As she says on Virgin closer “David,” which she performed to a sold-out Madison Square Garden on Wednesday (Oct. 1) night, Lorde doesn’t belong to anyone — but if her fourth studio album did have a home, it would be New York City.

Not only did the Kiwi pop star — fresh off of a devastating heartbreak and in the trenches of gender discovery and body-image issues — craft much of Virgin with producer Jim-E Stack after relocating to NYC four years ago, she also channeled the city’s energy into every facet of the album. Lead single “What Was That” features a reference to Brooklyn venue Baby’s All Right, while “If She Could See Me Now” calls back to ancient horses “running up Prince Street” downtown. And when it came time to promote Virgin, Lorde made her TikTok debut with a video of herself wa

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