I was driving home tonight and I heard this great song on KROQ by a 16 year old New Zealand gal named Ella Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), or better known by her stage name Lorde. I really enjoy the influx of great female artists in in the past ten to fifteen years like Regina Spector so Lorde's voice caught my attention right away.

VH1:

“Royals” became the first song by a female artist to top the Billboard Alternative charts since Tracey Bonham cracked it 17 years ago with “Mother Mother,” and the song has also been called the fastest charting alternative song since Gotye‘s “Somebody That I Used To Know.” So what inspired the hit song that takes its own hit at the luxurious lifestyles of famous musicians? Apparently a National Geographic photo…

“I had this image from the National Geographic of this dude just signing baseballs,” Lorde told us when we sat down with her recently. “He was a baseball player and his shirt said, ‘Royals.’” Lorde was so taken by the image and the word that she penned the song around that idea. ”It was just that word. It’s really cool.”It wasn’t just a photo of a baseball player, though. Lorde is also a massive history buff and her love of the real life royals of the past also played a part in creating the song.“Obviously I’ve had this fascination with aristocracy my whole life.” She adds, “Like, the kings and queens of 500 years ago…they’re like rock stars.

She's going to school in Auckland and I played a few concerts there back in 2003 with Duran. It was a terrific city to visit and I guess she was like six years old or something. In any case she appears to be on her way in a a big way.

Rachel Sanders at Buzzfeed wrote: Listen To This Teen Singer From New Zealand Right Now. I think it's sound advice.