Lorde has recalled the “rock and roll” moment on her trip to Antarctica in 2019, which made such an impact on her it inspired the name of her next album.
In an interview with Antarctica New Zealand, the music star said her trip to the frozen continent was the coolest thing she had ever done.
The 24-year-old got emotional recalling her time in Antarctica, a place she had thought about since she was a child.
“When you grow up in New Zealand you have this relationship with Antarctica from when you’re a little kid. You learn about it in school. For me, it was always a big passion of mine.
“I remember stepping off the plane and it was just the most incredible weather – blue sky and this dazzling sun. I felt like we were in space. It’s such an alien environment.”
The “Royals” singer, whose real name is Ella Yelich-O’Connor, described her trip as “like going to church”.
“The thing that I kept thinking about when I was there was that this place is not going to grant us mercy. I’ve never been somewhere where I’ve felt such reverence for nature in its pure form.
“You just feel such respect and gratitude for being allowed to be there.
“I was very aware that a “condition 1″ storm could blow through and ground us or leave people trapped somewhere in the field and have to wait it out. You’re never aware of nature in that form quite like being down there.”
She was also confronted with the effects of climate change while on the “raw and powerful” continent.
“Going to Antarctica, you’re able to see the potential for great change [in the environment] – positive or negative – based on how we respond. It’s hard to see a tangible consequence to how we consume and what we put out into the world.
“Going to Antarctica and seeing this really raw and powerful place and source of potential environment change was really helpful to me to see.
“If this continent melted in its entirety we’d see a 60-metre sea-level rise – that is really shocking and is something we need to pay attention to.”
But the scientific work being undertaken in Antarctica left her feeling hopeful – rather than doomed.
“I felt an incredible amount of hope [in Antarctica]. Seeing the science taking place and seeing the resilience of the terrain and the environment, there was hope and how we choose to engage right now is going to be a big part of that.”
Her trip to Antarctica also inspired the name of her next album.
“I felt incredibly inspired by going to Antarctica.”
“There is something so inspiring about it. You’re having all these ideas and to go somewhere which distils them into their purest form. There’s nothing else to focus on. Everything feels elemental and dropped back to that purity. It has been really inspiring for me creatively.”
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She dreamt about the continent every night for several months of her trip.
“Every few nights there are emperor penguins in my garden or some expansive white. It gets on a subconscious level.
“It’s the coolest thing that has ever happened to me.”
She remembers one particular moment where she tracked whales with scientists in a helicopter.
“I had this moment – it was 10 O’clock at night and I was resting against the helicopter and looking out at the shelf.
“I had this very distinct moment of thinking this is as cool as your life will ever get.
“This is it. This is the rock and roll moment that you thought would be in New York or LA – this is that moment. “
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