Lorde’s Astrological Chart
collage by Mikayla Alpert
Lorde is renowned for bearing it all in her music. Her albums illustrate bold, emotional vulnerability. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Lorde is a Scorpio sun. Within birth charts, the sun represents basic identity, ego, and personality. As water signs, Scorpios are intuitive, bordering on clairvoyant. Their personalities have immense depth and intensity; Scorpios have an obsession with going deeper, getting to the roots of places, people, and situations. For Lorde, this inspires an emphasis on emotional connection, vulnerability and bringing the unseen and unspoken to the surface. The echoing chorus of “Sober II (Melodrama)” is a response to those unnerved by this intensity: We told you this was melodrama, you’re with a Scorpio, don’t act surprised.
Moon signs rule over the emotional realm: mood, inner dialogue, and internal life. Lorde’s emotions are ruled by Virgo, an earth sign. Virgos are constantly working on themselves and are more than happy to put in the time and energy. “Solar Power” is a commitment to joy (It's a new state of mind / Are you coming, my baby?), reflecting the time that Lorde spent focusing on her emotions and her mental health.
Solar Power was also released four years after Melodrama, signifying the rest and refinement that Virgos require. While Virgos are often stereotyped as perfectionists, they also suffer from anxiety and constant worry. Virgo moons take their emotional lives seriously – they want to get it right, leading to retreats into places of serenity that empower self-improvement and relaxation (I tend to cancel all the plans).
The Ascendant placement (more commonly referred to as a rising sign) represents a person’s public facing persona. This placement is especially relevant in the case of celebrities. Lorde is a Capricorn rising. Within Capricorns, there’s an uneasy balance of capability and insecurity. Lorde projects her capability, evidenced by her commercial success at age 16. However, behind Lorde’s proven capability is a nagging aspect of Capricorn placements: the pressure of overachieving. In a recent interview with KS95, Lorde mentions that not touring for two years made her feel disconnected from her audience. Becoming insecure about your career is a typical Capricorn concern. It’s also worth noting that her concern pertains to her public persona, stressing the relevance of her Ascendant placement. Lorde’s Capricorn Ascendant conflicts with her Virgo moon – she requires her own space and time to create but providing herself with that distance alienates her from her audience, ultimately causing career insecurity.
Mercury placements dictate communication, thinking, and other mental processes. Lorde is a Scorpio Mercury. The same attributes that outline her basic personality – mystery, depth, intuition – are reflected in how she communicates. Those with a Mercury in Scorpio are drawn to poetry, psychology, and other intellectually challenging pursuits. They speak with the intention of cutting deep, finding what makes people tick, even if that makes some people uncomfortable (they pull back, they make other plans).
Venus focuses on pleasure. This placement rules over one’s love life and their appreciation for aesthetics. Lorde is a Libra Venus, striving for balance and harmony. Romantically speaking, this translates to a willingness to please her partners. Within the realm of aesthetics, Lorde is drawn to beauty. She’s often moved by her surroundings: I ride the subway, read the signs / I let the seasons change my mind. People with Libra placements make great poets, obviously.
Libra Venuses combine their love of romance with their love of aesthetics to create idealized images of their partners and relationships. While there’s something beautiful about romanticizing one’s life (In my head, I play a supercut of us / All the magic we gave off), Libra Venuses can set themselves up for disappointment (But when I reach for you, there's just a supercut). In “Supercut,” Lorde idealizes a relationship while simultaneously revealing the reality of the situation. Her Scorpio Sun and Mercury incline her to investigate, go deeper, while her Libra Venus still hangs onto the supercut.
Lorde’s astrological chart reveals some tension. Aspects of her personality are at odds with each other. This is perhaps what makes her such a compelling artist. Pure Heroine, Melodrama, and Solar Polar are immensely different albums. Her discography illustrates her growth and her contradictions. Lorde’s art will always illustrate her internal tension, as she uses her water placements to work through the anxiety caused by her earth placements.