Ongoing History of New Music

Ongoing History Daily: Lorde’s backstory

In case you didn’t know, Lorde’s full name is Ella Maria Yelich-O’Connor. She chose “Lorde” as a stage name because she wanted something regal and aristocratic. Besides, she used to be obsessed with royal families (duh!), spending hours sketching out their various family trees. The silent “e” at the end just looks cool.

Her mom is an award-winning poet in New Zealand, which may explain why Lorde began writing fiction at first. She moved to songwriting when she was 11 after her dog fell off a balcony and accidentally hanged itself.

And when she was growing up, she had the nickname “Casper” and “Dusty” because she’s always had such a very pale complexion.

Alan Cross

is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 40+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.

Alan Cross has 39157 posts and counting. See all posts by Alan Cross

Let us know what you think!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.