Lorde's racy 'Virgin' vinyl artwork stirs controversy with NSFW image
Lorde is getting intimate in more ways than one on her new album.
The Grammy-winning songstress, 28, is stirring up controversy on social media thanks to the artwork from her latest record "Virgin." The 11-track LP, coproduced and cowritten by Lorde (real name: Ella Yelich-O'Connor), marks the alternative pop singer's return to the music scene after 2021's "Solar Power."
The vinyl edition of the album features an eight-page photo booklet, according to Lorde's official website. The product description includes the advisory warning, "Adult images." One of the images in question reportedly includes a nude shot of Lorde, with the photo showing the crotch of an individual wearing see-through pants.
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A representative for Lorde confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that the singer is the individual featured in the photo. USA TODAY has reached out to representatives of Lorde for comment.
The album artwork drew scrutiny online for its racy depiction of the singer, dividing fans who were shocked by Lorde's apparent embrace of nudity and others who were unfazed by the skin-baring photo.
"Me when I saw Lorde's vinyl cover on my timeline," X user @leasweetener wrote alongside a clip of Anne Hathaway's "Idea of You" character Solène Marchand slamming a laptop shut in horror.
"Just saw that Lorde vinyl cover," @sayfoncaffeine wrote, inserting a GIF of "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" character Rowley Jefferson looking confused.
"Should've stayed curious about the Lorde vinyl😭😭," @deluluboy2 wrote alongside a clip of "Real Housewives of Atlanta" alum NeNe Leakes exclaiming, "What?! That is shocking."
Despite the musical controversy, some fans came to Lorde's defense. "The Lorde vinyl was not that bad. Y'all love to overreact," X user @serialexpplain wrote.
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R1fekkr8lb2m7nfblbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R2fekkr8lb2m7nfblbH1» iframe"That Lorde vinyl cover ain't even that serious (for real), and y'all are dragging it," @lele_westwood wrote.
"I really thought the Lorde vinyl insert would be a lot worse than people are saying it is," @lqbyrinths wrote. "You guys are kinda dramatic 😭"
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In a May interview with Rolling Stone, Lorde reflected on the "vulnerable" and "messy" nature of "Virgin" and the impact the album could have on her public image.
"There's going to be a lot of people who don't think I'm a good girl anymore, a good woman. It's over," Lorde told the outlet. "It will be over for a lot of people, and then for some people, I will have arrived. I'll be where they always hoped I'd be."
AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R1mekkr8lb2m7nfblbH1» iframe AdvertisementAdvertisement#«R2mekkr8lb2m7nfblbH1» iframeThis isn't the first time Lorde has featured explicit imagery in her work. The album cover for "Solar Power" showed a bikini-clad Lorde "jumping over a friend on a beach," but the ground-level angle gave an unfiltered view of the singer's buttocks.
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During a June 2021 interview on "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," the singer said the image was "a little hardcore, but it was so joyful to me."
"It felt innocent and playful and a little bit feral and sexy," Lorde continued. "You've got to do it while you've got it."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lorde's new album artwork for 'Virgin' divides fans with nudity
Lorde's bold decision to feature a not-safe-'for work'-image on her new vinyl artwork for 'Virgin,' stirring up controversy, once again showcases the artist’t merchant of challenging conventional boundaries in contemporary music and art.
The compelling yet controversial artwork of Lorde's 'Virgin'-themed vinyl, utilizing an NSFW (Not Safe for Work) image that has sparked debates around the intersection between artistic expression and societal sensitivities.
Lorde's bold choice for her 'Virgin'-themed vinyl artwork, featuring a NSFW image that sparks controversy while reinforcing the artist’ssensible exploration of sexuality and taboo in pop culture.
Lorde's bold and unapologetic 'Virgin'-themed vinyl artwork, featuring an NSFW image that provokes both admiration for her artistic risk-taking as well a controversy over perceived content inappropriateness.
Lorde's bold decision to employ a strictly not-safe for work image on her 'Virgin'-themed vinyl artwork has sparked heated discussions, challenging social norms and ultimately stirring controversies in the contemporary music ecosphere.
