Lorde captivates with strong stage presence

Even before the show-stopping teenager from New Zealand began performing, it was apparent to all that the stage they gave her would just not cut it. Of all the shows I saw Sunday at Austin City Limits Music Festival, Lorde’s was the only one where I had to physically push just to be able to see the screen, let alone get a glimpse of the singer herself.

Lorde is an entertainer, it’s as simple as that. With the tone of her music, she easily could have just stood there and sang (cough cough Lana Del Rey) but no, Lorde took this hour to rock out as hard as she possibly could — creating an energy that was felt all the way to the Porta-Pottis.

With her quirky crop-topped outfits and wild curly hair, Lorde showed us that she’s really just one of us: a festival-goer at heart. She head banged like it was nobody’s business and took advantage of every inch of that small stage, even implementing a quick wardrobe change in the middle of her hour-long set and never once letting her famous voice waver.

Lorde’s set was so amazing for the same reason that she has risen to stardom so quickly: she is absolutely intriguing to watch. Her vocals and the way she moves were so unique that nobody could take their eyes off her.

After all the tabloid rumors of Lorde being catty and gossipy, I was pleasantly surprised to hear how down-to-earth and humble the young woman was. “Six months ago I was terrified of growing up,” she told the crowd in an unshaken voice. “But now it is so beautiful, it is so great and that’s because of you.”

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