Yesterday, Lorde was trending #1 on Twitter, and it’s because she announced that she’s working on a new album. On June 16th, it’ll be three years since she releasedMelodrama,the genius album that we’ve all cried to. Since then, Lorde has been pretty quiet, and the fans have been restless.

Lorde reveals some exciting details in a letter to fans. She’s working with Jack Antonoff again, who was a producer onMelodramaand so many other amazing albums (likeNorman F-cking Rockwell). In Lorde’s words, “the work is so f-cking good” and now, “it’s got its own colours.” For many, that might seem like nonsense, but for Lorde fans, it’s very clear. This album is going to be even more mind-blowing than any of us could have imagined. Lorde doesn’t tell us when L3 is going to be released, but we do know that she jumped back in the studio in December and that she’s been working on it during quarantine. Is it safe to say that it’ll come out this year then? Will Lorde save us from the hellscape that is 2020?

I’m of course ecstatic about the album, but I want to talk about this letter. Because Lorde’s letter is better written than anything I have or ever will produce(d). I can’t help but feel a sense of calm wash over me as I read her words, like an animal being gently stroked by a caring and loving caretaker in the middle of a quiet and peaceful forest. My crops are watered, and my skin is glowing after reading it. It’s the panacea to our 2020 anxieties.

I’m honestly just jealous reading it. The way she expertly navigates her story is remarkable, flitting in and out of these deep introspections about the state of the world. Lorde can explain how grueling her tours were in the same paragraph that she calls herself a “sensitive sweet pea plant”. It’s an art.

There’s so much good stuff in here. I love how personal the letter is, and that Lorde asks me how long my hair is or whether I’ve taken my piercings out. I love how she’s observant of the world around her, of the cars on the road or the changing of the seasons. I love how Lorde shares her pain and grief, the notes on her phone, her joy and passion, and her favourite summer foods. I love that she’s able to confidently assert how good her work is, and that she’s telling us to be patient because it’s worth it.

工作(在本例中这封信)这是impeccable. And it’s raw. Which is exactly what people are looking for right now: Connection. Honesty. That’s really hard to manufacture or fake. It rings truer here because Lorde’s relationship with her fans is special. It’s a relationship that she clearly values and cherishes. She even knows how desperate we are.

Besides announcing new music, the letter is a glimpse into Lorde’s head, one that we don’t usually get with other celebrities. If we do, it doesn’t always feel as authentic and vulnerable. It’s clear that Lorde puts every fibre of her being into her music, and that she loves doing it. Just like her music, this letter is very “Lorde”. Which is really what everyone has been waiting for: for her to come back.

Welcome back, Lorde.