Lorde Reveals She's Now Independent After Universal Contract Expired

Mar 18, 2026 2:30pm PT Lorde Reveals She’s Now an Independent Artist After Her Contract With Universal Expired Last Year By Steven J. Horowitz Plus Icon Steven J. Horowitz Senior Music Writer speriod Latest Sienna Spiro Charts Her Path to Becoming Pop’s Buzziest New Star: ‘Music Is the Only Thing That Makes Sense to Me’ 2 hours ago Kehlani Announces Fifth Album ‘Kehlani,’ Releasing in April 1 day ago Olivia Dean, Charli xcx, Tate McRae to Headline Lollapalooza 2026 1 day ago See All Samir Hussein/WireImage Lorde has revealed that she’s now an independent artist after her contract with Universal Music Group expired late last year. The singer shared the news of her newfound independence in a series of community voice notes to her fans, explaining that she was looking for a “clean slate” after the contract she signed when she was 12, nearly two decades ago, had elapsed in late 2025. Variety also confirmed that she’s no longer on UMG. Related Stories Beta Film Boards Spanish Dramedy ‘In Vitro,’ Selected for Series Mania's Buyers Upfront (EXCLUSIVE) “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. “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.” Popular on Variety She referred to the team at UMG as “incredible people” and that she “adores” them, but added, “The truth is that a 12-year-old girl pre-sold her creative output before she knew what it would be like and before she knew what she was signing away. I’m sure I’ll have a deal again, could well be with Universal, but I knew that I needed to take a second to have nothing being bought or sold that comes from me. “When I see an opportunity for a clean slate, I try to take it,” she continued. “\ It does feel different. It sounds like it wouldn’t but that it really does. A feeling of openness and possibility and inspired, of course. I’m working and all this stuff but it just feels exciting to have I don’t know remove the container for a second. So yeah, newness is kind of a theme, a clean slate to open this newness. I don’t know if you saw my phone background that says ‘I have no master.’ But I’m trying to feel what that feels like.” Reps for Lorde and UMG subsidiary Republic Records did not immediately respond to Variety‘s request for comment. Lorde most recently released her fourth album “Virgin” in June 2025 through UMG. She’s currently on her global “Ultrasound” tour, and noted in the community voice notes that her upcoming Los Angeles shows, taking place on May 14-15, will conclude the trek. Jump to Comments Michelle Pfeiffer’s Powerhouse Performance Keeps Taylor Sheridan’s Grief Drama ‘The Madison’ Afloat: TV Review Mia McKenna-Bruce and Natalie Dormer Bring a Royal-Adjacent Murder to Life in Britbox’s Sensationalized ‘The Lady’: TV Review ‘Campeón Gabacho’ Review: A Fanciful Immigrant Story About an Improbable Hero Punches With Visual Whimsy and a Strong Lead Nicole Kidman Is Dynamic in Prime Video’s Sensational Serial Killer Thriller ‘Scarpetta’: TV Review ‘Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man’ Review: Barry Keoghan Joins Cillian Murphy for More Rousing Brutes-in-Suits Action ‘Big Girls Don’t Cry’ Review: A Gentle, Rigorous Queer Coming-of-Age Story JavaScript is required to load the comments. Loading comments...