Lorde Ready For New Label Deal, LED Jacket

Skip to ContentNewsLorde Ready For New Label Deal, LED JacketBy Danielle Chelosky6:52 PM EDT on March 18, 2026Share on FacebookShare on RedditShare on EmailShare on BlueskyPascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Last year, Lorde ruled the pop world with her latest record Virgin. Today, the New Zealand singer revealed that her deal with Universal Music Group expired in December, and now she's an independent artist."I feel a real hunger for newness and I feel like a new leaf is turning or there’s a blank slate that’s been presented, and I feel this way because at the end of last year, my label deal, my record contract with Universal came to an end," she said in a voice memo sent to fans. "I have been in that contract for a very, very long time and some form of that contract since I was 12 years old, when I signed my first development deal with Universal.""I adore them, they’re incredible people, and I have had an amazing experience with them," she continued. "But the truth is that a 12-year-old girl pre-signed and pre-sold her creative output before she knew what it would be like and before she knew what she was signing away.""When I see an opportunity for a clean slate, I try to take it," she added, also clarifying that she'll probably sign a deal again in the future, and it "could well be with Universal." But she emphasized that she "needed to take a second to have nothing being bought or sold that comes from me."Meanwhile she headlined Lollapalooza Chile over the weekend and seemingly endured a wardrobe malfunction. "The new jacket appeared to start burning," she commented on an Instagram post of her performance, referring to a jacket with LED lights that she wore while singing "David." She added, "did anyone smell it" (no one really answered the question). View this post on Instagram View this post on Instagram Lorde and Addison Rae playing chess. pic.twitter.com/fkBIYRSASZ— The Lorde Cult (@TheLordeCult) March 18, 2026Share on FacebookShare on RedditShare on EmailShare on BlueskyDanielle Chelosky@dniellecheloskyRead More:Addison Rae,Lorde,Universal Music GroupGET THE STEREOGUM DIGESTThe week's most important music stories and least important music memes.EmailSign upMore from NewsExplore NewsNewsJay-Z Announces 2026 Yankee Stadium ShowsMarch 18, 2026NewsSquarepusher – “K7 Museum”March 18, 2026NewsArea Man Can’t Write Music Without The OnionMarch 18, 2026NewsWillie Nelson Announces 156th Album Featuring A New Song He Wrote With Bob DylanMarch 18, 2026NewsCranberries Members Join Sombr For “Linger” In DublinMarch 18, 2026NewsAs Madonna Readies Confessions On A Dance Floor 2, William Orbit Says She’s Ignored His Ray Of Light 2 For 20 YearsMarch 18, 2026