New Zealand pop star Lorde debuted a brand-new look as she took the stage at Glastonbury on Sunday evening (local time), appearing almost unrecognisable to long-time fans of the indie-pop artist.
Lorde - the moniker for Auckland-born Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor - performed on the Pyramid stage during the fifth and final day of the iconic festival, which took place on Worthy Farm in Pilton, England between June 22 and June 26.
Appearing at the bottom of an elaborate wooden seesaw with a glowing, colour-changing orb projected against the back of the stage, the 25-year-old debuted her newly yellow blonde hair, a dramatic change from her typically dark brown locks. She teamed her fresh look with a lavender bodysuit over red tights, with a red ribbon tied around her upper arm and black brogues, offset by the matching mustard yellow suits of her band and backing singers.
Taking the sunset slot at 7:45pm, Lorde launched into her back catalogue while strutting across the staging. The set list included tracks from her latest album, 2021's Solar Power, as well as classic cuts from her acclaimed sophomore album, Melodrama and her 2013 debut, Pure Heroine.
Sitting on the steps of her seesaw, Lorde hailed the festival as an artist's "Disneyland", adding: "What happens here doesn't happen anywhere else in the world."
The 25-year-old also used her platform to make a politically charged, public condemnation of the recent ruling by the US Supreme Court to overturn Roe v Wade, which had recognised American women's constitutional right to abortion.
"Welcome to sadness," the singer declared to the rapturous crowd, marking the opening of her song, 'Secrets From a Girl (Who's Seen It All)'.
"The temperature is unbearable until you face it," she continued.
"Wanna hear a secret, girls? Your bodies were destined to be controlled and objectified since before you were born.
"That horror is your birthright. But here's another secret. You possess strength. That wisdom is also your birthright.
"I ask you today to make exercising that wisdom your life's work because everything depends on it. F**k the Supreme Court."
The 1973 ruling in the Supreme Court had for almost 50 years protected a pregnant woman's right to an abortion in the United States, a decision which was overturned on Friday night (Saturday morning, NZT) to widespread outrage and international condemnation.
Lorde is one of the multiple high-profile celebrities to publicly denounce the ruling, with Glastonbury headliner Billie Eilish also decrying the decision during her slot on Friday night (local time).
US pop star Olivia Rodrigo brought British singer Lily Allen on stage during her performance at the festival, dedicating Allen's hit 2009 song 'F**k You' to the Supreme Court.
Introducing the track 'Ribs' from her debut album, Lorde instructed the crowd to dance for their "angsty, 15-year-old selves".
"Glastonbury, I wrote this song when I was 15-years-old, which means that some of you might have been listening to it for almost 10 years," she continued.
"Should we dance for our angsty 15-year-old selves tonight?"
Later in her set, Lorde also surprised the audience by bringing out American indie singer Clairo and UK singer-songwriter and poet Arlo Parks, who joined her to perform the song 'Stoned at the Nail Salon'.
The 'Royals' hitmaker last performed at the festival in 2017, days after the release of Melodrama.
