Four Memorable Moments of Lorde Awesomeness

Look at Lorde go. When she was 16 years old, the New Zealand-born singer-songwriter released her first EP, which hit number two in her homeland. With her international smash single "Royals" a few years ago, she became the youngest person to reach number one on the Billboard 100 in more than 30 years. Her latest album — Melodrama, which was released last year — hit number one basically everywhere.

And, oh yeah, now she’s only 21 years old.

All of these spectacular chartings and numbers aside, the Lorde live experience is a unique spectacle. The Melodrama World Tour — with special guests Run the Jewels and Mitski — will stop at the American Airlines Arena April 12.

Before the big show, let’s reflect on four awesome moments of live Lorde-ness:


1. U.S. TV debut on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The date was October 1, 2013. By then, many Americans had heard of Lorde from her catchy anthem "Royals" on Top 40 radio. A few had seen a live performance. So when she strutted out clad in all white and flailed seemingly zombie-like around Jimmy Fallon’s stage, it was somewhat expected. Sure, it was a little weird to see, but one thing was clear: Lorde was a phenomenon, and she was here to stay.

2. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performance of "All Apologies" with the surviving members of Nirvana. Getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is kind of a big deal. And when the time came in 2014 for Nirvana to inevitably join the club, the band had some equally talented company to help celebrate. Among the legends who jammed with the surviving members of Nirvana at the event were Annie Clark, Kim Gordon, Joan Jett, and, yes, Lorde. Though certainly the poppiest of the bunch — especially while rockin’ a pink suit — Lorde held her own and then some. Her powerful rendition of "All Apologies" deserved an honor of its own that day.

3. Life on Mars tribute to David Bowie at the 2016 Brit Awards. The year 2016 gave us an unbearable election and took away too many cool people, including David Bowie. There were some meh tributes to the icon, and then there were chill-inducing moments of excellence. In the excellent category was Lorde’s cover of Life on Mars at the 2016 Brit Awards. Though a gentle rendition, it certainly packed a powerful punch — especially because she was backed by many former Bowie bandmates. This was one of the (many) moments Lorde has shown she's truly wise beyond her years.

4. Karaoke-esque performance of "Green Light" at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards. OK, we know Lorde has cool friends. Example: We’ve often seen her girling-out with Taylor Swift. But it was her 2017 Billboard Music Awards performance of "Green Light" that officially made us want to be her BFF too. In a performance that was set up like a private karaoke room — with some friends watching on couches — Lorde busted out her latest smash hits with, of course, some of her quirky moves inevitably woven in. What a blast.

Lorde: Melodrama World Tour. 7 p.m. Thursday at American Airlines Arena, 601 Biscayne Blvd., Miami; aaarena.com. Tickets cost $39 to $99.