Lorde and “Soft Launching” New Music
Photo by Martine Syms for Document
Advertising for music is largely dominated by viral trends, teasing billboards, and elaborate marketing campaigns, so it might seem counterintuitive for a major pop artist to debut new music with a whisper instead of a shout. But that’s exactly what Lorde is doing. With minimal fanfare, cryptic social media posts, and stripped-down live appearances, the New Zealand artist is building anticipation for her next project through what many are calling a soft launch.
The term, soft launch, originates from the tech and marketing world, where companies would release a product to limited audiences before a full-scale rollout. Over time, the term has been adopted heavily into internet culture, especially in dating and lifestyle content. Think of someone posting a photo of their partner’s hand at dinner or a blurry silhouette in the background. Just enough to spark questions and curiosity, but not enough to confirm or make it official. It’s a way of easing something new into the public eye without the pressure of a formal debut.
After a period of relative silence, Lorde has been teasing her next artistic era with a series of understated, yet highly calculated, moves. It started with a short video posted on a brand-new TikTok account—a handheld clip of her walking through Washington Square Park in New York City. There was no elaborate production, no voiceover, no official announcement. Just a short video, barely showing her face, and in the background was a quick snippet of her unreleased track “What Was That?” The video caught the attention of fans, who began dissecting every second for clues. And just like that, without a formal single or a streaming release, major hype began to build.
On Instagram, Lorde continued with the soft launch strategy. She wiped her profile, a classic sign of a new creative chapter, and began posting select cryptic visuals from the upcoming album cycle. One comment even asked, “Can a swiftie expert in hints and Easter eggs analyze this and tell us what’s going on[?]”
Perhaps the most buzzed-about moment of the slow-burn rollout was when Lorde performed “What Was That” live at Washington Square Park, the same location of the TikTok she posted. She announced the performance casually, posting an Instagram story of the park's fountain with the text “Tonight 7pm – xx.” So many people showed up that city officials had to intervene and disperse the crowd, yet she still managed to perform the song at 9:30 pm.
So, is this the new type of marketing strategy, or is it a genuine shift in how artists relate to their audiences and interact with fans? Lorde’s soft launch works because it’s just like her brand: intimate, mysterious, and a little bit messy. While every artist is vying for attention through polished teasers, countdowns, and huge album launches, the allure of something feeling unofficial, even unfinished, feels new and irresistible. It invites fans to feel like insiders rather than just consumers.
By teasing “What Was That,” Lorde has reignited interest before ever formally announcing a thing. It’s casual. It’s nonchalant. It’s Lorde. And it might just be the new future of music promotion.
