Lorde debuted her forthcoming single “What Was That” at a pop-up event in New York’s Washington Square Park Tuesday night, about two hours after police had shut down the gathering due to overcrowding. Lorde had announced the event in a message to fans late in the afternoon but the park soon became overcrowded with fans.
At around 9 p.m. ET, the singer stood on a wooden platform placed over the park’s iconic fountain and sang along with the song, which played from a small speakers.
Watch fan footage of the performance here.
Earlier in the day, media were tipped off that a performance would be happening, and Lorde made an announcement via a group text with her fans: “Meet me in the park Tonight 7pm -xx.” Fans flocked to the park and at least a couple thousand had gathered around the fountain, with some even climbing trees for a better view until they were shouted down by local park rangers.
But at 7 p.m., Lorde posted on her Instagram story “OMG @thepark the cops are shutting us down. I am truly Amazed by how many of you showed up !!!” it read, in part. “But they’re telling me you gotta disperse … I’m so sorry.”
While many fans left, many lingered, and eventually Blood Orange frontman Dev Hynes — who is reported to have collaborated on Lorde’s new album — arrived with a portable speaker blasting the song.
The singer herself arrived at 9 p.m., thanking the remaining fans and then playing the song. According to Pitchfork, lyrics include: “I’m missing you/ And all the things we used to do/ MDMA in the back garden, blow our pupils up/ We kissed for hours straight but baby, what was that?/ I remember saying then/ This is the best cigarette of my life/ Well I want you just like that.”
Lorde previously teased earlier this month on TikTok, and in a voice note to fans that hinted at her long-awaited return to music after her last album, “Solar Power.”
“I just wanted to say hi, because everything is about to change,” she said in the message. “These are the last moments where it’s just us, which is crazy. But so right. I’m so ready.”
The TikTok post — Lorde’s first on the platform — was a video of her walking through Washington Square Park in New York City while listening to “What Was That.”
Lorde also performed at the first weekend of the Coachella festival, joining Charli xcx onstage for their collaborative song “Girl, So Confusing.”
