Lorde Says She Discussed Gender Identity With Chappell Roan: ‘I'm a Woman Except for Days When I'm a Man'
In a Rolling Stone cover story published Thursday (May 15), the New Zealand native revealed that she and the 'Pink Pony Club' singer have gotten quite close over the past year, and that one of the things they've discussed is Lorde's changing relationship with gender. When asked how she identifies now, the 'Royals' artist told the publication, '[Chappell Roan] asked me this … She was like, 'So, are you nonbinary now?''
More from Billboard
Everything We Know About Lorde's 'Virgin' So Far
Andy Bell Confirms His Place in Reunited Oasis Lineup
Snoop Dogg Drops 'Iz It a Crime' Album Featuring Sexyy Red, Wiz Khalifa & Pharrell: Stream It Now
'I was like, 'I'm a woman except for the days when I'm a man,'' Lorde continued. 'I know that's not a very satisfying answer, but there's a part of me that is really resistant to boxing it up.'
The musician also explained that she still identifies as a cisgender woman who uses 'she' and 'her' pronouns. But the complexities of her newfound gender fluidity informed much of the June-slated Virgin, the opening track of which Rolling Stone reveals finds her declaring, 'Some days I'm a woman/ Some days I'm a man.'
Even so, Lorde added that she doesn't think her gender expression is 'radical' compared to what most transgender and nonbinary people face on a daily basis. In the United States in particular, the rights of LGBTQ people have been under constant threat for years, something Roan — a longtime advocate for the community and a queer-identifying artist herself — has spoken out about many times.
'I see these incredibly brave young people, and it's complicated,' Lorde said. 'Making the expression privately is one thing, but I want to make very clear that I'm not trying to take any space from anyone who has more on the line than me. Because I'm, comparatively, in a very safe place as a wealthy, cis, white woman.'
The star's embrasure of her new gender expression is one of several personal transformations that has occurred since she last dropped an album, 2021's Solar Power, four years ago. In addition to breaking up with Universal Music executive Justin Warren after about eight years together — 'It was so painful, as they are, but there was real dignity to it,' she told the publication of the split — Lorde also recovered from an eating disorder, something she's also been increasingly open about in the weeks ahead of Virgin's June 27 release.
'I felt so hungry and so weak,' she recalled of being obsessed with calories and protein intakes around the time Solar Power came out, specifically the day it dropped. 'I was on TV [that] morning, and I didn't eat because I wanted my tummy to be small in the dress. It was just this sucking of a life force or something.'
See Lorde on the cover of Rolling Stone below.
Best of Billboard
Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1
Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits
H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
28 minutes ago
- Forbes
Taylor Swift's Grammy-Winning Album Surges, Thanks To One Song
August is a very exciting month for Taylor Swift, and the current one is proving to be one of her most thrilling in a while. The singer has a hit song of the same name which surges in consumption every year, and its continued popularity helps the full-length it's featured on become a top performer in her discography yet again — not that Folklore ever really needs the help. Folklore Lifts on Multiple Billboard Charts As sales and streams of 'August' grow considerably, Folklore improves its standing on a number of tallies. The project rises to No. 3 on the Top Alternative Albums chart and No. 4 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums roster. It also reappears on the Top Streaming Albums list, blasting in at No. 21, seemingly out of nowhere. Folklore's Consumption Grew by 33% Folklore's total number of units shifted grew considerably from one week to the next, and all the activity centered around 'August' is largely to thank for its uptick. Luminate reports that in the past tracking period in America, Folklore shifted more than 22,100 equivalent copies. That's up almost 33% from the period before, when it moved 17,700 units. 2,400 copies of those 22,100 were pure purchases. Taylor Swift's Album Leaps 20 Spaces on the Billboard 200 All that consumption helps Folklore enjoy its greatest leap up the Billboard 200. The full-length sat at No. 45 last time around, and now, just after half a decade on the tally, it rockets to No. 25. 'August' Becomes a Sudden Top 10 Hit Again 'August' itself is a major win yet again this week in America. The track is a top 10 smash once more on both the Alternative Digital Song Sales and Alternative Streaming Songs charts, as it reenters at Nos. 7 and 9, respectively. The tune even manages a worldwide comeback as it breaks back onto the Billboard Global 200 at No. 50 and the Billboard Global Excluding U.S. nine spaces further south. The Life of a Showgirl is Coming in Less Than Two Months August 2025 is especially meaningful for Swift and her massive legion of fans, as they are not only looking back, but also into the future. The singer recently announced her new album The Life of a Showgirl, which is set to drop on October 3.
Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Teddy Swims Joins Miley Cyrus In A Historic Run At No. 1
Teddy Swims scored the hit of his career – of any artist's career – when he released 'Lose Control.' The tune, which was originally shared in the summer of 2023, is not only still present on a handful of Billboard charts, it actually manages to lead one radio list, and it continues to make history on several other tallies. As the Grammy nominee holds in first place on one roster, he joins another superstar in a very specific and exclusive club. 'Lose Control' Hits 40 Weeks at No. 1 'Lose Control' is in charge once again of the Adult Contemporary chart, one of Billboard's three pop radio rankings. The tune has now led the charge on that tally, which focuses on the top performers across all radio stations in the United States that cater to playing only AC music, for 40 weeks. It's very strange for any track to command an American tally for that long, let alone one focused on radio, where turnover is common. Miley Cyrus Still Claims the All-Time Record Billboard reports that 'Lose Control' is just the second song in history to lead the Adult Contemporary chart for 40 weeks. The record for the most stays on the throne still belongs to 'Flowers' by Miley Cyrus. That Grammy-winning cut remains in a distant first place with 57 stints at No. 1. Can Teddy Swims Match Miley Cyrus? There's a high likelihood that 'Lose Control' will continue to rule the Adult Contemporary chart for some time. The track is a winner not only on the AC list, but on other Billboard rankings that suggest there's still real interest from American audiences in the cut. Whether it will hold on at No. 1 for another 17 stays and match Cyrus is difficult to predict, as hers was an unprecedented showing — but 'Lose Control' is also a historic hit, the kind that has never been seen before in America. 'Lose Control' Will Soon Make Hot 100 History As Swims dominates the Adult Contemporary chart once more, he keeps 'Lose Control' at No. 12 on the all-genre Radio Songs roster. The track also appears on the Streaming Songs and Digital Song Sales charts at Nos. 13 and 21, respectively. Amazingly, 'Lose Control' is just one week away from becoming the first composition to spend two full years on the Hot 100. As it celebrates 103 frames on the ranking, the tune dips from No. 7 to No. 9. 'Lose Control' recently became the first track to rack up triple-digit stays anywhere on the list, and based on how it's performing, it may hold on for several more weeks, if not months.
Hypebeast
an hour ago
- Hypebeast
Steve Lacy 宣布回歸：首支主打〈Nice Shoes〉登場、全新專輯《Oh Yeah?》蓄勢待發
重點摘要 Steve Lacy 正式宣布即將推出全新專輯《Oh Yeah?》，並同步公開首支單曲〈Nice Shoes〉。 這首三分鐘的單曲以強勁鼓點配合尖銳、如哨音般的合成器作開場，Lacy 以漫不經心的嗓音率先登場，副歌部分則換上更具旋律感的唱法。他如吟唱般重複「Make it stop」一句，短暫的 R&B／Neo-Soul 段落後，再度回到電子基調。 〈Nice Shoes〉將收錄於《Oh Yeah?》，這是 Lacy 闊別三年的全新專輯。他向Rolling Stone透露：「以前只要節奏和 hook 做好，我就會直接交出去，歌詞永遠擺在次位。我當時想：節拍夠狠、低音線夠硬、和弦夠亮，還需要什麼？但現在我想用自己的語氣，把想說的話說出來。」 Steve Lacy 的〈Nice Shoes〉現已於 Spotify 上架，立即點播。
