New Lorde Photos Concern Fans—'Weird and Creepy'

Pop star Lorde has caused a stir on social media, with a series of photos that fans have labeled "creepy" and "disgusting."

The singer was just 16 years old when she shot to fame a decade go, becoming an overnight success with her debut single, "Royals."

However, the 27-year-old has kept a low profile in recent years. Her last album, Solar Power, was released in 2021. That same year, the star decided to take a break from social media for mental health reasons, describing it as "the hardest thing I've ever done."

While Lorde has since returned to social media, her accounts have remained pretty bare. However, the MTV Video Music Awards winner has been teasing fans with a series of unusual images, uploaded to her Instagram Stories on Sunday. Newsweek has seen the images through reports and fan reactions.

One photograph shows a woman—perhaps the singer herself—wearing a grey cap, large white headphones, a black bodysuit and what appear to be walking boots. Taken on a forest trail, the woman is too far away from the camera to see her face, but she seems to be looking up at something in the sky.

Another shows what is assumed to be Lorde's hand holding a pile of human teeth. A third includes a pair of large white and silver headphones taken on a floral patterned rug, alongside a blue iPod, while a fourth image is a shot of the singer's head, taken from above.

Newsweek has reached out to Lorde via Instagram.

The images confused many of Lorde's fans, with X user BC calling the photos "really weird and creepy."

"Are those teeth?" asked Peppers.

"Disgusting," wrote Paloma.

"Is Lorde a serial killer?" wondered Charles Lagacé.

"I feel like these are too personal for the general public," said Joaquin, while Ralph Ruben accused the music icon of "Trying to be shocking."

Others defended Lorde, dubbing the songstress a "baddie."

"Who needs teeth when you've got talent like Lorde?" said Vanilla Ling.

"She's so weird sometimes that's why we love her," joked @corneil_ri.

Some wondered if the images were hinting at a new album, with Ross G Kiernan writing: "Album of the summer incoming."

"OMG YES OUR LORDE AND SAVIOR IS BACK," said Fechy.

Iker agreed, commenting: "WHERE IS THE ALBUM WE NEED THE DAMN ALBUM."

In September 2023, Lorde sent a cryptic email to fans. The missive suggested a breakup with her boyfriend of eight years, music executive Justin Warren, with the New Zealand native telling fans "I'm living with heartbreak again."

Along with detailing the health issues she'd been battling for the past year, Lorde also said she'd been experimenting with hallucinogenic mushrooms, and that she was learning to appreciate her body following years of neglecting her well-being.

"I realized earlier this year that listening to my body is hard for me, it's something I never really learned how to do," she said.

"I've been trying to teach myself that this year, but it's been hard actually, pretty confronting, has made me fully aware of all the times I ignored it or didn't give it what it needed, shamed it for a fight or flight response, took a handful of pills and pushed through."