“Don’t you think that it’s boring how people talk? Making smart with their words again. Well, I’m bored.”
These were the first words that spoke to me.
I first met you when I was 15 and you were 16. You were this up-and-coming singer from New Zealand, but I had no idea who you were.
Then June 2013 came. You had just released “Tennis Court.” I remember sitting at my desk in my bedroom, scrolling through iTunes when I came across your single. I played the preview and I was immediately intrigued. So I bought the song.
And that was the moment I joined “The Love Club" (that's what I think your fan club should be called).
I raided your entire discography after. Granted, you only released the songs from “The Love Club EP,” “Royals” and “Tennis Court” — but it was pure bliss.
I was so used to hearing artists sing about love, heartbreak and drugs — but you were different. You were singing about “explosions on TV and all the girls with heads inside a dream.” Your words expressed feelings of teen angst towards society. It was weird hearing these sentiments expressed through song and from a teen, nonetheless. However, I’m so glad you did.
I never related to anyone’s lyrics so goddamn much. You didn’t give a fuck about calling anyone out. Your voice clearly echoed that in your music. Your songs captured the youth culture of today and the sometimes toxic drama that comes with being a teenager whether it involved gossip, drinking or popularity.
When you released your debut album, “Pure Heroine,” you set yourself apart from the rest of the other artists in the pop game.
That was almost four years ago.
You haven’t released any new material since, besides a few songs for “Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Pt 1” and a collaboration with Disclosure.
You left me high and dry, but I completely understood why.
As an artist, you needed time to recuperate, especially for your mental and physical health. You needed to get away from the spotlight and go out and gain new worldly experiences. You needed time to grow and learn more about yourself as a human being, which is exactly what I’ve been doing for the past four years.
After that, I read your letter to your fans back in November 2016, the day before your 20th birthday, and you said just that. I was filled with so much joy.
You were back — but you came back a changed person.
You said, “Writing 'Pure Heroine' was my way of enshrining our teenage glory, putting it up in lights forever so that part of me never dies, and this record — well, this one is about what comes next.”
I’m ready for what comes next. I’m ready to hear the next soundtrack of my life. I’m ready for your return.
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