How Lorde Chose Her Stage Name
And why she'd rather be called Ella.
March 4, 2014 -- Lorde kicked off her U.S. headlining tour Monday night in Austin, Texas, and it'll keep her on the road through the end of the month. If you're lucky enough to get tickets to the show, though, you may want to think twice before you scream that name at the 17-year-old Grammy winner when she's on stage, or if you see her afterwards by her bus.
"I much prefer being called Ella," the New Zealand teen born Ella Yelich-O'Connor told ABC News Radio. "I basically chose Lorde because I wanted a name that was really strong and had this grandeur to it. I didn't feel that my birth name was anything special. I always liked the idea of having, like, a one-named alias."
But that doesn't mean the singer will get angry if you do call her Lorde. "That's fine, too," she said, laughing.
As for her tour, you've probably seen her sing by now on TV, either on "Good Morning America,” at the Grammy Awards nominations concert or on the Grammy Awards themselves. So you know that she has a unique performance style. But what can fans expect if they come out to see her on the tour this month?
Lorde Hangs Out with a Kiernan Shipka and Amandla Stenberg
"Very simple, cool lights," she said. "Just me sorta being Gollum on stage, mucking around."
After her U.S. tour, she'll travel to Chile and Brazil to perform at the Lollapalooza festivals in those countries, and then head back to the United States for the big April Coachella festival in California.
