Watch Lorde’s ‘Oceanic Feeling’: ‘Who You See In This Video Is Who I Truly Am’

As the summer winds down, Lorde penned a letter to her fans that included her final music Solar Power video, which she co-directed with Joel Kefali, for the song “Oceanic Breeze.” “Who you see in this video is who I truly am, or who I want to be— open, laid bare, water glittering on my skin, speaking directly to you, nothing to hide or prove, just me,” Lorde wrote.

Serene and meditative, Lorde stares out at the ocean with her brother, Angelo, considering the passage of time, and all the ways the past rhymes with the present. “I think about my father/ Doing the same thing/ When he was a boy.”

Later, Lorde muses about her own evolution, and what her future daughter might inherit from her. In the same breath, she bids farewell to another kind of daughter, her past self, who dissipated as she was busy living and growing (“Now the cherry-black lipstick’s gathering dust in a drawer/ I don’t need her anymore,” she sings.)

In the letter, Lorde spoke about how the final moments of the video represented this realization. “I kept thinking on the afternoon we shot it that I was marrying myself,” she wrote. “Sounds crazy but that’s how it felt. Punctuating this period of intense self-reflection with an image that pretty much splits me apart. It’s sort of the story of my life: I never know where I’m going, just that I have to go there. I’m eternally grateful to you for sticking around to see where I end up.”

In addition to “Oceanic Feeling,” Lorde let us in on her summer reading, implored everyone not to miss Blood Orange when they open for Harry Styles at Madison Square Garden (“I can’t believe how lucky we are to exist at the same time as Blood Orange”) and highly recommended eating peaches while we still can (“easy to forget this true fuckin miracle of nature.”)

Read her full letter below:

Hello darlings,

I write to you from summer’s end. I can’t believe it’s almost gone. Normally in these months, my whole life is lived in deference to the season. I wake up and the weather decides what I’ll do. I spend long days outside. Swims come first, and everything else in my calendar arranges itself around them. This year, the summer’s been like a movie playing in the background. I’ve kept working pretty much since tour ended, spending long days in a dark room, my brain buzzing like a fluorescent tube, eyes watering when I step back into the light. Girls with flushed cheeks walk through my neighbourhood on their way to dinner; parallel universe projections in pretty dresses. Sounds weird, and feels it a bit too, I suppose. Have a week now to swim and chill out before I see some of you again for the makeup shows. I’m looking out at the water as I write this.

Can you believe the album came out a year ago today?!!! What a beautiful blur. I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever grown so much in a single year. In honour of its first trip round the sun, I wanted to share the final (!!!!!!!!!!!!!) video with you, for OCEANIC FEELING.

It’s bittersweet to be coming to the end of this video journey, but amazing too, because this one is possibly my FAVOURITE video I’ve ever, ever made. Who you see in this video is who I truly am, or who I want to be— open, laid bare, water glittering on my skin, speaking directly to you, nothing to hide or prove, just me.

The person with me is my other half and best mate, my brother Angelo. Born on the same day five years apart, we’ve always shared a super close bond. I knew by putting him in the video, I’d be showing myself exactly as I am. Can’t be anyone else when that kid’s around.

The end is super special too, an end to the video story as much as to this chapter — my community of loved ones gathered to see me off, a moment of ceremony. It was an honour to wear Simone Rocha’s raffia dresses for this. I kept thinking on the afternoon we shot it that I was marrying myself. Sounds crazy but that’s how it felt. Punctuating this period of intense self reflection with an image that pretty much splits me apart. It’s sort of the story of my life: I never know where I’m going, just that I have to go there. I’m eternally grateful to you for sticking around to see where I end up.

What else? We have these makeup shows coming up. I’m psyched to be getting the band back together, literally AND figuratively, lol!! Playing around with setlist at the moment — if you’re coming, wanna reply to this email with a song request? Something you genuinely wanna hear?? Let’s have fun!

I’m bringing my sweet sweet friend Jim-E Stack to open these shows (he writes and produces songs for ur favs incl. Caroline Polachek, Charli XCX, Empress Of and Bon Iver). Pls welcome him warmly!!!!

On the subject of shows, I’m super psyched to announce a show in Rio de Janeiro, supported by the inimitable Japanese Breakfast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ve never performed in Rio before, and this show falls right around my birthday. Cannot think of a more amazing birthday location. Presale starts on August 23rd at 10am BRT, code is strangeairlines always, thank you for giving me the best job in the world, we will rage. TICKETS HERE

Other notable sides to this summer—

Fruit. Just eat some fruit. Easy to forget this true fuckin miracle of nature. I feel almost psychedelic rapture eating summer fruit. Bite into a peach today!

Dev played a warmup show the other night at Baby’s, in advance of opening for Harry this month at Madison Square Garden. The show was so beautiful, I can’t believe how lucky we are to exist at the same time as Blood Orange, but he’d doing this thing where every night, the set is recorded, printed onto CDs, and made available to buy at the merch desk. Such a sick idea. Bobby ripped the audio for me and I’ve been listening to it the last couple days, such a warm document, totally alive, the songs better than you remembered, if that’s possible. I go dumb for hearing a friend laugh softly into a microphone basically!!! If you’re going to these Harry shows, I IMPLORE you to go early for Blood Orange. Having a relationship with Dev’s music will enrich your life. I’ll probably go at least thrice.

Renell sent me this amazing skirt. I am the coolest girl in the world in this very cool skirt. It’s called the Sporty Mini, it may not be on their website right now but everything she does is cool.
Here’s the stack of books I brought on holiday.

Thinking woman’s flower.
Can’t stop listening to this.

Love you so much. Can’t wait to see you again soon.
L X0000