Lorde surprised fans in London by showing up to a ‘Virgin’ listening party. See the footage below.
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The Kiwi pop star is set to release her fourth studio album ‘Virgin’ on June 27, and so far has previewed it with the singles ‘What Was That’ and ‘Man Of The Year’. Last night (June 7), she surprised fans in the capital by showing up to an impromptu listening party they had been invited to via a cryptic WhatsApp message earlier in the day.
“London I’m here and dying to see you .. Shall we link tn ? Message if keen 🚦((((((Will send an invite if selected. UK residents only and u gotta be 18+)))))),” the message read.
Fans who were selected were then invited to a car park, where the singer appeared on the hood of a car to play “five or six songs” (per a fan on Reddit who attended) from the upcoming album. She also performed ‘What Was That’, ‘Man Of The Year’ and danced to ‘Ribs’ with fans.
Alongside the performances, she gave a short speech to the crowd, telling them: “Thank you so much for staying with me, I know it’s not easy, but I’ve never been so proud”. Check out the footage below.
WhatsApp message sent by Lorde to London fans [📷:@flopjoyhoe]
“London I’m here and dying to see you .. Shall we link tn ? Message if keen 🚦((((((Will send an invite if selected. UK residents only and u gotta be 18+))))))”
Best of luck to all my followers hoping for an invite pic.twitter.com/Wea3NwJ24c
— Lorde fix 🩻🧬⛓️ (@Lorde_fix) June 7, 2025
Lorde dancing to “Ribs” with fans in a garage in London. pic.twitter.com/aQveSGjErH
— Lorde Updates 🧬⛓️ (@LordeUpdatesBR) June 7, 2025
LORDE DANCING TO RIBS IN AN EMPTY CAR PARK IN LONDON ⁉️🩻 pic.twitter.com/RUjpQOkDbp
— kal (@fearlesslycal) June 7, 2025
“Thank you so much for staying with me, I know it’s not easy, but I’ve never been so proud” pic.twitter.com/w33pLIR9HQ
— Lorde Updates 🧬⛓️ (@LordeUpdatesBR) June 7, 2025
MAN OF THE YEAR in a car park. in London. YES LORDE 🔊🔊🔊 pic.twitter.com/6FaJX8Ghgg
— MoJo (@MoJo03) June 7, 2025
In lieu of concert tickets, fans were given parking tickets with the album’s cover on one side.
According to a fan on Reddit, Lorde also debuted ‘Clear Blue’, a song she previously revealed was about “unprotected sex and taking a pregnancy test”. Per the fan, the track is “just a chopped, electronic-sounding, layered-vocals-only performance,” that “felt like an interlude, but a good one.”
They also added that the album includes a “drum and bass” song about London.
The listening party follows her making a similarly unexpected appearance at a Lorde-themed party in Australia last month, while in April, she played her comeback single ‘What Was That’ for fans at an impromptu event in New York, shortly after police shut down a pop-up gig.
guys… my partner and i just went to a secret lorde show in london and holy shit that was the most surreal way to get to listen to some of their new music pic.twitter.com/1oDfvG7FZh
— zel ☆ (@luvnotee) June 7, 2025
Lorde is set to embark on her UK, European and North American ‘Ultrasound’ tour later this year. She recently promised fans that the forthcoming gigs “could be our masterpiece”.
Special guests on the tour will include The Japanese House, Nilüfer Yanya, Chanel Beads, Empress Of and Oklou, as well as Blood Orange – with Devonte Hynes featuring on the album – and co-producer Jim-E Stack. Visit here for North American tickets and more information, and here for any remaining tickets and details for UK and European dates.
After rumours began to swirl that she might be due to play a secret set at Glastonbury – which takes place the same weekend as the album’s release – she said she was “pretty keen, honestly” about the idea.
“I am quite tempted by what’s going on because I’ve got lots of friends playing as well. We’ll see, we’ll see if I can pull some strings and get there.”
