Lorde has announced that her 17 year record deal with Universal has ended.
The New Zealand singer sent a voice note to fans sharing the news yesterday (March 18) ahead of her upcoming Ultrasound festival shows.
“At the end of last year, my label deal — my record contract with Universal — came to an end,” she told fans. “I have been in that contract for a very, very long time, in some form … since I was 12 years old, when I signed my first development deal with Universal.”
Prefacing that she “adores” the “incredible people” who helped release her music on the label, Lorde continued: “I’ve had an amazing experience with them. But the truth is that a 12-year-old girl pre-sold her creative output before she knew what it would be like, and before she knew what she was signing away.”
Lorde added that she would consider re-signing with Universal, adding that she was “sure [she’ll] have a deal again” with a record label. However, she went on to say there were no plans to ink any contracts, explaining that she “needed to take a second to have nothing being bought or sold that comes from [her].”
“When I see an opportunity for a clean slate, I try to take it,” the ‘Green Light’ singer said. “And it does feel different … I feel a feeling of openness and possibility, and I’m inspired. It just feels exciting to have removed the container or something for a second.”
Lorde has revealed that she is currently an independent artist, meaning she is no longer under UMG, and that this is making her inspired to create more music. pic.twitter.com/iQ3SHdBSfU
— Lorde Updates 🧬⛓️ (@LordeUpdatesBR) March 18, 2026
Lorde released four studio albums with Universal. Debuting with 2013’s ‘Pure Heroine‘, which contains her smash hit ‘Royals’, she would go on to drop seminal record ‘Melodrama’ in 2017, and ‘Solar Power’ in 2021. Her final record under the deal was 2025’s ‘Virgin‘.
In our four-star review of ‘Virgin’, NME wrote that the record was “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’. This might be called ‘Virgin’, but Lorde proves she’s not afraid to strip herself bare.”
In other news, Lorde has been announced to headline Lollapalooza 2026 alongside Olivia Dean, Charli xcx, Tate McRae, The xx, John Summit, Jennie, The Smashing Pumpkins and more – check out the full lineup so far here.
