Lorde Parts Ways With Universal Music Group, Entering Independent Phase

Lorde has ended her long-standing relationship with Universal Music Group, choosing not to renew the deal she first entered into as a teenager. The decision marks the first time in her career that she is operating independently.

In a voice message shared with fans, Lorde described the shift as both deliberate and necessary. She explained that she had been under some version of the same contract since she was 12 years old, when she signed her initial development deal.

“I had an amazing experience,” she said, noting her appreciation for the people she worked with at the label. At the same time, she acknowledged that the agreement began before she had a clear understanding of what it meant to commit her future creative work.

Lorde released her debut album, Pure Heroine, in 2013 at age 16, quickly establishing herself as a defining voice in pop music. She followed it with Melodrama in 2017, a critically acclaimed release that expanded her profile, and Solar Power in 2021.

Her most recent album, Virgin, released in 2025, was the final project delivered under her agreement with Universal. Over the course of that period, Lorde maintained a relatively controlled output, releasing music in multi-year intervals and building a reputation for carefully constructed albums rather than frequent releases.

Rather than immediately signing a new deal, Lorde said she wanted to take time without contractual obligations. She described the decision as a way to step outside of a system she had been part of for most of her life. “I needed to take a second where nothing is being bought or sold that comes from me,” she said.

While she did not rule out working with a label again in the future, including potentially returning to Universal, she emphasized that the current moment is about exploring a different kind of creative space.

Lorde said the transition has affected more than just her professional structure. She pointed to a broader sense of openness, describing a period of experimentation and adjustment.

She has been preparing for upcoming festival appearances and the final dates of her Ultrasound World Tour later this year. Outside of music, she mentioned focusing on personal goals, including learning to play chess and studying for a driver’s license. She has also leased a workspace, which she plans to use as a base for writing and developing future projects.

More broadly, she described her current approach as intentionally open-ended, with an emphasis on trying new things rather than working toward a defined outcome. “I’m just trying to see what happens,” she said, framing the period as one of exploration rather than immediate production.