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Lorde is back, and our ears are blessed. The New Zealand singer just dropped her first single in four years, ‘What Was That,’ and between the dreamy visuals and the gut-punch lyrics (“Since I was seventeen, I gave you everything…” hello?!), fans are spiralling—with good reason.
Naturally, the internet is doing what it does best: dissecting every line and speculating if Lorde’s new music is inspired by a real-life breakup.
While Lorde (real name: Ella Yelich-O’Connor) is famously private about her personal life (especially her relationships), we do have a little tea on her dating history. And while it’s not a long list, her relationships have definitely left their mark on her music.
So, if you’ve found yourself wondering who has Lorde dated? or who is Lorde’s new song about? We’ve got you covered.
James Lowe
2013–2015
Lorde was just 16 when she began dating New Zealand photographer James Lowe, who was 24 at the time. Their eight-year age gap raised some eyebrows, including from her own mum, poet Sonja Yelich, who told Rolling Stone, “I didn’t say, ‘Yeah, sure, go date a 24-year-old.’ But her dad and I met James, and we liked him.”
The couple dated for two years, and after their breakup in 2015, Lorde released Melodrama, the heartbreak-laced album that fans suspect was heavily inspired by the split. One song in particular, ‘Green Light,’ is often theorised to be about James. While Lorde hasn’t confirmed that, she did tell Zane Lowe (no relation!) that the song was about her first major heartbreak.
“It’s not something I really am used to writing about,” she admitted. “It took me a while to be able to figure out how to write about that.”
Another Melodrama track, ‘Sober,’ touches on escapism and post-breakup partying. Lorde told Stellar, “There was an element of escapism and exploration and wanting to be myself in strange situations… After a breakup, you go to these crazy places. I definitely did.”
Justin Warren
2015–2023(?)
Next up is music executive Justin Warren, who works at Universal Music in New Zealand. He’s said to have first met Lorde in 2009 when she was signed to the label as a teen. Rumours of a relationship began swirling in 2015 after they were seen attending events together and hanging out in Auckland.
At the time, Justin told the New Zealand Herald, “Ella and I have worked together for years and we’re good friends. Any rumours of us being ‘a pair’ are ridiculous.” But the rumours didn’t exactly stop there.
By 2019, fans were convinced the two were more than friends—especially when Lorde was spotted wearing a ring on that finger while the pair shopped for homewares (yes, really). Then in 2021, she rocked a giant diamond ring at Variety’s Power of Women event, reigniting engagement speculation. Neither Lorde nor Justin ever publicly confirmed a relationship or a breakup, which only made fans more curious.
But in a 2023 newsletter to fans, Lorde wrote about going through heartbreak:
“I’m living with heartbreak again,” she wrote. “I ache all the time, I forget why and then remember.”
Was this her soft launch of a breakup with Justin? We’ll never know for sure, but the timing had people talking.
Is ‘What Was That’ about Justin?
While Lorde hasn’t confirmed who her new single “What Was That” is about, the lyric “Since I was seventeen, I gave you everything / Now, we wake from a dream, well, baby, what was that?” definitely has breakup vibes.
Fans are convinced it’s a reference to her long-term (maybe secret) relationship with Warren. Whether or not that’s true, Lorde’s poetic lyrics and emotional honesty continue to resonate deeply with fans, and that’s what makes her music so special.
Wait, did Lorde date Jack Antonoff?
If you’ve ever found yourself deep in a Lorde TikTok spiral, chances are you’ve come across a few theories about her relationship with longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff. And we get it—their creative chemistry is palpable. Jack, who’s also worked with Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey and The 1975, helped co-write and produce both Melodrama and Solar Power, which are arguably some of Lorde’s most intimate and emotionally raw albums.
Naturally, fans began to speculate that there was something more than just musical magic going on between the two, especially after Jack split from Girls creator Lena Dunham in 2017, around the same time he and Lorde were working closely together. But Lorde and Jack were quick to shut those rumours all the way down.
“Normally, I would never address rumours but I resent having the most important friendships and working relationships in my life reduced to dumb hetero normative gossip,” Jack wrote on Twitter in January 2018. “Those relationships are deeply important and sacred. With that said, I’m not seeing anyone. lol.”
Lorde set the record straight herself in a February 2018 Instagram Live, “Guys… Jack and I are not dating, for the last time,” she said. “I love him, he’s awesome. But we’re not dating! Please!”
So, no, they never dated. But their creative bond remains one of the most talked-about in the music industry.
Is Lorde dating anyone now?
If she is, she’s keeping it under wraps. Since her rumoured split in 2023, Lorde hasn’t been linked to anyone publicly. And given her decision to step away from social media and the intense spotlight, it’s not surprising.
In a 2021 Vogue interview, she said:
“I’m great at my job, but I’m not sure I’m the man for the job. I’m a highly sensitive person… That natural charisma is not what I have. I have the brain in the jar.”
