Lorde opens up about gender dysphoria as she recalls taping her chest: ‘I came into some understanding about myself’
“It’s all a journey,” says the New Zealand singer, as she reflects on her evolving sense of gender identity while on her Ultrasound World Tour
By Aaron Sugg
Lorde has spoken about her experiences with gender for the first time since saying in May that she was “in the middle, gender-wise”.
The Grammy winner explained that she continues to use she/her pronouns, though her sense of identity is not always straightforward.
Speaking to Rolling Stone earlier this year, the ‘Green Light’ singer recalled a conversation with Chappell Roan after being asked about lyrics from her album Virgin that allude to questions of gender.
“I came into some understanding about myself” – Lorde on taping her chest for the first time
The opening lines, “Some days I’m a woman / Some days I’m a man,” led Roan to ask about her pronouns.
“[Chappell Roan] asked me this,” Lorde told the publication, noting that she uses she/her pronouns while also identifying as “in the middle, gender-wise.”
“She was like, ‘So, are you non-binary now?’ And I was like, ‘I’m a woman except for the days when I’m a man.’ I know that’s not a very satisfying answer, but there’s a part of me that is really resistant to boxing it up.”
Virgin, released in 2025, is Lorde’s fourth studio album, which she described as a kind of rebirth. It follows her 2021 record Solar Power.
In a new interview with Dazed, the Royals singer elaborated on her experiences, recalling that she taped her chest for the first time in 2023.
“It doesn’t feel like I’ve arrived anywhere permanent at all” – Lorde on her gender dysphoria
“Something really happened for me when I taped my chest for the first time,” she said. “I came into some understanding about myself, and felt a very pure version of myself present.”
Known for her relaxed appearance, she also spoke about experimenting with clothing and makeup: “Right now, it feels as it should. But some days, I can’t wear women’s clothes. I’ve had to figure out how to have my makeup done in a way that doesn’t make me feel trapped or tight or like the wrong thing.”
Lorde acknowledged that she does not feel settled in one fixed identity, adding: “It’s all a journey. I have no idea where it’s gonna go; it doesn’t feel like I’ve arrived anywhere permanent at all. I’m sure it’ll keep unfurling, the way these things do.”
“It takes time to metabolise and find itself” – Lorde on discovering her identity
“It really took me by surprise how much shame I felt – feeling all that come up wasn’t easy. Even as I see my friends coming fully into their genders, feeling nothing but pride, love, respect, and bliss. I just think it takes time to metabolise and find itself. I’m excited to find out where that lands, if it ever does land. Your whole life it keeps unfurling.”
The New Zealand artist is currently on her Ultrasound World Tour, which began in September 2025 and runs into 2026. She will perform in the UK starting 15 November at Manchester’s AO Arena, followed by shows in London, Glasgow and Birmingham.
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