It's been about a year since Lorde first rose to superstardom. She's brought something to pop music that people have been longing for. Her wit, introspection, and reflections on youth have resonated with people all over the world. Rather than following up her debut, critically acclaimed album Pure Heroine with another LP, Lorde chose to take on a different type of project, curating the Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part I soundtrack.
In the latest Billboard cover story, Lorde says she's been working non-stop on the soundtrack. After she plays a show, she comes home to the bus to work on the project into the night. "I've washed my hair before we started moving," she told them. "Taken my dinner with me into the bunk, and worked for another four hours."
She says that she's more or less been given complete creative control on the project (which has a rumored $200,000 budget). "It's been my entire life," she said. However, she isn't making this project her own personal mixtape, but rather something fans of the film franchise will enjoy.
"It would've been selfish for me to make ambient house music," she noted. "With a film like that, everyone likes it, not just people like me."
She explained that she took on the project to show her versatility as an artist.
"I knew this was right for me as an artist and I felt it would be cool for my career," Lorde said. "People that see me as having a couple of hits and performing on an awards show would see that, between records, I'd committed to a pretty serious body of work."
The album features a Kanye West remix of her new song "Yellow Flicker Beat," as well as contributions from Grace Jones, Haim, Chemical Brothers, Miguel, Charli XCX, and more.
Elsewhere in the interview, she talks about how she's adjusted to fame, how she deals with haters, making friends in the industry (namely with Taylor Swift and the Hunger Games cast), and speaking her mind.
The Hunger Games Mockingjay - Part 1 soundtrack is due out Nov. 17, four days ahead of the film's Nov. 21 release.
Check out the Hunger Games trailer below, featuring Lorde's "Yellow Flicker Beat," and let us know what you think in the comments section.
