'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wgARCAAHAAoDASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYH/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA//aAAwDAQACEAMQAAAAwicFT//EACAQAAICAQMFAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQFBhAREhMhMXL/2gAIAQEAAT8Axc9CTTOSryU3e07IEn4Q9s9QKkE+R6bn62//xAAWEQEBAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABACH/2gAIAQIBAT8ADL//xAAXEQADAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIi/9oACAEDAQE/ALWZZ//Z'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
On Wednesday, April 30, Lorde announced her upcoming album, titled Virgin, by releasing its cover art on her Instagram handle. The cover shows a blue-tinted X-ray of a pelvis, with a belt buckle and zipper in the center, and what appears to be the outline of an IUD below the zipper.
The cover art was later shared by @PopCrave in a tweet, which also mentioned that her album was "100% written in blood" in the caption.
Trending
The tweet has since gone viral, receiving more than 197K views and 3.7K likes. Netizens have been reacting to it, with one of them commenting:
"Vampire Lorde coming to slay us all"
Some netizens claimed that Lorde was "getting too brave," while others called her stunt of writing the album in blood a "bold move."
"Anything solely written by one person is usually trash" - commented an X user.
"Writing an album "in blood" is a bold move — perfect for those who believe drama constitutes depth. Shakespeare once said something about 'sound and fury signifying nothing.' But I'm sure he didn't have Gen Z marketing in mind." - added another.
"she’s getting too brave for a khia asylum member" - wrote a third netizen.
On the other hand, some netizens spoke in her support, expressing their excitement for the upcoming album and eagerness to stream it when it dropped.
"She put her heart and sole into this album and we will be buying and steaming it" - replied a fourth netizen.
"DAN NIGRO oh this album gonna slap" - posted a fifth one.
"Oh? Devonté Hynes?? Everything they touch becomes gold! this is gonna be a 10 from start to end" - remarked a sixth user.
"Pure emotion, raw truth, pain becomes art." - commented a seventh one.
Lorde's Virgin will drop on June 27
Lorde's Virgin, which appears to have 11 songs on Apple Music, will be dropping next month, on June 27. In addition to What Was That, which was released as its first single last week (on April 24), the others remain untitled at the time.
Alongside the album's announcement, the Mood Ring singer has also launched its accompanying merchandise, including vinyls, CDs, t-shirts, hoodies, and a cap.
In a press release accompanying her announcement, Lorde talked about the direction of the project in all-caps, saying:
"The color of the album is clear. Like bathwater, windows, ice, spit. Full transparency. The language is plain and unsentimental. The sounds are the same wherever possible. I was trying to see myself, all the way through. I was trying to make a document that reflected my femininity: raw, primal, innocent, elegant, open-hearted, spiritual, masc."
Further adding that she was both "proud and scared" of the album, the Tennis Court singer continued:
"There's nowhere to hide. I believe that putting the deepest parts of ourselves to music is what sets us free."
Lorde's new album announcement comes in the wake of Gracie Abrams covering her 2017 song, Liability, at the Auckland concert of her Secret of Us Tour. While chatting with fans, Abrams also shared that she had been thinking of Lorde "a lot" while spending a week in her home country.
