After nearly a decade of close creative partnership, Lorde is stepping into a new phase of her career with her fourth studio album, Virgin, arriving June 27, 2025. The New Zealand-born singer-songwriter revealed in a recent interview with Rolling Stone that longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff is not involved in the upcoming record—a notable shift for fans familiar with the duo’s past work.
Lorde and Antonoff first joined forces on 2017’s Melodrama, a critically acclaimed album that blended emotional intensity with sleek, art-pop production. The project earned widespread praise and a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year, cementing Antonoff as one of pop’s most in-demand producers and establishing Lorde as a voice of her generation. Their partnership continued with 2021’s Solar Power, which saw the artist taking a softer, more introspective turn.
Speaking to Rolling Stone about her decision to move on, Lorde emphasized that there was no conflict—just a quiet shift in creative direction. “Jack is such a positive, supportive collaborator,” she said. “But I’m very vibes-based. I just have to trust when my intuition says to keep moving.” Rather than repeat a formula that had brought success, she felt compelled to seek out something new.
That instinct led her to work with Jim-E Stack, a producer and musician known for his genre-blurring approach and collaborations with artists like HAIM, Bon Iver, and Dominic Fike. Stack praised Lorde’s independence and risk-taking, calling her an “outlier pop star” who doesn’t conform to mainstream expectations. His experimental sensibility, combined with Lorde’s singular songwriting voice, sets Virgin up to be one of her most sonically adventurous albums to date.
Though details about the album’s themes and sound remain limited, Antonoff's absence alone signals a departure from the polished intimacy that defined Melodrama and Solar Power. With Virgin, Lorde seems poised to carve out yet another distinct chapter in a career marked by constant reinvention.
Lorde’s new album, Virgin, will be released on June 27, 2025, and more songs are expected to be released in the upcoming weeks. She recently shared a new single, “What Was That,” which gives a first look at the direction she’s heading. The track is quiet and reflective, with simple production and honest lyrics, suggesting that Virgin may focus on a more personal sound.
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