Lorde is marking the first anniversary of Virgin by opening the vault. The singer-songwriter surprised fans with XRAYS, a collection of 49 audio draft files documenting the creative process behind her critically acclaimed 2025 album, while also sharing previously unseen photos and an intensely personal journal entry.
The new archive, available through untitled.stream, offers listeners an unprecedented look at the evolution of Virgin, which was released on June 27, 2025. Rather than polished demos, the collection captures voice notes, rough recordings, and works in progress that trace the songwriting and production journey behind Lorde’s fourth studio album.
Alongside the audio files, Lorde posted several never-before-seen images from the era and reflected on the insecurities she experienced while making the record. In one candid message, she wrote: “feeling self conscious about my weight. feeling like i’m not gonna fit in with the other girls. feeling like i’m too weird and ugly for jimmy. feeling like i’m not gonna be able to represent my album and be a confident enough leader. been sitting inside not working for three days straight. literally in room looking at internet and tweezing bikini line.”
The note echoes many of the themes explored throughout Virgin, an album inspired by major personal changes including a breakup, relocating to New York City, and her battle with an eating disorder. Throughout the project, Lorde explored identity, femininity, vulnerability, and self-perception.
Produced alongside Jim-E Stack, Virgin marked a return to electronic-driven production after the folk-inspired direction of 2021’s Solar Power. Built around pulsating synths, breakbeats, distorted guitars, and industrial textures, the record received widespread critical acclaim while debuting at No. 1 in Australia, and the United Kingdom, where it became Lorde’s first chart-topping album. It also reached the Top 5 on the Billboard 200 in the United States.
The album’s rollout was led by the singles “What Was That,” “Man of the Year,” and “Hammer,” before Lorde launched the Ultrasound World Tour in September 2025. The global trek is scheduled to conclude in September 2026.
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