercing thousand-yard stare. She creeps me out, but I can’t look away. Lorde only started releasing music last November when she released her first EP The Love Club in late 2012.
EP’s are rarely enough for me to stand and take notice. This is the exception. It’s strong. And it’s spreading like wildfire. One of the main reasons it’s blowing up is due to the fact that the EP was offered for free. In an interview Lorde, she admitted that she offered it for free. Because kids her age like free. This is the same marketing tactic used by heroin dealers. First bump is free. 
After that, they’re hooked. Then they keep them coming back until they’re dead. The girl seems to know what she’s doing.
The Love Club was an instant hit in her homeland, and it was an instant hit with me. It takes the best parts of Lily Allen, Kate Nash, and Lana Del Rey, but with better lyrics. Her first single Royals up the charts in New Zealand. I don’t know what it takes to blow up the charts in New Zealand; they have a population of 4.4 Million. That’s roughly half the population of New York City, so It’s not a huge country, but she had the number 1 single there. That’s something. Royals the new party hit. It’s certainly going onto my next party playlist. It’s accompanying music video is unlike any I’ve seen put out by a young artist. It looks like the trailer for a Michael Hanke Movie. If you don’t know whom Michael Hanke is, look him up. It’s not my job to explain it. Watch the trailer for Cache. You’ll get it.
That song is my jam right now. Can’t stop blasting it.
I saw that video and was thrown off. What 16 year old girl dreams of making a video that has the stink of a German art film director all over it? Then I read in one of her interviews that she is a huge David Lynch fa. That really explains all of her videos, especially the vid for her new song Tennis Court, off of her second EP of the same name.
The Tennis Court video is pushing Bjork weird. I love it. She’s got the big eyes, they’re freaking me out, and I FUCKING LOVE IT.
The songs on these EP’s are pretty damn grown up for someone who is only 16. Lorde is at this on her own too, which is crazy to me. The only real outside influence on her tunes is the aid of her producer Joel Little. Other that that, It’s all her. This next one is called The Love Club.
I thought that I was into Lorde, but I realized I was really into her when she announced her thoughts on Drake and Nicki Minaj:
“They all sing about such opulence, stuff that just didn’t relate to me—or anyone that I knew. I began thinking, “How are we listening to this? It’s completely irrelevant.”
Yes Lorde, They are completely irrelevant. I don’t know why we are listening to them either. Minaj is nuts and Drake is a Canadian actor that cut his teeth on a teen soap. You soft Drake. Except when you fought Chris Brown. Big props on that. Chris Brown is a cunt.
Lorde only has the two EP’s totaling 7 songs. It’s not a lot but it’s enough to take notice. The girl has pipes and the ability to craft a meaningful pop song. Not a common thing these days. Check her out now.
Big Hugs,
Kelly
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