Lorde’s “Royals” Joins YouTube Billion Views Club
The era-defining track hits a historic streaming milestone as the New Zealand star closes out her long-standing Universal Music Group deal.
Summary
- Lorde’s breakout 2013 single “Royals” has officially surpassed 1 billion views on YouTube, marking her first entry into the Billion Views Club
- The streaming milestone arrives just as the New Zealand artist announced her departure from long-time label Universal Music Group
- Renowned for shifting the 2010s pop landscape, the hit track spent nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and took home two Grammy Awards
More than a decade after turning the pop music landscape on its head, Lorde‘s 2013 smash hit “Royals” has officially surpassed 1 billion views on YouTube. The milestone cements the track’s enduring cultural footprint, widely celebrated for ushering in the moody, minimalist sound that defined much of the 2010s mainstream. Rejecting the flashy excess of its era, the anti-glamour music video painted a stark, realistic portrait of suburban teenage life—a move that instantly separated the then-16-year-old artist from her pop-star peers.
The Billion Views Club induction arrives amid a major career transition for Lorde. The artist recently announced her departure from her 17-year contract with Universal Music Group, an agreement she originally inked at age 12. Embracing the separation as an opportunity for a “clean slate,” Lorde expressed feeling heavily inspired and ready for the creative possibilities that lie ahead in her newly independent era.
