The Royals Parody

Key Of Awesome parodied ’Royals’ and made something I’ve thought about more times than I’d like to admit. This was Lorde—Ella Yelich-O’Connor from New Zealand, sixteen years old—at that exact moment when the internet decided she was a thing. Songs like ’Tennis Court’ and ’Team’ that came from nowhere, sounding like she’d skipped ten years of the usual teenage-artist apprenticeship and just arrived fully formed. The parody was good because Key Of Awesome doesn’t punch down; they just watch and let you see what they’re seeing.

The Lana Del Rey comparison was inescapable. Same thing—young woman, sudden arrival, the immediate sense that it couldn’t possibly last, that she’d peaked before she’d even really started. It’s always the same story with the internet and young talent, especially women. You arrive that suddenly and completely and the only question becomes how long before everyone moves on to the next thing.

Lorde either figured it out or didn’t. Hard to know from where I’m sitting.