NEWS
Lorde called her friends Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, and Gracie Abrams live on the radio – and managed to catch one of them mid-hangover.
While appearing on BBC Radio 1, the singer played a game of ‘Sitting or Standing’, where she had to call friends and guess if they were on their feet or sitting down at the time of answering.
Lorde called up Abrams first, who was confused upon picking up. “I’m standing, should I sit?” Abrams answered in a perplexed tone after Lorde guessed she would be sitting.
Roan was the next to be surprised with a phone call, and Lorde guessed incorrectly again. “I’m so sorry, I’m on Radio 1, I’m doing this horrible show where they make me ask this ridiculous question,” the New Zealand musician said. “Wait, so is this on the radio?” Roan asked.
Last to get phoned was Charli XCX, who responded: “What is happening? I’m lying down.”
Charli XCX then admitted to being hungover, as Lorde laughs along with her: “I’m so hungover. Oh, hi, everyone. I can’t believe I’m on the radio like this.”
Last year, Lorde and Charli XCX squashed their beef and reignited their friendship in the ‘Girl, so confusing’ remix, which came out as part of Charli XCX’s ‘Brat’ remix album. The reworked song first came around when Charli admitted Lorde served as partial inspiration for the original lyrics, saying she was “super jealous” of her song ‘Royals’ and its success.
This jealousy is what inspired the song’s pre-chorus: “People say we’re alike / They say we’ve got the same hair / We talk about making music / But I don’t know if it’s honest”.
A few weeks after the release of ‘Brat’, Charli unveiled a new version of the track, this time featuring Lorde. The track would feature a memorable verse from Lorde, who opened with: “Well, honestly, I was speechless / When I woke up to your voice note / You told me how you’d been feeling / Let’s work it out on the remix”.
Charli then said the remix was actually Lorde’s idea, recalling: “The day before the record came out, I left her a voice note. [Lorde] replied straight away and was like, ‘Oh, my God, I had no idea you felt this way. I’m so sorry.’ And then was like, ‘You know, maybe I should be on a version of the song.’ I didn’t even ask her. She brought it up.
“So much of this rollout was planned, but sometimes it was not,” she concluded. “Lorde’s remix of ‘Girl, so confusing’ is a perfect example. That wasn’t planned. It took three days total.”
In response, Lorde called working with Charli “such a huge honour”, adding: “I love that we truly did work it out on the remix. There’s something very brat about that, something very meta and modern. Only Charli could make that happen.”
Lorde is set to embark on her UK, European and North American ‘Ultrasound’ tour later this year. She recently promised fans that the forthcoming gigs “could be our masterpiece”.
Special guests on the tour will include The Japanese House, Nilüfer Yanya, Chanel Beads, Empress Of and Oklou, as well as Blood Orange – with Devonte Hynes featuring on the album – and co-producer Jim-E Stack. Visit here for North American tickets and more information, and here for any remaining tickets and details for UK and European dates.
Taylor Swift believes Nashville has a music scene that stands apart from anywhere else.
The 36 year old singer moved to Nashville, Tennessee, when she was young to chase her dream of becoming a country music star. After being inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame on Monday (26.10.26), Taylor took the opportunity to recognise the city and the talented writers who have helped shape its music scene.
In her acceptance speech, Taylor said: "I believe you really get to master a craft by doing it again and again. That's exactly what the incredible songwriters in this wonderful town do every day."
Taylor also spoke about what makes Nashville such a special place for musicians.
The award winning singer, who ranks among the best selling music artists of all time, said: "You won't find another music community quite like this one. Trust me, I've checked them all."
Taylor also shared how being part of Nashville's songwriting scene had taught her valuable lessons about life and working with others.
She joked: "I've learned to be flexible when your co writer turns up with a hangover, or when they need to spend ages talking about their divorce before we can even get started on a song."
Taylor previously spoke about how Faith Hill and Shania Twain inspired her decision to move to Nashville.
Speaking to Time magazine, the singer said: "I couldn't get enough of watching TV biographies about Faith Hill and Shania Twain, and I realised they had both moved to Nashville to get their careers started. After that, I kept asking, pleading and begging my parents to take me there.
"When I was 11, my mum took my brother and me to Nashville during spring break, and we spent the trip driving around Music Row. She stayed in the car while I rushed into record companies one after another, giving my demo CD to the receptionists. I found it fascinating that so many major record labels were gathered along a single street, often inside little buildings and old houses.
"What really stayed with me was how welcoming people were to newcomers and complete strangers like us. We started visiting Nashville more often, and when I was 13, I received an offer for a development deal from a major record label. That was when my parents finally agreed to leave Pennsylvania and move with me."
