The first thing Ella Yelich O’Connor does when she gets back home to New Zealand is head to a supermarket.
“I’m going to the supermarket quite quickly, yeah.” I do really like to get the groceries. It makes you feel quite calm, you know, like “I’ve got olive oil again,” laughs the artist known as Lorde.
The Grammy-winning artist, 26, has been hiding out in her hometown of Auckland since November and is finally set to start the New Zealand leg of her long-awaited Solar Power tour next month.
But first, she’s making the most of summer in Tmaki Makaurau, despite the weather.
“I mean, it has rained the entire summer, but I still feel like I’ve had such a nice break after quite a big year of shows and travel,” she tells the Herald.
So, what’s on her summer bucket list? shopping, lunchtime swims, fishing, and food.
“I really like how a swim is just part of your day in the summer. It’s definitely not something you can do in New York.” I obviously love seeing my family. I love to get up for a fish. Once I’ve done that, it always feels like summer has begun. And then I just ate all the yum s*** I hadn’t eaten in six months!”
“I just love that restaurant so much.” I think Paul [Lee] did something so clever with that. And I crave it; I like to think about those dishes. I also love Yuzu. “Shout out to Jane!”
And it’s good to be home after living her life in the public eye—something she has dealt with for the past 10 years. It’s also something she has in common with former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who cited the pressures and responsibilities of a public-facing role in her resignation speech earlier this month.
Does she have a message for the former PM? “I texted it to her,” she says.
“I can’t even imagine the amount of pressure she has faced.” When your firm or your workplace is under scrutiny, that is shared.
“It’s not aimed at your face or your name, you know.” “It’s just a different feeling when it’s more targeted,” she says.
But, according to Lorde, pressure isn’t always a bad thing.