The Inside Story of How Lorde Came to Rule 'The Hunger Games'

Lorde -- born Ella Yelich-O’Connor -- took a break from her European tour in late May to visit Mockingjay director Francis Lawrence on the set in Berlin. The meeting, says Marshall, “made everyone comfortable with her intention to represent the tone of the film and create a diverse soundtrack. She did her homework and knew what had come before.”

Lorde Talks 'Mockingjay,' Weird Al and new Music at Lollapalooza

Republic Records’ two previous Hunger Games soundtracks sold a combined 687,000 units, according to Nielsen SoundScan, but the list of potential contributors under Lorde’s reign is being kept under wraps. The new soundtrack is scheduled to be released three days before Mockingjay soars into theaters on Nov. 21. It’s highly unlikely, however, that Lorde’s lead single will be ready in time to follow the pattern established by Coldplay’s “Atlas,” which came out 11 weeks ahead of Catching Fire and has sold 246,000 downloads. “Lorde is calling the shots,” says an executive associated with the film and its music, “and everyone is there to support her in whatever way she needs.”

This article first appeared in the August 16th issue of Billboard Magazine.