Sometimes I wish I was the kind of girl who could politely wait to be told things in a reasonable manner... but I'm not. On Wednesday, when it was announced that Lorde is part of the 2017 Bonnaroo lineup, a lightbulb went off in my brain. Does this mean that Lorde will have a new album out by summer? There hasn't been an official announcement of her sophomore release, so don't get too excited. But these clues are becoming too much to ignore.
Because check it out — wasn't the New Zealand-born wunderkind already signed up to perform at Coachella 2017 as well? And didn't I see her name on the poster for the 2017 Governor's Ball? It's a nugget of information that would be easy to miss or dismiss, because Lorde is a few lines down the page in both announcements. Given that she hasn't released an album since her debut, 2013's Pure Heroine or performed in almost as long, that's exactly why it's so interesting.
Lorde is wonderful and glorious and I've missed her so much, and I really don't want to look a gift horse in the mouth on this. But do you really think that three of the most-anticipated and star-studded music festivals, Bonnaroo, Coachella, and Governor's Ball, would all snag the singer-songwriter in the same year to do old material? I don't. There was word that Lorde's next effort was "in the production stage" all the way back in August 2016, so my bet is that it's completed now, or at least very very close to completed. Maybe she's been booked on these festivals under the assumption that either her new album will be great, or, worst case, her first album and her name-recognition will be enough to boost ticket sales all on its own. (Not that Coachella really needs any help with ticket sales.)
I don't know when it will be, and I don't know what kind of music it will be, because Lorde and her team have been incredibly tight-lipped on both. But I feel confident that the music will be out by the time Coachella kicks off in April, which means we should all keep our eyes peeled and our butts on the edge of our seats for the next couple months. I'm not a betting woman, but my money's on March 2017. (Please please please please please.)
Check out the rest of the lineup.
