Lorde Is the Boss When it Comes to Her Music, Dumpster Diving

Lorde may rock all sorts of high fashion (power suits and Jordans), but the Coolest Pop Star in the Game is all about that junky-chic, second-hand find from dumpster diving, or as she puts it, “trawling the inorganics.” You know, because she’s cool.

The 17-year-old covered this week’s Stella magazine in the Telegraph. She gave a wonderfully candid interview that only stresses that this girl is smart. Musically, socially, fashionably. When interviewer Craig McLean suggests her style is more “demure” than other pop artists like Rihanna, Ariana Grande, and Iggy Azalea, she clarifies:

“The stuff that I feel comfortable in, and beautiful and cool and strong in, is different to what this pop star or this indie musician feels comfortable in. I put on a suit and I’m like, ‘I’m a badass!’ And that to me is my daring. But if it happened to be a bra and undies that made me feel that way, why deny yourself that? In a world that is trying to tell women all the time that you can’t have something that you want for whatever reason…” She stops. “No, I don’t think about being demure.”

Basically balks at the idea that she is “rich now,” saying she just leaves the financial decisions to her father. When asked if she’s treated herself to anything extravagant (because her breakout hit criticizing the excess of modern celebrity culture??) she offered up quite the alternative, admitting she partakes in an annual New Zealand custom where everyone clears their homes of unwanted items, whether clothes, furniture, or appliances so other people can dig through and find some treasures. It sounds like a Free Craigslist orgy.

“It stays on the street for a few days and then it’s collected and put into a landfill somewhere. But people drive around and go through other people’s household rubbish. And, honestly, I’ve gotten amazing furniture, shoes, hats, jackets.”

She’s done this since she was famous?

“I did this three weeks ago! Recognised every single time. So embarrassing!” she says, laughing.

I love it. Can you imagine being so confident that you’re embarrassed of something that’s actually pretty awesome and respectable? I mean, Lorde has been very transparent about the awkwardness of teenage fame, but still. Lorde also preached on the difficulty of being a self-assured woman in the industry, saying:

“People find it difficult to watch women being assertive or dominant. I know I’ve encountered it over and over and over, people thinking I’m being difficult for demanding a high standard. You encounter it basically daily when you’re the boss and you’re a girl… But I’m lucky enough that I work with a really great team, and I’ve managed to weed out the people who don’t want to be led by a 17- or 18-year-old girl. “