Lorde marked a significant milestone today as her experimental track ‘What Was That’ celebrated its first anniversary. PopCrave highlighted the occasion on social media, reminding fans that exactly one year has passed since the New Zealand artist dropped what many consider her most polarizing release to date.
The anniversary post from PopCrave pulled in solid engagement numbers. Over 2,000 fans hit the like button while 156 people shared the reminder across their timelines. Those numbers show fam is still talking about this track, even a full year later.
‘What Was That’ hit streaming platforms on April 25, 2025, catching listeners completely off guard. The song represented a major shift from Lorde‘s signature sound that made her a global sensation with hits like ‘Royals’ and ‘Green Light.’ Instead of her usual melodic alternative pop approach, she served up something way more experimental and abstract.
The track divided her fanbase right down the middle from day one. Some praised Lorde for taking creative risks and pushing boundaries in an industry that often rewards playing it safe. These supporters saw ‘What Was That’ as proof that she refuses to get boxed into one sound or style. They appreciated her willingness to challenge both herself and her audience.
Other fans weren’t feeling the new direction at all. They wanted more of the introspective, melody-driven songs that first drew them to Lorde’s music. For these listeners, ‘What Was That’ felt too far removed from what they loved about her artistry in the first place.
The timing of today’s anniversary post is interesting for another reason. Lorde has been relatively quiet on the music front lately, with fans constantly speculating about when new material might surface. Some industry watchers think she might be working on a full project that continues exploring the experimental territory she touched on with ‘What Was That.’
That possibility has different sections of her fanbase feeling different ways. The experimental music crowd is hoping she doubles down on that sound. Meanwhile, fans who prefer her earlier work are crossing their fingers that ‘What Was That’ was just a one-off creative experiment.
Lorde has always been an artist who moves at her own pace and follows her own creative instincts. She took several years between her debut album ‘Pure Heroine’ and its follow-up ‘Melodrama,’ then another lengthy gap before releasing ‘Solar Power.’ Each project showed different sides of her artistry while maintaining her distinctive voice and perspective.
‘What Was That’ fits into that pattern of artistic evolution, even if it pushed further into uncharted territory than some fans expected. The track proved Lorde isn’t interested in repeating herself or delivering exactly what people anticipate from her.
The continued discussion around the song one year later suggests it accomplished something important, regardless of how people feel about it. Art that generates lasting conversation and debate often has more cultural impact than music that gets immediate universal praise but quickly fades from memory.
Social media reactions to today’s anniversary reminder show the divide persists. Some comments celebrated Lorde’s boldness and artistic growth. Others expressed hope that her next release returns to more familiar sonic territory. A few fans admitted the song has grown on them over the past year, proving that experimental art sometimes needs time to find its audience.
The anniversary also serves as a reminder of how streaming has changed music consumption. Songs that might have disappeared quickly in previous decades now have opportunities to find new listeners and develop cult followings over time.
As Lorde’s career continues evolving, ‘What Was That’ will likely be remembered as a pivotal moment. Whether it represents a permanent shift in her artistic direction or just one bold experiment among many remains to be seen. What’s certain is that she’s never been afraid to surprise her audience, and that willingness to take creative risks keeps her music feeling fresh and unpredictable.
For now, fans will keep speculating about what comes next while appreciating the artist’s commitment to following her own creative compass, even when it leads into challenging territory.
