Lorde has marked the first anniversary of ‘Virgin‘ by sharing a collection of demos from the album, as well as a newsletter detailing the making of it.
READ MORE: Lorde – ‘Virgin’ review: the inquisitive artist strips herself bare
The letter, shared yesterday (June 26), includes 49 demos dating back to 2022, as well as notes and photographs from the album’s creation. They’re available to listen to on the streaming platform untitled.stream.
“Last year we played around with making an album worth of these skeleton versions, cool composites of a few different versions. But on Sunday night, I realised true X-rays of Virgin would be realer, funnier, more revealing of crookedness and slant,” she wrote of her decision to share the demos.
Lorde also opened up about the emotional weight of the record, admitting that sharing it felt “raw and exposing in a new way.” Reflecting on its intense creative process, she shared that “every single day making Virgin was a total gift,” even as she navigated personal challenges, including a breakup, an eating disorder, and a PMDD [Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder] diagnosis.
“I had the sense that I was setting myself free, building a holy site,” she wrote. “I concentrated on singing to myself the way I needed to be sung to.”
Lorde went on to say that she had been working on recovering from what she described as a “brief but long gestating” eating disorder while recording the album, including deleting a calorie-tracking app and working on her relationship with food.
“The week we started what would become Shapeshifter and What Was That I was working on believing that breakfast wasn’t a negotiation. I made myself drink a smoothie every morning, went to work when I wanted to run away, kept trying, one foot in front of the other.”
She also shared that a friend had noticed she seemed to fall into intense depression around her period each month, leading to her being diagnosed with PMDD – a severe form of premenstrual syndrome that can cause significant mood disturbances in the lead-up to menstruation.
Lorde also opened up about the influence of Charli XCX‘s ‘Brat‘, which she described as “a weather system of fearlessness and fragility”.
“My nascent stage was suddenly, shockingly external. I had to really look at my shit and stay open,” she wrote. “Charli kept me close and gave me the perfect amount of space, that takes real care. My faith in music as a social technology was restored. At the parties and festivals I smoked and sang and felt like part of the human race.”
In a postscript, she mentioned having googled burnout symptoms and said she was now on an SSRI and feeling better.
‘Virgin’ was given a four-star review by NME, which read: “‘Virgin’ is a vibrant combination of Lorde’s best qualities, and then some.”
“With her newfound candour, the record combines the emotional whirlwind of ‘Melodrama’, the chilling minimalism of ‘Pure Heroine’ and the breezy freedom of ‘Solar Power’,” it added. “This might be called ‘Virgin’, but Lorde proves she’s not afraid to strip herself bare.”
While Lorde rarely broke out the Charli XCX collab in her ‘Ultrasound Tour’ shows, last October she did play the song live while at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles and brought out the ‘360’ singer as a surprise guest.
Since the ‘Virgin’ record arrived and the ‘Ultrasound’ live dates kicked off, Lorde has donated over $200,000 from merch sales to Minnesota immigrant funds, and also been confirmed as a headliner for All Points East 2026 in London. That line-up also includes PinkPantheress, Zara Larsson and more as support.
For help and advice on mental health:
CALM – The Campaign Against Living Miserably
Help Musicians UK – Around the clock mental health support and advice for musicians (CALL MUSIC MINDS MATTER ON: 0808 802 8008)
Music Support Org – Help and support for musicians struggling with alcoholism, addiction, or mental health issues (CALL: 0800 030 6789)
YOUNG MINDS – The voice for young people’s health and wellbeing
Time To Change – Let’s end mental health discrimination
The Samaritans – Confidential support 24 hours a day
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