In the wake of her success with the chart-smashing hit "Royals," Lorde is standing by her critique of pop artists like Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Taylor Swift, and Macklemore, the 16-year-old New Zealand singer unashamed about her opinionated approach to the music industry, MTV News reports.
Lorde recently spoke to MTV News to clarify and defend many of the statements she made earlier this summer about her fellow pop contemporaries.
"I think there's a funny culture in music that's only happened over the last 15 years, that if you have an opinion about something in music that isn't 100-percent good, you're a 'hater,' even if you have perfectly reasonable grounds for that critique," she said. "People will say exactly what they think about a movie or a TV show, and that's fine, but as soon as you say it about a record, you're like some little zombie in a funny dungeon.
"I have pretty strong morals and opinions being in pop music, and I can't help but express those, which I think people appreciate. I mean, I don't think I say anything that isn't backed up. Most of the time I will stand by things that I've said."
Lorde, who just released her debut album, "Pure Heroine," caught flack this summer for accusing Justin Bieber of not providing "a real depiction of what it's like to be a young person," berating Macklemore & Ryan Lewis for opening and closing their setlist with their wacky hit "Thrift Shop," and took issue with Selena Gomez's song "Come & Get It," accusing the former Disney princess of portraying female sexuality in a troubling light with the lyrics, "When you're ready come and get it from me."
"I love pop music on a sonic level," Lorde said at the time. "But I'm a feminist and the theme of her song is [problematic]. I'm sick of women being portrayed this way."
On her official Tumblr, Lorde clarified that her originals comments about Taylor Swift being the embodiment of perfection for young girls were not meant to slam the country singer.
"I think fans (me included) have these feelings of worthlessness, like they'll never be as pretty/talented/whatever, as a result of this intense photoshop culture and the endless strive for perfection," she wrote. "[Swift] was the first person i thought of [as an example of this], which I regret. She happens to be good-looking, but I think she actually uses her other imperfections in an incredibly powerful and relatable way."
Speaking recently to MTV News, Lorde expressed her frustration with being misquoted and misinterpreted by the media and fans of the stars she has critiqued.
"I have pretty strong morals and opinions being in pop music, and I can't help but express those, which I think people appreciate," Lorde said. "I mean, I don't think I say anything that isn't backed up. Most of the time I will stand by things that I've said.
"I was on the internet the other day, and I saw that someone had made up a quote about me not liking gay people, and I was like 'Wha?!?' Now there are probably a bunch of people out there who think I hate gay people now, which is ridiculous. But you have to let it go. I just want to continue making music; it's the reason I'm here in the first place."
