Lorde came down with the flu shortly before her VMAs performance, but that didn’t stop her from dazzling the Los Angeles crowd with a few minutes of her typically mystifying dance moves.
Following a very personal introduction from collaborator Jack Antonoff (“I’ve seen her walk barefoot through New York and eat sushi from a gas station”), the 20-year old artist took the stage to her Melodrama track “Homemade Dynamite.” After a few seconds it became clear she wouldn’t be singing, as a backing track played her vocal line from the 2017 album. But Lorde did what she could. This meant a thrilling dose of her very unique brand of dancing, beginning with more free-form, improv-friendly moves, then meticulously-planned collaboration with her choreo team.
We knew it was meticulously-planned because Lorde had been tweeting about it all week, and MTV had been singing her praises right along. At one point in the real thing, she dropped to the floor, was picked up by her team, and carried off in formation. It wasn’t quite the same as hearing her sing, too, but watching her power through a tough break was inspiring just the same.
Here’s to hoping her choreography team doesn’t come down with the flu, too.
Watch a snippet of the performance below.
