Lorde is one of the most eclectic and fun musicians in the game.
From her mesmerizing live performances to her funky style, the girl is in it to win
it.
But beneath this Grammy-winner's cool-girl persona, there are more than a few shady stories
and sketchy rumors that everyone just ignores.
What about girl code?
Lorde became fast friends with Lena Dunham after they were introduced to each other by
their mutual pal Taylor Swift.
But how good a friend was Lorde being when she started hanging out with Dunham's ex-boyfriend?
Shortly after Dunham and musician Jack Antonoff split in January 2018, Lorde was spotted spending
time with him in New Zealand.
It may be true that a person shouldn't have to pick sides in a breakup, yet fans couldn't
help but cringe at photos of Lorde cozying up to Antonoff.
While a good chunk of the criticism was directed towards Antonoff over suspicion that he cheated,
we have to wonder if Lorde got off easy.
There's something to be said for girl code, after all.
Arguably the worst part of this controversy was Lorde's seemingly casual response to the
drama.
When asked about the dating rumors, she responded on Instagram Live:
"I love him.
He's awesome, but we're not dating!"
Diseased friendship
Lorde caught a lot of heat from fans after she made a questionable comment about her
friendship with Taylor Swift.
Although Lorde was supposedly a treasured member of Swift's famous squad, that sentiment
was put into question when the "Green Light" singer compared her friend to a sickness.
In June 2017, she told The Guardian,
"It's like having a friend with very specific allergies.
There are certain places you can't go together.
Certain things you can't do.
There are these different sets of considerations within the friendship.
It's like having a friend with an autoimmune disease."
Of course, it's possible Lorde didn't intend to be malicious and that she was just joking.
But even if she was being facetious, a lot of folks didn't take kindly to the comparison,
including those who suffer from autoimmune diseases.
Lorde did eventually apologize for the gaffe, tweeting,
"I f---ed up & that was really insensitive.
I'm sorry."
Shading the yacht set
Some fans might remember when Lorde took a self-deprecating shot at people who vacation
in luxurious locales.
In a since-deleted January 2016 Instagram post, she wrote,
"When you scroll through your feed and all the pretty famous boys and girls are on yachts
or in saint barth's and you're at home where it's raining and you've never even been on
a holiday to another country before.
Never been to a tropical island let alone saint barth's and actually you aren't even
sure if you're spelling saint barth's right."
She wasn't spelling it right, and once again, the jury is out on whether Lorde was just
trying to make or joke or if she was dishing out some subtle shade.
Some online sleuths wondered if her jab was directed at model Kendall Jenner and singer
Harry Styles.
That suspicion was warranted, considering Jenner and Styles were photographed yachting
together just days before Lorde shared her take.
The rampant speculation actually prompted Lorde to clarify her remarks by editing her
original Instagram post:
"Lol no 'shade' folks if i were on an island or in even nearish proximity to a yacht you
would be hearing all the f--- about it just making fun of my own lameness."
Calling rap "irrelevant"
A particularly cringeworthy Lorde moment occurred during a May 2013 chat with Interview Magazine.
In that piece, she discussed the inspiration behind her music, saying,
"Around the middle of last year I started listening to a lot of rap, like Nicki Minaj
and Drake, as well as pop singers like Lana Del Rey.
They all sing about such opulence, stuff that just didn't relate to me - or anyone that
I knew.
I began thinking, 'How are we listening to this?
It's completely irrelevant.'"
Many fans weren't impressed with Lorde calling some well-regarded musicians irrelevant, to
put it mildly.
She was roasted on Twitter, and her take generated plenty of headlines.
So once again, Lorde had to clarify her comments, as she tweeted,
"I have nothing but love and admiration for both Nicki and Drake (have said this x1000).
Just because their songs aren't my reality (being 17 and from Auckland) doesn't mean
I don't admire their musicianship and careers!"
Is she really a feminist?
Lorde has never been shy about expressing her own feminism.
So considering that she's all about female empowerment, it's kind of bizarre that she
seemingly questioned fellow pop star Selena Gomez's commitment to the cause.
At the center of Lorde's jab was Gomez's hit single "Come & Get It."
In an interview with Rolling Stone, Lorde said,
"I'm a feminist and the theme of her song is, 'When you're ready, come and get it from
me.’
I'm sick of women being portrayed this way."
Shortly after Lorde's comment made the rounds, fans took to social media to put her on blast.
One person tweeted,
"For a feminist, she sure loves putting females down."
As for Gomez, she took the comment in stride.
In an appearance on the Washington, D.C. radio program The Kane Show, she said,
"In my opinion it's not feminism if you're tearing down another artist.
So that's the only thing that I feel.
I don't take it to heart."
Tone-deaf Whitney Houston reference
Lorde has learned the hard way that you should always think before you speak.
Although this might seem obvious to many celebs, she clearly missed this memo when, in April
2018, she inadvertently made reference to Whitney Houston's accidental drowning in a
bathtub.
In a supposed nod to Houston's version of Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," Lorde
captioned a since-deleted Instagram snap of a bathtub, "And iiii will always love you."
The response to the post was largely negative, with many calling out Lorde for her insensitivity.
She later blamed poor judgment for the controversy, writing on Instagram Stories,
"Extremely extremely poorly chosen quote.
I’m so sorry for offending anyone - I hadn't even put this together, I was just excited
to take a bath.
I'm an idiot.
Love Whitney forever and ever.
Sorry again."
Perhaps it's time for Lorde to start leaning on some public-relations pros before she dishes
online.