Lorde has announced that her 17 year record deal with Universal has ended.
The New Zealand singer sent a voice note to fans sharing the news yesterday (March 18) ahead of her upcoming Ultrasound festival shows.
“At the end of last year, my label deal — my record contract with Universal — came to an end,” she told fans. “I have been in that contract for a very, very long time, in some form … since I was 12 years old, when I signed my first development deal with Universal.”
Prefacing that she “adores” the “incredible people” who helped release her music on the label, Lorde continued: “I’ve had an amazing experience with them. But 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.”
Lorde added that she would consider re-signing with Universal, adding that she was “sure [she’ll] have a deal again” with a record label. However, she went on to say there were no plans to ink any contracts, explaining that she “needed to take a second to have nothing being bought or sold that comes from [her].”
“When I see an opportunity for a clean slate, I try to take it,” the ‘Green Light’ singer said. “And it does feel different … I feel a feeling of openness and possibility, and I’m inspired. It just feels exciting to have removed the container or something for a second.”
