"Royals" is the debut single by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde, included in her debut extended play (EP) The Love Club EP (2012) and debut studio album Pure Heroine (2013). Lorde wrote the song with producer Joel Little. "Royals" is a minimalist art pop and electropop song with influences of hip hop, R&B, and indie pop. The track's lyrics critique the sumptuous lifestyle presented in songs and music videos by popular musicians, making them appear like modern-day royalty.
"Royals" received widespread acclaim from music critics, who praised its songwriting, production, and Lorde's vocal performance. Since its release, the track has appeared on critics' year-end and decade-end listicles. The single attained international chart success, reaching number one in Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, where it spent nine weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making it one of the best-selling singles of all time. In the media, the song has been credited for inspiring some artists to adopt its minimalist sound and has been called an anthem for millennials.
The music video for "Royals" was directed by Joel Kefali and premiered on Lorde's YouTube channel on 12 May 2013. It shows teenagers in a suburban neighbourhood interspersed with minimal shots of Lorde. The track won awards for Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2014 Grammy Awards, and the APRA Silver Scroll Award. Lorde performed "Royals" on her Pure Heroine (2013–14), Melodrama (2017–18), Solar Power (2022–23) and Ultrasound (2025-26) concert tours. Critics have credited the song for paving the way for other alternative-leaning pop artists. Rolling Stone listed "Royals" in their 2020 revision of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.
Background and writing
In 2009, A&R representative Scott MacLachlan of Universal Music Group (UMG) discovered 12-year-old singer Lorde when he saw footage of her performing at a school talent show in Auckland, New Zealand. At age 13, Lorde began writing songs. In December 2011, after several unsuccessful sessions with songwriters and producers, MacLachlan paired Lorde with Joel Little, a former singer and guitarist of the New Zealand pop-punk band Goodnight Nurse. Her vocal performance and songwriting abilities impressed Little, who composed songs with musical structures that were based on her lyrics.
Lorde wrote the lyrics to "Royals" in half an hour at her home in July 2012 and during a school break, she and Little recorded the song at Golden Age Studios in Auckland in one week. The 15-year-old artist pulled inspiration from a 1976 National Geographic photo and an old diary line. Lorde and Little wrote songs for the extended play (EP) The Love Club EP in three weeks. The title "Royals" came to Lorde after she saw a 1976 photograph of Kansas City Royals baseball player George Brett signing baseballs with his team's name "Royals" emblazoned on his shirt. She said during a VH1 interview in September 2013, "It was just that word. It's really cool."
Lorde's interest in aristocracy and monarchs such as Marie Antoinette and Henry VIII also inspired the song and her stage name. She said the lyric about driving Cadillacs in dreams came from a diary entry she wrote when she was 12. She also stated she took inspiration from pop and hip hop-influenced artists such as ASAP Rocky, Drake, Lana Del Rey, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, and Jay-Z—particularly West's and Jay-Z's 2011 collaborative album Watch the Throne. During the songwriting process, she criticised their references to extravagant alcohol and cars, which did not represent her reality.
Release Lorde self-released "Royals" for free download in conjunction with The Love Club EP on SoundCloud on 22 November 2012. She released the EP for no cost because people her age are less likely to have access to a credit card. The song garnered an immediate reaction on social media and that December, "Royals" had its first radio broadcast on New Zealand radio station George FM. On 8 March 2013, UMG removed "Royals" from SoundCloud and released it to online stores in New Zealand and Australia. Lava and Republic Records released it to US radio on 3 June 2013.
According to Jason Flom, president of Lava Records, a key step to popularising "Royals" internationally was its addition to a Spotify playlist curated by American entrepreneur Sean Parker on 2 April 2013. The song later debuted on Spotify's Viral Chart, which lists the most popular songs among the service's users. "Royals" peaked at number one in May 2013. Two months later, the song was sent to alternative radio stations in the United States and on 13 August 2013, it was sent to contemporary hit radio stations. On September 3, 2013, “Royals” was released to rhythmic contemporary radio in the US. In other regions, "Royals" was made available in August 2013, and in the United Kingdom it was released on 20 October 2013.
"Royals" was also promoted through remixes released in partnership with artists The Weeknd, Rick Ross, Wale, and T-Pain. The latter's remix received criticism for making changes to the lyrics, and according to MTV, turning the "original's anti-bling sentiments into a celebration of the extravagant life".
Composition and lyrical interpretation "Royals" is as an art pop, electropop, and alternative pop song that incorporates elements of electronic music, and draws influence from R&B and indie pop.
Its instrumentation consists of finger snaps, bass, percussion, and a hip hop beat.*
The track's low-fidelity production is enhanced by synthesisers and Pro Tools software. Its synth-influenced sound was compared to Purity Ring and Noah "40" Shebib.
It is written in the key of G major (in the D Mixolydian mode), with a moderate tempo of 85 beats per minute (Andante). Lorde's vocals were compared to those of Amy Winehouse, Lana Del Rey, and Florence Welch. The National Public Radio's Ann Powers said Lorde's sultry voice, "intriguingly sleepy beats and lyrics ... captured the exquisite ennui of a precocious teenager". On the song, Lorde performs with a mezzo-soprano vocal range, spanning F3 to F5.
Foreign Policys Alicia P.Q. Wittmeyer noted "Royals" as an observation of conspicuous consumption. The song expresses Lorde's displeasure at the sumptuous lifestyle presented by some pop artists in their songs. She criticises consumerism and ridicules the luxury items mentioned in popular hip hop songs. Other analysts noted themes of income inequality, and "unabashedly pop [songs] attacking unabashedly pop music". Chris Coplan of Consequence of Sound described the lyrics of "Royals" as "romantic and playful" while Duncan Greive of The Guardian called them "simultaneously vulnerable and imperious".
Matthew Perpetua of BuzzFeed said the issue addressed in "Royals" is growing up in New Zealand "immersed in American cultural imperialism" and that the song's core is the alienation of social classes. Sharing similar sentiments, Jon Pareles and Michael M. Grynbaum of The New York Times noted the track's verses describe "growing up in drab reality amid a popular culture that flaunts luxury brands and celebrates wildly conspicuous consumption". Jonah Bromwich of The Village Voice said "Royals" has the "potential to sound like a celebration of the very things" Lorde is criticising. Lorde said the song is about the opulence one finds in some music videos, which is "far from [her] reality".
Reception Critical response "Royals" received widespread acclaim from music critics. Lewis Corner from Digital Spy awarded the track a five rating and lauded its "addictive hook that thrives on its simplicity". The Guardians Duncan Grieve was impressed by the song's "direct response" to excess and wealth. The Boston Globe writer James Reed selected "Royals" as the highlight of the album Pure Heroine. Rita Houston of NPR praised its melody, "heartfelt" songwriting, and Lorde's "rhythmic" vocals that combine to create a "polished little gem of a song". Jon Hadusek from Consequence of Sound also named the track the album's standout, singling out its "self-reflexive" lyrics and "catchy" production. PopMatters writer Scott Interrante felt that the song's sound was "distinct and fresh", while The New York Timess Jon Pareles highlighted its clever message, describing it as a "class-conscious critique of pop-culture materialism".
The lyrical content of the song was scrutinised after Feministing blogger Véronica Bayetti Flores called it "racist". She felt that "gold teeth, Cristal, and Maybachs" were direct references to items used by mainstream black artists. This prompted responses from several media publications, including The Washington Times, Complex, and Vice, who disagreed with Flores's comments. Journalist Lynda Brendish wrote that the song also critiques other stereotypes associated with affluent, high-profile personalities, such as rock musicians, socialites, and Russian oligarchs. In contrast, Spin writer Brandon Soderberg argued that the inclusion of "Royals" on urban radio was an attempt by the music industry to whitewash traditionally black radio stations.
Accolades "Royals" appeared on several year-end song lists. Many media sources, including Slant, The Boston Herald, and Consequence of Sound named it the best song of 2013. Rolling Stone and The Guardian included "Royals" as the runner-up on their year-end lists. Billboard, NME, The Huffington Post, and Time included the song in the top ten of their end-of-year lists. The Village Voices Pazz & Jop annual critics' poll to find the best music of 2013 ranked "Royals" at number two after Daft Punk's "Get Lucky" (2013). Listeners' votes placed the song in second place on Australian radio station Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2013, after Vance Joy's "Riptide" (2013).
On 15 October 2013, co-writers Lorde and Joel Little won the APRA Silver Scroll award, which honours original New Zealand songwriting. At the 56th Annual Grammy Awards, "Royals" won Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance and was nominated for Record of the Year. Lorde was the youngest New Zealander to win a Grammy and the third-youngest performer overall. "Royals" also won Single of the Year at the 2013 New Zealand Music Awards, and the Most Performed Songs distinction at the ASCAP Pop Awards. It received a nomination for Song of the Year at the BBC Music Awards and Best Track at the Q Awards.
Chart performance North America In its first seven days on sale, "Royals" sold 85,000 downloads and debuted at number 90 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending 20 July 2013. In a later interview, Lorde said, "I had a sneaking suspicion that it might do all right". On 31 August, "Royals" rose to number 17 on the Hot 100, becoming Lorde's first top-20 song in the US. With sales of 307,000 copies (up 17%), "Royals" became the fourth release by an up-and-coming singer to reach the top of the Digital Songs chart. The song had the most digital downloads for five non-consecutive weeks.
On the 12 October chart, "Royals" replaced "Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus, which had been at the top for two straight weeks, as the number-one song in the US. Aly Weisman of Business Insider noted Lorde's performance of the song on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon helped make it known to a wider audience. The song's rise to number one was attributed to 294,000 downloads made that week, 6.1 million streamings (up 12%), and an airplay audience of 128 million (up 22%) across all genres, earning Lorde the highest airplay gainer for the week. The song topped the chart for nine consecutive weeks and was the year's top-selling song by a female artist. "Royals" was certified fourteen-times Platinum in 2023 for selling over 14 million copies in the US.