Lorde returns with What Was That, her first major release in almost four years and co-produced by Lorde, Jim-E Stack and Dan Nigro.

The accompanying music video was shot on location in New York, including Washington Square Park, where Lorde surprised fans with a pop-up performance earlier this week. What Was That is a song by New Zealand singer-songwriter and was released on 24^th April 2025 through Universal Music New Zealand as the lead single from her upcoming fourth studio album ‘Virgin’. The song marks her first single release from a studio album in nearly four years.

The song was produced by the singer in collaboration with Jim-E Stack (Bon Iver) and Grammy producer of the Year Dan Nigro (Chappell Roan/ Olivia Rodrigo).

 What Was That is the singer’s first major release following 2021’s ‘Solar Power’. However, her profile has been high in recent months due in part to her collaboration with Charli xcx, Girl, So Confusing, which finds the two artists working out some personal misunderstandings in the song’s lyrics. Lorde performed the song with Charli at New York’s Madison Square Garden last fall and at the first weekend of the Coachella festival earlier this month.

The album is expected in end June with 11 tracks, with What Was That the second single from the album.