Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: Friday Music: Full-on First Person

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  • Sacha,

    Interesting NY Mag interview includes this:

    I was surprised how few photos of you are out there. I figured, as 16-year-old, you’d have years of selfies online.
    Ha-ha. I’m quite selective about imagery. I like that cleanliness. They Google you and they see the one photo of you. Only now can I do that. I’m not sure that will last much longer. At first, there were no photographs. It was something I cultivated, as I started to grow. But I could feel people getting aggressive, like, show yourself already. I mean, I understand. I write pop music. People aren’t used to not being able to put a face or a body to it. So I was like, all right. I didn’t want to turn it into thing.

    Ak • Since May 2008 • 19745 posts Report

  • Lilith __, in reply to Sacha,

    A lovely interview. She's very charming.

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report

  • Richard Stewart, in reply to JacksonP,

    Oh my what a brilliant night of great music. I was a little surprised at how much the crowd thinned out after the Picassos set; the Doo Riffs topped the evening off nicely.

    Pt Chev • Since Feb 2012 • 73 posts Report

  • Bart Janssen, in reply to Hebe,

    I find it disturbing that it is seen as being sexually provocative.

    The only behaviour deserving of criticism here is that of those seeing her as provocative.

    She's young, talented and I really hope she can build on her success. And if she can't that's cool too, I've really enjoyed her music thus far, as have many others, and that's enough.

    As for the video, it's impressive. Much cleverer than the average pop star. Much like Lorde's lyrics.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 4461 posts Report

  • Matthew Littlewood, in reply to Bart Janssen,

    She's young, talented and I really hope she can build on her success. And if she can't that's cool too, I've really enjoyed her music thus far, as have many others, and that's enough.

    What I really like about the single "Royals" is how much it's stripped back to the elements. One of the things that still makes me somewhat unsure about Lana Del Ray is the fact the arrangements often seem at cross-purposes to her deliberately blank vocals, and not in a way she intended.

    In contrast, the backing to "Royals" is lithe, sharp and matches Lorde's somewhat offhand and playful delivery. I don't get the ingenue/Lolita thing from her at all. In fact, her work seems to reflect what she is- namely a rather precocious and arty teenager who's figuring out what kind of music and art she likes, and where she fits socially and otherwise.

    (Interestingly, the US recut of her "Royals" video focuses a lot more on Lorde. I get why they did that, but it actually makes it less interesting. I like the somewhat detached vibe of the original)

    Also, I don't think a pop star like her could've existed, say, 10 years ago- even then, having a young white girl croon ironically about hip-hop influenced materialism would seem too damn weird. Then again Hip-hop/RnB has been pop's primary colours for more than two decades now. So I guess it would be second-nature to her generation.

    I enjoyed that NY Magazine interview (although someone should've copy-edited it- there were a few typos). She comes across as pretty level-headed and sharp.

    Today, Tomorrow, Timaru • Since Jan 2007 • 449 posts Report

  • Lilith __, in reply to Matthew Littlewood,

    level-headed and sharp

    There is also a nice piece on her in the Guardian.

    Dunedin • Since Jul 2010 • 3895 posts Report

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