Lorde Drops New Single “What Was That.” Did We See You In The Music Video?

Lorde’s new song, “What Was That,” dropped at midnight, April 24. The track and music video came after Lorde gave fans an exclusive sneak peek at her new single on Tuesday night, sending a mass message to her fan text line: “Meet me in the park tonight 7pm – x x.” Washington Square Park was flooded with people, and if you were one of them, we could not be more jealous. Like… we missed the memo, guys. 

The “Ribs” singer kept fans in anticipation for hours, flooding the park for a front row spot to her mystery event. But, when the time came for the singer to make her appearance, she posted to her Instagram story, “I am truly [a]mazed by how many of you showed up !!! But they’re telling me you gotta disperse … I’m so sorry.” Many Lorde fans weren’t so easily discouraged, though. Those who stuck around were graced by Lorde’s presence two hours later, when the singer finally showed up at the park to blast her new single.

“I’m missing you/And all the things we used to do,” she sings. “MDMA in the back garden, blow our pupils up/We kissed for hours straight but baby, what was that?/I remember saying then/This is the best cigarette of my life/Well I want you just like that.”

What was she doing in those two hours before making her grand entrance? Possibly filming the “What Was That” music video.

Scenes in the video show Lorde biking along the East River, climbing out of a sewer—question mark?—and dancing with fans in the middle of the Washington Square Park fountain. City-girl core at its finest. Lorde strutted through New York City in a white button-up and jeans, but the real star of the show was her chaotic wallet chain. A lighter, earbuds, a silver fish, and colorful keychains decorated the accessory. Maybe this is a hot take, but if she brings it back into fashion, we’ll have more than just her music to be thankful for. 

Lorde shared the music video on X on Thursday, captioning the post, “My new music video What Was That. As little between us as possible. Aliveness over prowess. Naïveté over disenchantment. I LOVE YOU WE START HERE.” 

Fans replied with “I love yous” and other messages of affection. Our personal favorites being: “How does it feel to outdo yourself with every release, my Lorde?” and “Lorde releasing her brand new single ‘What Was That’ on lesbian visibility week… I know what you are, Ella.” “What Was That” is Lorde’s first original solo track since releasing her album Solar Power in 2021. Lorde recently collaborated with Charli XCX for a remix of the track “Girl, so confusing.” The remix was performed at Charli’s concert in Madison Square Garden and Coachella Weekend One. Fans have missed her so much that the NYPD had to intervene and shut down the event. To those who were there for her live debut, we’ll bite our tongues as long as we get the blast next time.

Can we spot you in the crowd?