Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known by her stage name Lorde, is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. Born in Takapuna and raised in Devonport, Auckland, she became interested in performing as a child. In her early teens, she signed with Universal Music Group and was later paired with the songwriter and record producer Joel Little, who co-wrote and produced most of Lorde's works. Her first major release, The Love Club EP, was commercially released in March 2013. The project charted at number two on the national record charts of Australia and New Zealand.

In mid-2013, Lorde released her debut single "Royals". It became an international crossover hit, peaking atop the US Billboard Hot 100 and eventually made Lorde the youngest solo artist to achieve a US number-one single since Tiffany with her number-one hit "I Think We're Alone Now" in 1987. Later that year, she released her debut studio album, Pure Heroine. The record peaked atop the charts of Australia and New Zealand and charted at number three on the US Billboard 200. Its following singles include "Tennis Court", "Team", "No Better" and "Glory and Gore".