♪ (punk rock music) ♪
♪ (mid-tempo pop music) ♪
- I feel like I know this song.
- I think I know this song.
Yeah, I do know this song!
- "Royals." Thank you, guys. This is my favorite song.
- ♪ I've never seen ♪
♪ A diamond in the flesh ♪ - (Adam) ♪ Diamond in the rough... ♪
Oh. That's the wrong lyric.
- ♪ I cut my teeth ♪ - Is that her?
- That's what she looks like?
- Craziest thing is that she's 16.
She looks like someone I would date,
but I wouldn't because that would be illegal.
- Oh my god, I'm gonna get so much hate, but I hate this song.
- ♪ In a torn-up town ♪
- (singing along) ♪ No postcode envy ♪
- I've never seen the music video though.
It's my favorite song, but I've never seen the music video.
Is that weird?
- ♪ Blood stains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room ♪
♪ We don't care ♪
♪ We're driving Cadillacs in our dreams ♪
♪ But everybody's like ♪
♪ Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece ♪
♪ Jet planes, islands ♪ - Interesting video.
- ♪ Tigers on a gold leash ♪
♪ We don't care ♪ - (chuckling)
He's staring at a basketball hoop.
- ♪ And we'll never be royals (Royals) ♪
♪ It don't run in our blood ♪
♪ That kind of luxe ♪
♪ Just ain't for us ♪ - Like, I've watched this before,
and I don't understand any of it. - ♪ We crave a different ♪
♪ Kind of buzz ♪
♪ Let me be your ruler ♪ - (singing along) ♪ Ruler ♪
- (Finebros) ♪ Ruler! ♪
- ♪ You can call me queen bee ♪
- I'm a little bored. - ♪ And baby, I'll rule ♪
♪ I'll rule, I'll rule ♪
- Waiting for something different to happen.
- (singing along) ♪ But every song's like ♪
♪ Gold teeth, grey goose, trippin' in the bathroom ♪
♪ Blood stains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room ♪
- This is like a guilty- pleasure song for me.
- ♪ Diamonds on your timepiece ♪
♪ Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash ♪
- I was expecting to see a tiger on a gold leash.
- ♪ We aren't caught up ♪ - I can't tell, is that eyeliner
or is that eye shadow?
- (singing along) ♪ And we'll never be royals ♪
- (Finebros) ♪ Royals! ♪
- ♪ It don't run in our blood ♪
♪ That kind of luxe just ain't for us ♪ - Oh, that's pleasant.
- What? - ♪ We crave a different kind of buzz ♪
♪ Let me be your ruler ♪ - (sings along) ♪ Be your ruler ♪
- (Finebros) ♪ Ruler! ♪
- (singing along) ♪ Let me live that fantasy ♪
(snaps fingers) - ♪ Oh ♪
- Oh, dang it.
- (sings along) ♪ Oh ♪ - ♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪
♪ Life is great without a care ♪
- Why do they just keep looking at the camera?
Like, that's creeping me out.
(giggles) - ♪ And we'll never be ♪
♪ Royals (Royals) ♪ - Oh my god, it's still going.
- This song, I feel like, is longer than it needs to be.
- ♪ Just ain't for us ♪
♪ We crave a different kind of buzz ♪
♪ Let me be your ruler (Ruler) ♪
- Like, any time it's on the radio, I switch the station.
And then of course when I go to another station,
it's playing on that station too.
- ♪ Let me live that fantasy ♪ - (Alix) ♪ Live that fantasy ♪
- It's so catchy.
- That is a good song.
- (whispering) 16. 16.
Ugh! 16.
♪ (punk rock music) ♪
- (Finebros) So what was that song and who was it by?
- It was "Royals" by Lorde.
- "Royals" by Lorde with an E.
- Lordy?
- (Finebros) Lorde. - Oh, Lorde. Oh really?
But it has an E at the end.
- (Finebros) Do you like the song? - I like the song.
- I LOVE the song.
- She's stripped it down so it's more about the lyrics.
- I feel like it's getting a little overplayed now
'cause radios always do that.
- Every single freaking minute on the radio
that I'm just like, "Get off."
- (Finebros) What were your thoughts on the music video?
- Heh. This is gonna sound dumb, but I didn't understand it.
- I didn't really understand what it was going for.
- It was kind of a weird music video.
- I noticed that she wasn't in it a ton.
- It was good but I didn't understand it at all.
Like, half the time, she was just like...
- I know monotone's a word to describe sound,
but that's the only thing that I can think of right now.
- I don't think it had anything to do-- maybe it did.
'Cause the song's talking about how they're not royals,
and this is showing how the guy's taking the subway.
And... oh, it makes sense now.
- (Finebros) And how old is she?
- 20s? (buzzer)
- 22? (buzzer)
- 24? (buzzer)
- 25? (buzzer)
- Isn't she 16 or something? (ding)
- (Finebros) She's 16.
- Huh?
- What?! No, she's not.
- What? I'm 16.
- I hate that she's 16.
'Cause I really want to date her
and have her be my girlfriend but I can't.
- (Finebros) What is your thoughts on that,
that she's 16 years old and has this hit song?
- I'm pretty impressed, man.
- That's so cool how talented she is and how big she's gotten.
- It's not surprising to me.
A lot of kids are really famous and have a lot of talent.
So... like me. Just kidding. (laughter)
- Makes me feel pretty bad that she's that amazing for that age,
and look where I am.
Benny, I'm sorry. Sorry. - (Finebros) Oh, Chelsea!
So what would you say is the message of the song?
- She wasn't born into a rich family.
- Fame isn't everything.
- She's singing for the love of singing and art and entertainment
instead of singing to get rich.
- Music nowadays is talking about parties or Gucci.
In reality, nobody really lives like that.
So we really can't relate to the songs.
But this song is super relatable.
- It kinda relates to me.
I don't really get this generation with our whole
whatever they're doing. It's just, it's not what I'm into.
I would rather focus on a career more than partying
or going out with friends and that type of stuff.
- (Finebros) Well, she said that when she wrote the song,
she was listening to a lot of rap music,
who make a lot of references to expensive alcohol and big cars
and a Hollywood lifestyle, and she was not relating to it
and doesn't even aspire for that. What do you think about that?
- I think that's great. Like, she's ordinary like us.
- It's not really relatable
what a lot of rappers and stuff write about.
- I love Drake, but he's all like,
"started from the bottom now we here."
But he was on Degrassi, and it's all fake.
- Some of us do want to have that kind of luxury, that fame.
The rest of us are just like, "I'm good with who I am."
- I think referencing expensive things
just makes people want all that stuff,
and that's not necessarily healthy.
We need to be okay with what we have,
and I think having that in a song is good.
- Our perception of success has changed so much.
It's all about material worth.
But you don't think success like, "Oh, I'm happy."
Like her and Macklemore,
it's not just all about money, sex, and drugs.
Not everyone can relate to that. I can't relate to that.
- (Finebros) Do you wish you could be living the life
that the pop stars and rap stars sing about?
- Yeah, of course.
- I hate myself for saying it, but I do a little bit.
I want to be able to say I've thrown a TV out of a window.
- I think it'd be kind of fun to be with all the celebrities.
But at the same time, it's just like, it's too much.
- Not at all.
They're hungover every day.
- I'm happy with where I am. I have my family. I have my friends.
There's nothing really more I could ask for.
I mean, money's always nice,
'cause they say money can't buy happiness,
but, you know, bacon is pretty close. You can buy that.
- (Finebros) She's also said that teenagers are portrayed
as leading crazy lives with tons of partying,
but she thinks most teenagers' lives are pretty mundane.
Do you agree? - Yeah.
Life is plain.
- All these songs are super popular, always talking about, like,
"Oh, let's get [bleep] up."
Sending a really bad message to society,
thinking that that's the way to have fun.
- I love her even more. I mean, why aren't we best friends?
'Cause we could talk so much about this topic.
People look down at us like we're just gonna go party
and rob places. But no, we have dreams and aspirations.
And we're just kids growing up.
- A lot of people perceive teenagers as,
"Oh, we're all horny, sexy teens.
We need to go do drugs and have sex."
But it's like, not a lot of people do live that kind of life.
Like, my Friday night, I'm pretty sure I played Mario.
If more music was like this, I think our youth would have
a different perception of
what they want to be when they're older.
- (Finebros) Finally, does this song deserve to be number one?
- Hell yeah.
- Yes, it does. I really like the song.
I enjoy it. It sends a great message out.
- I mean, it's a really unique song. She has a good voice.
But it's just not my cup of tea.
- Not only the song is catchy but the message is so strong
that it deserves to be spread out as much as it can
and for people to understand what the song is actually about.
- Oh gosh, yes. Like me and my mom, we sat at Denny's,
and we watched the Billboard Top 10s.
When Robin Thicke was up there and she was number two,
I was in there screaming at the table,
"She needs to be number one! What are we thinking?
People don't know music!"
- (Finebros) But now it's number one.
- Yeah, now I'm happy.
- ♪ Thanks for watching Teens React ♪
- (Finebros) ♪ Teens React! ♪
- We'll be back real soon, so make sure you're subscribed.
- If you liked what you saw in the main episode,
why not click on the bonus episode below?
- Everyone, tweet this video to Lorde
and tell her to guest-star on Teens React.
How amazing would that be? Seeing Lorde? She might even sing.
She might even sing. Maybe a little dancing.
♪ (punk rock music) ♪