Ella Yelich-O’Connor, aka Lorde, was only 16 when she released her debut single, “Royals,” on June 3 2013. Lorde would go on to release her debut album, “Pure Heroine,” three months later, which subsequently established the artist as a figurehead of the teen pop genre. 10 years after the release of “Pure Heroine,” Lorde’s musical and lyrical influence can still be heard through younger artists like Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish.
What differentiated Lorde from her counterparts at the time of the release of “Pure Heroine” was her ability to connect directly with her peers: teenagers. Songs like “Ribs” deal with the relatable growing pains associated with leaving behind adolescence, while “400 Lux” is a love letter to a high school suburban romance. She has the ability to speak for a whole generation, shown by her frequent use of “we” rather than referring to an individual. While “Pure Heroine” certainly grappled with Lorde’s burgeoning fame, the average teenager could find something relatable in almost every song, and every lyric.
With “Pure Heroine,” Lorde became a part of the teenage counterculture by questioning the ostentatious and shallow culture that was a byproduct of social media and the top-ten hits of the time. While singers and rappers were bragging about their material possessions on maximalist pop productions, Lorde decided that she and her peers were above the materialism that permeated society. Lorde achieved mainstream popularity with “Royals” because she had the boldness to denounce materialism. “That kind of luxe just ain’t for us/We crave a different kind of buzz,” she proclaims on the track.
The album’s rejection of materialism, its minimalist productions, and capacity to recount the authentic teenage experience established “Pure Heroine” as a timeless album that still inspires today’s young artists. Olivia Rodrigo, for example, has drawn heavily on Lorde as inspiration for her first two albums, “SOUR” and “GUTS.” Songs like “brutal” on “SOUR” seem to draw inspiration from “Ribs” and “Buzzcut Season,” where both artists experience the disillusionment of growing up. Lorde has also created a space for young artists like Rodrigo to reach success in the mainstream sphere. When Lorde achieved fame with her debut in the early 2010s, it was rare to see an authentic narration of the inner workings of the teenage mind. Now, Lorde has paved the way for teenage artists to achieve mainstream success with songs that authentically portray adolescence.
In addition to Rodrigo, 21-year-old Billie Eilish is clearly influenced by “Pure Heroine” sonically and thematically. In an interview with BBC Radio, Lorde said that she and Eilish share a connection because of their common experience with fame at a young age. “There’s only a handful of people who understand what that’s like, to be a teenager and have that level of scrutiny on your body and your brain,” Lorde said. Both artists chronicle their struggles with fame through their music. Both “NDA” by Billie Eilish and “Tennis Court” by Lorde look upon fame with contempt as they witness how it has changed them for the worse. In addition, the minimal production style that has become Eilish’s signature is also a defining characteristic of “Pure Heroine.”
“Pure Heroine” has established itself as an ageless album that is sure to inspire generations to come. By simply looking at the name of the album, one can gauge the album’s enigmatic nature. The album is minimalist, yet catchy and addicting, hence the “heroine” reference. However, Lorde likely references herself as the “Pure Heroine” of the music industry, saving us from the manufactured conventionality of pop music.
