Lorde turned chaos into connection this week when her surprise pop-up in New York City’s Washington Square Park was disrupted by police—only for the night to transform into an unforgettable underground moment.
The Grammy-winning artist had teased the event just hours earlier on her Instagram story, inviting fans to gather at 7 p.m. on April 22. By 6:47 p.m., the crowd swelled, only to be met with a police shutdown due to missing permits. “Omg @thepark the cops are shutting us down,” Lorde posted, apologizing to her followers as the crowd began to disperse.
But the story didn’t end there.
As night fell, Lorde’s collaborator Blood Orange (Dev Hynes) returned to the scene with a handheld radio and blasted her unreleased single “What Was That.” Then, around 9:30 p.m., Lorde reappeared, dancing and singing along with die-hard fans who stuck around. “You guys are so amazing,” she said, beaming in the glow of the impromptu party.
Despite the initial hiccup, the event became a symbol of Lorde’s bond with her fans—intimate, unexpected, and absolutely electric. Her new single officially drops April 25.
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