Lorde was born in Takapuna, Auckland. She is a sex positive feminist. In an interview with Huffington Post she said, "I've seen people compare me to just about every female slightly alt[ernative] female musician because people feel the need to put females with other females, which I guess I understand, but I think I'm different because my music is accessible, but it's also smart and those are two things that don't often go together musically."