Aside from the occasional red carpet or squad hangout, Lorde has kept a relatively low profile. Not only has she been working on her new album, but she's also been trying to just go back to being herself again. 

"I made a very deliberate choice to withdraw for a little while from a public life," she wrote in an open letter on Facebook. "I haven’t had my hair or makeup done in a year, the free handbags dried up LONG ago, and the paparazzi at the airport are almost always for someone else. And let me tell you, as much as I love being full noise album cycle girl, it's been a motherfucking joy. (every once in a while I am recognised on the street - one of you breathlessly clutches my hand, shaking and speaking quickly, and I feel this SHOCK of love.)
I turned inwards to my friends, my family, towards this moment, so I could learn more about who I was, and so I could let this new project show itself to me."

Writing the note until the clock struck midnight when Lorde officially turned 20, the singer also explained that the new LP is still in the works. So fans had to wait a little longer.

"I want nothing more than to spill my guts RIGHT NOW about the whole thing," she wrote. "I want you to see the album cover, pore over the lyrics (the best I’ve written in my life), touch the merch, experience the live show. I can hardly stop myself from typing out the name. I just need to keep working a while longer to make it as good as it can be. You'll have to hold on. The big day is not tomorrow, or even next month realistically, but soon. I know you understand."

Read the letter below.