Yesterday, June 26th, was the first birthday of VirginLorde's latest album.
For the occasion, the artist “gave” fans 49 unreleased demos from the making of the album – the dates go back to 2022. “Happy birthday Virgin”, this is the message shared on social media. And then the link where you can listen to the tracks for free, for a total of approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes of music.
The tracks were also accompanied by a letter, in which Lorde shared some of the experiences she had over the last year and during the making of the album: «On Sunday evening I was folding my clothes and I realized that Virgin it had been out for almost a year. I decided that something had to be done.
«To tell the truth, I've never really known how to talk about Virgin since it came out. I thought I was used to, and even a little addicted to, the marketing and commodification of my feelings at this point in my life — but sharing Virgin it felt raw and vulnerable in a new way. The interviews went badly, I couldn't write here, I posted little. I think I needed to be quiet for a while. It also makes sense, to me, that such physical work would resist being trapped in words. But time has passed, and I want to try to find these words.
«Making an album is an absurd act. The self-absorption and confidence it requires makes you difficult to date. You disappear completely into your own world, always mumbling a bit, constantly on the verge of a breakthrough. The job is really bad for a long time, you have to live in the crooked and force your way through. Sometimes it's hard to see past the discomfort and the mundane, but every single day spent doing Virgin it was a total gift. I had the feeling of freeing myself, of building a sacred place. I laid each layer with the utmost care.
«I was trying to heal from a short-lived but long-simmering eating disorder. I had recently deleted MyFitnessPal. The week we started what would become Shapeshifter And What Was That I was working on convincing myself that breakfast wasn't a negotiation. I forced myself to drink a smoothie every morning, I went to work when I wanted to escape, I kept trying, one step at a time.
“I was going through a breakup. Instead of hotels, I slept in guest beds and on the couches of various friends. The care these women showed me during that time is a big reason why Virgin exists. In 2024 one of them looked me in the eye and calmly said: You seem to fall into this intense depression about the album every time you have your period. A few months later I was diagnosed with PMDD (pre-menstrual dysphoria syndrome, ed.).
«I wore a pair of men's jeans and a black zip-up sweatshirt, every day, whatever the weather. Acne made a thick beard along my neck. I felt monstrous and sacred. I borrowed a bicycle and felt myself expanding, sliding inside, attentive to the millions of subtle codes being sent and received across the city, and the energy of it all gathering above our heads.
«I focused on singing to myself the way I needed. Gradually I put into music and words old stories that I had been afraid to tell. I purged them out of me and felt lighter. Living in these songs had an enchanting effect. I felt myself changing.
«He's out Brata weather system of courage and fragility. My nascent phase suddenly, shockingly became external. I had to really look at my stuff and stay open. Charli held me close and gave me just the right amount of space — it takes real care to do that. My faith in music as a social technology has been restored. At parties and festivals I smoked and sang and felt part of the human race.
“We took the x-rays that would become the album cover on March 2, 2025. When the time came to be scanned I felt out of my mind, off the map, in a medical facility with both my grandmothers' jewels on me, performing some sort of séance or exorcism. Old fears have resurfaced. I was certain that the machine would reveal an ugliness and distortion that reached down to the bones. Eric sensed what was happening while we were preparing the first shot. He touched my hand, said softly: it will be perfect, it's a photo of you, however you are today it's perfect and right.
«I talked about how I tried to love Virgin all the way through, not just when it was a marketable product. Throughout the process I was struck again and again by moments of profound beauty, when we were just stumbling over something or going completely in the wrong direction. Last year we played with the idea of making an album of these skeleton versions, nice collages of different versions. But on Sunday evening I realized that real x-rays of Virgin they would have been more authentic, more fun, more revealing of distortions and inclinations — less focused on where we have arrived than celebratory of the way of travelling, of the repetitions, of the acne, of the journey. As Eric said: what is truly you is beautiful. It's the way I'm trying to live.
«Thank you, as always, for making space in your lives for any aspect of my artistic project. It is a true honor to be welcomed by you. Have fun, I hope you enjoy exploring. I can't wait to see you this summer.
I love you very much.”
You can find demos of Virgin below:
