Lorde recently pulled back the curtain on the creation of her 2025 album Virgin with a massive one-year anniversary celebration. The event was more than just a retrospective; it included a deeply personal essay and the posting of 49 raw demos from the intensive album sessions, offering fans an unprecedented glimpse into the creative process.
In her reflective note to her audience, Lorde shared her experience navigating the aftermath of such a monumental project. She admitted that she hadn’t known how to articulate the journey of Virgin since its release, finding herself slightly desensitized to the world of marketing and commodifying emotions at that point in her life. Sharing the album felt raw and exposing in a new way.
The note delved into the psychological demands of the work, reflecting on the self-absorption required for such deep creative endeavors. She spoke candidly about the process being intensely challenging: Virgin required navigating discomfort and mundanity, having to “hack your way out” of difficult emotional terrain while building a personal sanctuary.
Lorde detailed how the making of the album was intrinsically linked to her personal healing. She mentioned concentrating on singing to herself in a way she needed to be sung, using music and language to process old stories she had feared telling. This intense period coincided with struggles related to an eating disorder, a recent breakup, and a diagnosis of Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD).
Finding solace in the music proved transformative. She noted that living within these songs had an incantatory effect, allowing her to purge old feelings and feel lighter. She also credited other influences, praising Charli XCX’s Brat as a “weather system of fearlessness and fragility,” and appreciating the space provided by other artists like “360” for keeping her grounded.
The celebration included an eclectic collection of unreleased tracks, some dating back to 2022. This sonic dump featured experimental versions of album openers, including a sleepy-whisper opener called “Holding a Hammer,” and deconstructed takes on the album’s title track. Other pieces shared included the funky instrumental “Flux Day 2” and various alt versions of singles like “What Was That” and “Chewing Gum.”
Beyond the musical material, the release offered a fascinating look at the experimentation within the studio. Several tracks received multiple versions, including “Man of the Year,” “Current Affairs,” “Clear Blue,” “GRWM,” and “If She Could See Me Now,” all revealing Lorde’s eclectic approach to recording.
The visuals accompanying this release were equally raw and honest. The collection featured close-ups of skin—including what Lorde described as a thick beard going down her neck—and artistic shots that explored the “crookedness and slant” of the journey, rather than just celebrating an endpoint.
Virgin successfully debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, solidifying its place as a powerful cultural statement, while Lorde’s personal reflections provided a vivid and deeply honest narrative of what it took to bring that vision to life.
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Credit: Billboard
