One of Hollywood’s most enticing mysteries? Lorde’s age, apparently.
The New Zealand songstress was born on Nov. 7, 1996, which makes her 28 as of publication. However, many fans have had trouble accepting that she’s a late ‘90s baby, claiming she looks and carries herself as someone much older.
On an Oct. 23 episode of the pop culture podcast “Allegedly Speaking,” hosts Jana Rosenberg and Liv Pearsall revisited a viral theory from 2014 that claimed the “What Was That” singer was actually born in the ‘80s.
In a clip of the episode shared on Instagram, Rosenberg explained how when Lorde released her smashing hit “Royals” in 2013 — which she won two Grammys the following year — she was only 16 years old.
“People were a little sussed out because the song is so insane. The Grammy board couldn’t believe a 16-year-old wrote [’Royals’],” Rosenberg said, adding that “she looked a little bit older than 16,” too.
In 2014, rumors were indeed in overdrive that Lorde — who was born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor — was older than she led fans to believe.
Lorde even seemingly teased the speculation when she spoke with Vanity Fair that year. “I’m actually 45,” she told the outlet.
According to The Atlantic and E! News, the now-defunct women’s website, The Hairpin, tried to dispel the hearsay later in 2014 by purchasing a copy of Lorde’s birth certificate. Per the outlet, Lorde’s birth date was confirmed as Nov. 7, 1996.
Still, that wasn’t enough to shut down talk that the “Green Light” singer had done some bad math on her age.
Another document — alleged to be Lorde’s birth certificate — began circulating online in 2014, claiming Lorde was born in 1980. That would make her 45 years old today, if true. However, the certificate had a glaring error: It came from the U.S.S.R., not New Zealand, where Lorde was born.
So, what’s the truth? Lorde was born in 1996. However, even in 2025, some folks are having trouble accepting that. “She’s def 45 today!” wrote one person in the podcast clip’s Instagram comments.
Another user, who claimed to have grown up with her, said just the opposite. “This is soooo funny – from a New Zealander who lived around the corner from her she was 16!! Our country is so small that if someone is doing something amazing, you know about it. She looked like the typical 16-year-old Kiwi,” they wrote.
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