Creativity Before Celebrity

Lorde has suddenly become quite famous, but in reality the 17-year-old kiwi just wants to stay out of the world of smoke and mirrors like other young popstar of today.

“It’s still pretty weird,” she says of her rising stardom. “I’m definitely on the outskirts of fame. Like, if fame was a gated community, my house would be the one you could see from the street.”

But this isn’t a matter of or tall poppy syndrome, shyness or simply youth. In fact, it doesn’t seem to even be an intelligent marketing strategy to discreetly perpetuate star power, as some bloggers have argued.

Ella Yelich-O’Connor, who has become the youngest solo artist to hit No. 1 since 1988, is all about keeping what she does pure.

“I think if your ambition in making music was to be famous, you’d have something wrong in your head. I’d call it a side effect of making music,” she said. “And I don’t wish I wasn’t well known, but I don’t think it’s something to crave at all. There’s a weird culture now of putting talented people on crazy pedestals, making them these sort of deities, so my relationship with fame is to try and bridge that gap a little.”

It seems that with social media now thrown in the mix, the obsession with celebrity culture has become a constant and, some would say, polluting part of our everyday lives. But this isn’t just affecting society – it’s affecting the credibility of performers hoping to convey a sense of authenticity and, perhaps more important, sustain some creative longevity.

And longevity is something that Lorde holds highly.

“My five-year plan definitely does not involve soundtracking a sandwich ad,” she adds.

Original article by Alex Hawgood, The New York Times