Lorde Addresses Nonbinary Identity Speculation: ‘I’m a Woman Except When I’m a Man’

Lorde Addresses Nonbinary Identity Speculation

Grammy-winning artist Lorde has opened up about her evolving understanding of gender identity, describing her journey as increasingly “expansive” and shaped by both personal experiences and creative exploration during the making of her upcoming album Virgin.

The 28-year-old singer, born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor, shared that although she continues to identify as a cisgender woman and has not changed her pronouns, her gender expression has shifted in significant ways in recent years. The opening line of her new album, “Some days I’m a woman / Some days I’m a man,” sparked a conversation with fellow artist and friend Chappell Roan, who asked her directly if she now identifies as nonbinary.

“I’m a woman except for the days when I’m a man,” Lorde recalled saying. “I know that’s not a very satisfying answer, but there’s a part of me that is really resistant to boxing it up.”

“I’m a woman except for the days when I’m a man,”

This internal shift began to surface following the release of her 2021 album Solar Power and deepened throughout the creation of Virgin. Lorde referred to the entire process as “the ooze”—a period of emotional, creative, and physical expansion that allowed her to occupy more space in all aspects of her life.

“My gender got way more expansive when I gave my body more room,” she explained.

A turning point came in 2023 when she tried on a pair of men’s jeans and sent a photo to her Virgin producer and longtime collaborator Jim-E Stack. His reply—“I want to see the you that’s in this picture represented in the music”—stayed with her. At that time, she hadn’t yet consciously realized how her sense of gender was changing.

Another transformative experience was her decision to stop taking birth control, which she had been on since age 15. “It sounds crazy, but I felt that all of a sudden, I was off the map of femininity,” she said. “And I totally believed that that allowed things to open up.”

Lorde also recalled the moment she wrote her new track “Man of the Year,” describing how she sat on her living room floor and envisioned a version of herself that fully embodied her gender at that time. The image that came to her—a look featuring men’s jeans, a gold chain, and duct tape across her chest—was so powerful it frightened her.

“I didn’t understand it,” she said. “But I felt something bursting out of me. It was crazy. It was something jagged. There was this violence to it.”

She later revealed that this vision influenced her outfit at the 2025 Met Gala, which she described as an “Easter egg” tied to the album’s theme.

Despite the deeply personal nature of her gender journey, Lorde was quick to acknowledge the privilege and safety she has in navigating these experiences. “I’m not trying to take any space from anyone who has more on the line than me,” she said. “Because I’m, comparatively, in a very safe place as a wealthy, cis, white woman.”

While her gender expression may be shifting, Lorde continues to identify as a cisgender woman and has not altered her pronouns. Her reflections offer a nuanced look at identity that resists categorization, while still affirming the lived experiences of the transgender and nonbinary communities.