Everything We Know About 'Lorde Summer' Ahead of Her New Album

Brat summer has been fading, albeit slowly, and a nail in the coffin came at Coachella 2025, when Charli XCX herself declared it’s time for a "different kind of summer," hinting at Lorde summer while the two were on stage together performing their angsty single titled "Girl, so confusing."

Trading in the electric dance beats of Brat for something more introspective, this summer might just be shaping up to be a melodramatic one (fingers crossed). The 28-year-old, born Ella O'Connor, has been relatively quiet since the release of her 2021 album Solar Power—a sun-soaked detour that followed the critically beloved Melodrama in 2017, arguably one of her most defining works to date. But now, after a long hiatus, besides her quick feature on Charli XCX’s remix of “Girl, so confusing,” it looks like the New Zealand singer is ready to step back into the spotlight—and fans are more than ready.

If Charli’s proclamation wasn’t enough of a sign, Lorde herself is fueling the fire with new music on the way. Brat summer will always be a mainstay in the pop culture history books, and "brat" will always be a way to describe that vibe. But for now, Charli is celebrating a new vibe, uplifting her fellow musician.

Keep scrolling to learn everything we know about Lorde's new album, likely set to dominate this summer's soundtrack.

Lorde's New Single: "What Was That"

Lorde has been teasing her comeback over the past week, including a TikTok filmed in Washington Square Park where she soundtracked her city stroll with a snippet of her upcoming single. Last week, she teased the new single on Instagram, stating a cryptic "Out soon," which immediately sparked a fan frenzy, with thousands of comments begging for more details. 

Well, ask and receive. The track, now confirmed to be titled “What Was That,” is officially dropping Friday, April 25, which is sooner than many of us thought, though no one is complaining. 

Lorde's New Album, Coming Summer 2025 

Although not much else is known about Lorde's new era, except that it will debut summer of 2025, we can only guess what this new album will entail. As the first single is dropping this Friday—artists often follow the formula of releasing a lead single one to three months before to build anticipation—it is safe to expect at any point in the summer, from early June to late August. If the short snippet of "What Was That" is any clue to how the rest of the album will sound, it is very reminiscent of some aspects of Melodrama, and fans are here for it.