WELLINGTON—New Zealand teenage pop sensation Lorde complained about the “frightening” price of fame Wednesday after a media pack jostled her when she returned home following her Grammys success.
The 17-year-old, who this week won Grammys for song of the year and best solo pop performance with her chart-topping “Royals”, said she was saddened at the reception she received after touching down at Auckland airport.
“NZ media almost pushed over myself and my family at the airport this morning in order to get their shots. bit of a sad welcome if I’m honest,” she said in the first of a series of tweets which were later deleted.
Lorde, left, and Joel Little accept the award for song of the year for “Royals,” at the 56th annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2014, in Los Angeles. AP
Lorde, whose real name is Ella Yelich-O’Connor, shot to international prominence last year with “Royals”, a song about feeling alienated from the luxury lifestyle promoted by popular culture.
The artist, who hails from Auckland’s affluent North Shore, has been front-page news in New Zealand this week after her eye-catching performance at the Los Angeles awards show.
She said she was becoming used to being a public commodity, adding “the fact that I’m getting used to it frightens me”.
“There is a difference between [attention] from fans, which I love, and the constant, often lecherous gaze that I’m subjected to in this industry,” she tweeted.
“I know that success comes with a price tag. it just sucks when you see that in your tiny home country where you previously felt safe.”
Earlier, Lorde had praised her homeland’s public and media for their support in a full-page advertisement in the New Zealand Herald.
“I just wanted to say thank you for the time you’ve given me these past 14 months, finding out about me online, or in between these pages, or in your headphones,” she said.