Music: Lorde, An Artist Beyond Her Years

Music today is filled with many things-namely alcohol, boyfriends, gold chains and parties that we can't remember the next day.
So, can a singer/songwriter make it big in the American music scene with a tune written about her displeasure with superficial pop culture? Lorde, a 16-year-old New Zealand native, has been doing just that.
Chances are you know at least a few lyrics to "Royals," Lorde's number one single. If you're like me, there's a good chance that because of that one song, you don't care much for her as an artist.
However, her inaugural album "Pure Heroine" (which debuted at number three on the Billboard chart) features songs that leave "Royals" in the dust and establish Lorde as a force to be reckoned with in the music game.
The album sets a dark and ethereal tone and presents plenty of opportunities for jadedness, Lorde's specialty. Each track is decorated with catchy beats and electronic synths, courtesy of producer Joel Littleton, and poetic words that often paint vivid pictures ("I remember when your head caught flame. It kissed your scalp and caressed your brain").
It's indie, alternative pop with some hip-hop beats.
Album highlights include "Tennis Court," "Ribs," "Buzzcut Season" and "Team."
"Maybe the internet raised us," she sings at one point during the closing track, "A World Alone." This line alone summarizes where Lorde is coming from throughout a good portion of the album.
She's writing to represent the Millennial generation: the young people who are free of care but filled with worry and spend a little too much time on their computers with their "fake friends."
"It feels so scary getting old," she croons in "Ribs," something that may seem trivial to someone at Lorde's age, but something on which Milennials can agree.
In its entirety, "Pure Heroine" is so smartly written that it makes you wonder how someone who is merely 16 could possibly be behind the music.
Don't count on Lorde disappearing any time soon. She will be featured on the soundtrack for November's "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," and with a debut as strong as hers, I truly believe that we'll be seeing more of her for years to come.