This week, I had the pleasure of speaking to author Marc Shapiro on examining the career of Lorde, the 17 year-old New Zealand musician who just won her first two Grammys for her hit song “Royals”.
Lorde: Your Heroine, How This Young Feminist Broke All the Rules and Succeeded, released by Riverdale Avenue Books, explores the many facets of Lorde including her feminist viewpoints, how intellectually inclined she is, and her talent of writing meaningful music. Shapiro shows over the course of a year how Lorde’s career went from complete obscurity to superstardom.
During my interview with Shapiro, I wanted to focus on how Lorde uniquely markets herself and her brand. I wondered, was she being strategic in the way she dresses, addresses questions and connects with the youth? According to Shapiro, it turns out she’s actually just being true to herself — simple as that. I asked him, “What makes her brand unique from a marketing perspective?” He explained, “During interviews, if she gets a question, she’s going to answer it. She speaks her mind.”
So, it’s her transparency and authenticity that makes her relatable. Even her tweets are written by her — it’s obvious by the scrappy pics she takes (see below)! Very similar characteristics to the core principles of marketing to this very age group, aka Millennials.
pre show hugs with amber and a big piece of ginger she loves me http://t.co/fpcwgPGvsB—
Lorde (@lordemusic) March 22, 2014
Shapiro goes on to say, “Lorde is a jumping off point for creativity, no matter the age.” “We have not had good pop music and I think there was a backlash.” Sounds like we need to recognize, Millennials are looking to cut the bullshit. They want the rawness of music and not the glitz and the glamour, the smoke and mirrors.
“The intriguing thing about writing about Lorde is that she is so damned contrary to everything that pop music has become,” said author Marc Shapiro. “She’s a true intellect whose songs have been guided by great authors and deep thinkers rather than the predictable template of current pop music. She’s smart, creative, a true individual and only 17. Stories that are too good to be true but that ultimately are just that makes a biography of Lorde truly something special.”
Buy the ebook for $9.99 at Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com or the print version for $16.99.
About Marc Shapiro
Marc Shapiro is the New York Times bestselling author of We Love Jenni – An Unauthorized Biography, The Secret Life of EL James, Who is Katie Holmes? – An Unauthorized Biography, Legally Bieber: Justin Bieber at 18, J.K. Rowling: The Wizard Behind Harry Potter, Justin Bieber: The Fever!, Game: The Resurrection of Tim Tebow and many other bestselling celebrity biographies. He is a freelance entertainment journalist covering film, television, and music for a number of national and international newspapers and magazines.
