Thursday, December 26, 2024

Pop Fizz: Lorde’s “Solar Power” Album Was a Dud, “Royals” Singer Hasn’t Been Able to Repeat Chart Success

Oh Lorde!

The New Zealand pop star had a massive hit with “Royals,” which turns out to be a one off chart star.

But that was four years ago. Lorde’s second album wasn’t a hit, although it did get a mysterious Album of the Year nomination from the Grammys.

Three weeks ago, Lorde dropped her third album, “Solar Power,” after the title single did little business. The result was not much business. The total sales number is 113,000 including streaming. Actual sales and downloads came to 42,000.

Basically, Lorde needs prayers at this point. She hasn’t been able to reproduce the “Royals” magic. The “Solar Power” song was criticized for sounding like it lifted music from George Michael. The album overall received meh reviews.

Practically speaking, it’s almost impossible to purchase a Lorde CD for a normal price on Amazon. They’re just not available. Lorde doesn’t believe in issuing them, although she does offer an expensive vinyl version. So she’s basically shot herself in the foot. Her record company must be thrilled.

Will she get another Grammy nomination for Album of the Year? When this happened with “Melodrama,” another sales stinker, everyone was puzzled. This time around, without those secret Grammy committees, it seems unlikely.

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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