Lorde Bares It All On New ‘Virgin' Album Cover, Fans Spot Unexpected Detail
just dropped a bombshell, and fans are still picking their jaws up off the floor.
The 28-year-old Grammy-winning singer shocked the internet on Wednesday by unveiling the wildly provocative artwork and title for her fourth studio album, "Virgin."
And let's just say… Lorde understood the assignment.
Posted to her Instagram, TikTok, and website, the jaw-dropping cover appears to be an X-ray of a pelvic area, complete with visible hip bones, a belt buckle, a zipper, and one small detail that sent fans spiraling, a T-shaped object resembling an IUD (intrauterine device), a form of long-term birth control.
It's unclear if the X-ray is of Lorde herself, but regardless, fans went wild.
Alongside the bold artwork, the 'Royals' singer announced that the album was '100% written in blood' and revealed it would drop on June 27.
'An album by me,' she teased. 'Produced by me and Jim-E Stack.' She doubled down on the moody drama with merch already available featuring the X-ray image.
The response online? Pure chaos.
'Lorde putting an IUD on the album cover is very political. Can't wait,' someone noted, interpreting it as a statement on reproductive rights.
'The IUD on Lorde's new cover??? CONTRACEPTIVE QUEEN,' another fan cheered.
'I WASN'T PREPARED FOR THIS ON A WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, LORDE,' one stunned fan said.
"SICKEST ALBUM ARTWORK I AM FLOORED," one of her fans exclaimed.
'NOT THE IUD BEING ON THE COVER FOR AN ALBUM CALLED 'VIRGIN' OH MY LORDE YOUR BRAIN NEEDS STUDIED. THIS ALBUM COVER EATSSSS SO HARD,' wrote another, summing up the collective hysteria.
Lorde has been vocal about reproductive rights, especially after Roe v. Wade. In true Lorde fashion, during one of her shows, she gently encouraged the audience to take a moment to pause and breathe.
'Like so many of you, I've been sickened and heartbroken this week by the news that there are some people who think that our bodies are not our own,' the singer said at the time, according to Billboard. 'And I still don't have the words to talk about this with you. It's so big and so heavy. I think it's OK to freeze for a little bit, you know, and then you re-engage."
She clarified, "But what I'm trying to say is I have some big, heavy sh-t that I am working through that I am feeling.'
Others weren't sure what to make of the cover art.
'Girl, what are we looking at?' another asked, confused and intrigued.
"Excuse me, ma'am?" someone else commented.
"I'm confused," a third stated.
"Took me a moment, and then I realized Lorde posted this?" another TikToker said.
Meanwhile, one of Lorde's fans chimed in, setting the record straight. "Why does everyone keep asking what this means? Typically, a new song = an upcoming new album. This is the cover art of new album, and the name of new album," they wrote. "Said album will be released on 6/27.
The X-ray cover, which mixes raw medical imagery with feminine symbolism, comes with an email Lorde sent to fans, where she admitted she's 'proud and scared' of the project.
'The color of the album is clear. Like bathwater, windows, ice, spit. Full transparency,' she wrote. 'The language is plain and unsentimental... I was trying to make a document that reflected my femininity: raw, primal, innocent, elegant, openhearted, spiritual, masc.'
'There's nowhere to hide. I believe putting the deepest parts of ourselves to music is what sets us free.'
The bold announcement follows the April 25 release of her new single, "What Was That," her first new music since 2021's "Solar Power." The track's music video, partially filmed during a real-life bike ride to Washington Square Park, marked her official return after nearly four years out of the spotlight.
With "Virgin" dropping June 27 and the internet already ablaze, one thing's for sure. Lorde isn't just back, she's coming in unapologetically raw, unfiltered, and possibly IUD-powered.
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