New Zealand Royalty - By Peter

Without a doubt, one of the biggest songs of 2013 (if not the biggest!) is "Royals" by Lorde. We'd be hard-pressed to find someone who hadn't heard the catchy, beat-driven track, but not everyone will be overly familiar with the curly-haired girl behind the catchy tune. She goes by the name Lorde, and she's full of surprises — not least of all, the age she was when she signed with Universal, and which pop star she's just turned down. Click through for five facts about this cool new kid on the block.

1. Ella Yelich O'Connor, better known as Lorde, was born in Devenport, Auckland, New Zealand (just across the pond!) on November 7, 1996. Yes, 1996 — she is just 16 years old. Sure, she might be fast-tracking her way to fame, but she's still in Year 12 at Takapuna Grammar School on Auckland's North Shore. Her dad's a civil engineer, her mum a poet — that'll explain where she gets her incredible songwriting skills from!

     

Without a doubt, one of the biggest songs of 2013 (if not the biggest!) is  

"Royals" by Lorde. We'd be hard-pressed to find someone who hadn't heard the 

catchy, beat-driven track, but not everyone will be overly familiar with the curly-haired 

girl behind the catchy tune. She goes by the name Lorde, and she's full of surprises 

— not least of all, the age she was when she signed with Universal, and which pop 

star she's just turned down. Click through for five facts about this cool new kid on the block.

1. Ella Yelich O'Connor, better known as Lorde, was born in Devenport, Auckland, 

New Zealand (just across the pond!) on November 7, 1996. Yes, 1996 — she is just 16 

years old. Sure, she might be fast-tracking her way to fame, but she's still in Year 12 

at Takapuna Grammar School on Auckland's North Shore. Her dad's a civil engineer, 

her mum a poet — that'll explain where she gets her incredible songwriting skills from!

2. She's no ordinary school girl, and she certainly marches to her own beat! 

While she told The Cut her mum still makes her lunches and drives her around, 

Yelich-O'Connor is all business. She writes her own songs — self-described "pop 

music" — alongside New Zealand artist Joel Little and has done so since the age of 

14. Think that's young? Try this: she was signed to Universal Music at the ripe old age of 13.

3. Lorde released her debut EP, The Love Club, online in March this year, to critical 

acclaim. Her hotly-anticipated debut album, Pure Heroine, will officially be released on September 30.