Watch Lorde preview new single ‘What Was That’ at surprise New York pop-up

23 April, 2025

Lorde has previewed her new single ‘What Was That’ for fans at a pop-up event in New York – check out footage of it below.

Lorde – who will soon make her comeback with the single ‘What Was That’ – yesterday (April 22) sent a text message to her New York fans who had signed up for her newsletter to meet her “in the park”.

The message sent her fans into a frenzy, as throngs of people made their way down to Washington Square Park to await her arrival. Soon after, Lorde later updated her fans via a now-deleted Instagram story that the pop-up was being cancelled by authorities before her arrival: “Omg @thepark the cops are shutting us down. I am truly Amazed by how many of you showed up!!! But they’re telling me you gotta disperse… I’m so sorry.”

However, she later showed up and played a preview of ‘What Was That’ in the middle of the park. Though she did not perform the song live, she stood atop a crater and danced along to the tune, which producer Blood Orange/Dev Hynes played aloud.

 

The pop-up comes ahead of the release of her comeback single, ‘What Was That’, which has yet to receive a release date. She began hinting at new material at the end of last year, wiping her social media accounts and leading to fans believing that a new chapter was on the way. She also shared exactly one second of new music, alongside several pictures of herself inside the studio, writing: “will be back in touch”.

The hints continued into 2025 too, with the singer wiping her website and sharing a brief clip on TikTok earlier this month, which saw her walking through New York City’s Washington Square Park (where she heldthe pop-up), listening to a new track that includes the lines: “Since I was 17, I gave you everything / Now we wake from a dream, well baby, what was that? / What was that?” 

Lorde
Lorde performs at Sziget Festival 2023 on August 14, 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Joseph Okpako/WireImage)

Most recently, she shared a voice note with her fans, teasing a new era after making a surprise appearance at Coachella during Charli XCX’s set: “I just wanted to say hi because everything is about to change. These are really the last moments where it’s just us, which is crazy. It’s so right. I’m so ready. I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to say that, but I am. I’m so thankful for your patience. I’ve felt your love, I’ve felt you right there. This is going to be crazy, you have no idea.”

The ‘Ribs’ artist has released a new album every four years, beginning with 2013’s ‘Pure Heroine’, 2017’s ‘Melodrama’, and most recently, 2021’s ‘Solar Power’. She has dropped new music this year already, though in the form of a collaboration. Earlier this year, she and Marlon Williams joined forces on ‘Kāhore He Manu E’ – with the pop singer saying the collaboration was “one of my favourite things to do on earth”.

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