--- description: "For me it's all about what I want to say with the records" title: Lorde Talks 'Hunger Games' Soundtrack image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt062cb3ca028133c5/698768cf06f2c1a6c03323d5/lorde.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Lorde Talks _Hunger Games_ Soundtrack by [Brian Hiatt / Rolling Stone](/author/rolling-stone/) ## Brian Hiatt / Rolling Stone Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 15, 2014 1:00 PM CUT  Lorde attends the World Premiere of "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1" on Nov. 10, 2014 in London, England. Lorde attends the World Premiere of "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1" on Nov. 10, 2014 in London, England.Karwai Tang—WireImage by [Brian Hiatt / Rolling Stone](/author/rolling-stone/) ## Brian Hiatt / Rolling Stone Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Nov 15, 2014 1:00 PM CUT _This_ [_post_](http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/lorde-talks-hunger-games-nirvana-and-plans-for-a-new-lp-20141107 "undefined") _originally appeared on_ [_Rolling Stone_](http://www.rollingstone.com/ "undefined")_._ It’s been just over a year since Lorde released her now-platinum debut, _Pure Heroine,_ where she sang wistfully about “getting on my first plane.” The 18-year-old has since racked up major frequent-flier miles, becoming an alt-pop cultural icon (two _South Park_ parodies in one month!) along the way. In October, her tour finally led back to her native New Zealand: “It definitely feels like a bit of a victory lap,” she says. She’s also found time to assemble an eclectic soundtrack for _The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1_ – and to give passing thought to a new album of her own. Here’s what we learned checking in with pop’s most talented teen. MORE: [Lorde Shares Alluring ‘Hunger Games’ Single ‘Yellow Flicker Beat’](http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/lorde-shares-alluring-hunger-games-single-yellow-flicker-beat-20140929 "undefined") **She’s the Boss**“Everyone my age read the books and saw the films,” Lorde says of _Hunger Games._ “I got a call: ‘You’ve been asked to write the end-credit song.’ But I wanted ownership in the process. They came back: ‘Would you like to do the soundtrack?’ I was like, ‘Uh, that would work.'” She appeared on five tracks, including a Diplo-produced duet with Ariana Grande and a collaboration with the Chemical Brothers and R&B star Miguel (“He’s the best possible person with vocal melodies that I know”) – and also got Kanye West to “rework” her single “Yellow Flicker Beat.” (“He’s so private I feel weird talking about how he does stuff. I feel lucky to even be in a room with him.”) In addition to Grace Jones (“this high priestess presiding over us all”) and Charli XCX, the LP spotlights rising artists like Raury, Tinashe and XOV – “artists I heard on YouTube and had 10,000 hits. I thought what they were doing was cool and could be taken to a different, interesting place.” MORE: [In Pics: Lorde: The Rolling Stone Cover Shoot](http://www.rollingstone.com/music/pictures/lorde-the-rolling-stone-cover-shoot-20140115 "undefined") **Nirvana Changed Her Life**Lorde is still processing her [Rock and Roll Hall of Fame performance](http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/the-inside-story-of-nirvanas-one-night-only-reunion-20140416 "undefined") with the surviving members of Nirvana last April. “I knew it was a big deal,” she says, “but I don’t think I really understood how much weight those three minutes had. It was over in the blink of an eye for me, but it’s kind of lasted. There’s a song on the soundtrack that’s just me and an organ, and it’s cool to hear my voice again in that kind of vein that I did with ‘All Apologies.'” MORE: [Rolling Stone’s 25 Greatest Movie Soundtracks of All Time](http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/lists/the-25-greatest-soundtracks-of-all-time-20130829 "undefined") **She’s Taking Her Time With Her Next Album**“I’m very tentatively starting,” she says. “I’ve done a lot of writing, lyrically, but I started the soundtrack just as I was getting into album stuff, and that took up all of my creative head. But I have been plotting out ideas. I guess other people don’t write like that, but for me it’s all about what I want to say with the records. I don’t really have any sort of timetable. I’m not in any kind of rush. Part of me thinks that the longer I leave it, the better a musician I’ll be. \[_Laughs_\] I used to do the same thing with homework! But I don’t know if I’ll be good at having time off.” MORE: [Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time](http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-20110407 "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3585673/lorde-hunger-games-soundtrack/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3585673/lorde-hunger-games-soundtrack/"},"headline":"Lorde Talks Hunger Games Soundtrack","datePublished":"2014-11-15T13:00:46.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T11:27:00.696Z","description":"\"For me it's all about what I want to say with the records\"","url":"https://time.com/3585673/lorde-hunger-games-soundtrack/","keywords":["movies","Hunger Games","Music","Pop Culture","Lorde"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt062cb3ca028133c5/698768cf06f2c1a6c03323d5/lorde.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Brian Hiatt / Rolling Stone"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt062cb3ca028133c5/698768cf06f2c1a6c03323d5/lorde.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Lorde attends the World Premiere of \"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1\" on Nov. 10, 2014 in London, England.","caption":"Lorde attends the World Premiere of \"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1\" on Nov. 10, 2014 in London, England.","creditText":"Karwai Tang—WireImage","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3585673/lorde-hunger-games-soundtrack/","name":"Lorde Talks Hunger Games Soundtrack"}}]}] ```