Lorde is feeling ready for change after her contract with Universal Music Group expired last year, the pop star announced Wednesday (March 18).

In a voice note sent to fans ahead of her run of Ultrasound festival shows, Lorde revealed that after about 17 years, she’s no longer with her first label home.

“At the end of last year, my label deal — my record contract with Universal — came to an end,” she shared. “I have been in that contract for a very, very long time, in some form … since I was 12 years old, when I signed my first development deal with Universal.”

“I adore them there,” she continued, emphasizing her love for the “incredible people” that facilitated the release of her first four albums, starting with 2013’s Pure Heroine. “I’ve had an amazing experience with them. But the truth is that a 12-year-old girl pre-sold her creative output before she knew what it would be like, and before she knew what she was signing away.”

Now 29, Lorde added that she’s “sure [she’ll] have a deal again” in the future, and it could very well be with Universal — but for now, she “needed to take a second to have nothing being bought or sold that comes from [her].”

“When I see an opportunity for a clean slate, I try to take it,” the Grammy winner concluded. “And it does feel different … I feel a feeling of openness and possibility, and I’m inspired. It just feels exciting to have removed the container or something for a second.”

Billboard has reached out to Lorde’s rep and Universal for comment.

Other ways the singer is embracing new beginnings are by working toward her driver’s license –“I’m studying for my permit … I must be a licensed driver before I turn 30,” she said with a laugh in the voice — and renting her first-ever office space. “I signed a lease on an office — study, studio, workspace, I don’t know what to call it,” she revealed. “I don’t even really know what I’m going to do with yet … I’ve run all of this from my bed forever, and I am excited to see what having a bit more of a formalized space for all my crap will look like.”

Lorde has certainly had a successful run while signed to Universal. In 2013, she struck fame with the success of first single “Royals,” which spent nine weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. After her debut album, she’d go on to release Melodrama in 2017, Solar Power in 2021 and, most recently, Virgin in 2025. All of her LPs have charted in the top five of the Billboard 200.

As she explores life as an unsigned artist, the musician is gearing up to headline a number of festivals, including BottleRock Napa Valley in California and the Governor’s Ball in New York City. One day prior to her new voice note, it was announced that she’ll also lead the Lollapalooza 2026 bill alongside Charli xcx, JENNIE, Tate McRae, Olivia Dean and more.

SYDNEY — Australia’s recorded music industry posted a gain of just 1.4% to A$727 million ($512 million) in 2025, according to ARIA, a rate of growth that was considerably slower than the global result.

The total wholesale sum is the largest ever reported, for the seventh consecutive year of upward progress, and is thanks to the uptick in consumer appetite for CDs, which added almost A$5 million ($3.5 million) in value for the period, to $20.9 million (or $14.7 million up 29%), and the income from subscription platforms, the dominant format which posted a year-on-year lift of about A$7 million ($5 million), to $516 million ($363 million), up 1.4%.

Growth is good. And in a time of economic uncertainty, any growth is welcome. The rate of growth, and the slowdown in the streaming space (ad supported models were roughly flat, posting a 0.4% lift to A$69.9 million or $49 million) is surely a concern.

Overnight, with the presentation in London of the Global Music Report 2026 – State of the Industry, the IFPI reported music revenue grew to US$31.7 billion worldwide in 2025, up 6.4% year-on-year. China was a standout, posting revenue growth of 20.1% and leapfrogging Germany as the fourth largest global market.

Australia was nudged out of the top 10 in 2024, and doesn’t appear to be heading back into the top tier anytime soon, as markets with greater populations, including Mexico, clamor to streaming brands.

“A seventh consecutive year of growth reflects the enduring connection Australians have with music, and the sustained investment of our record labels in developing and backing artists,” explains ARIA CEO Annabelle Herd. “While the pace of growth eased last year as streaming markets mature, the surge in physical sales shows that fans want to engage with music in deeper, more tangible ways.”

Australia isn’t alone. That slowed but sustained growth is a pattern seen in other mature recorded music markets across Europe (Germany +1.7%, France +3.7%) and the United Kingdom (U.K. +4.8%).

“We are also seeing the rapid development of artificial intelligence globally. AI presents genuine new opportunities for the music industry – and AI licensing deals are emerging with major and independent labels and rightsholders globally – but these opportunities must be built on a foundation of  consent, transparency, and fair compensation for artists and rights holders,” Herd continues.

Australia’s copyright law is “the foundation for innovative technological development and strong local culture, and ARIA will continue to advocate strongly against threats to dismantle our copyright framework in the interests of a small number of major international AI tech companies.”

Meanwhile, the wax revolution continues. The vinyl album format in Australia grew 4.1% in revenue to A$46.3 million ($32 million) in 2025, ARIA reports, with more than 1.2 million shipped units. Vinyl now accounts for more than two-thirds of all physical revenue (68.2%).

Breaking new Australian music locally and earning a living as an artist has “never been harder,” ARIA’s Herd asserts. “Every new release enters an increasingly crowded global landscape, but the success of artists like Amyl and The Sniffers, Ninajirachi, Dom Dolla, and Troye Sivan — all recognized at the 2025 ARIA Awards — proves Australian artists can cut through anywhere in the world. We have extraordinary talent coming through at every level, and our domestic policy settings should reflect and support that.”

Removing the “arcane and deeply unfair statutory 1% cap and ABC fixed price on radio recording royalties would ensure recording artists are fairly compensated in their home radio market and send a clear signal that Australia backs its creators,” Herd continues. It has never been a “more important time to invest in and protect local culture.”

Texas native Cody Johnson made waves as he closed out this year’s RodeoHouston with a headlining set on Sunday night (March 22). His show set a new all-time concert-only attendance record as he welcomed 80,203 guests to NRG Stadium, with a set that also featured openers Jon Pardi and Randy Houser.

RodeoHouston and Johnson shared a joint post about the record on Instagram, writing, “HISTORY MADE! HISTORY MADE 🤩80,203 guests showed out tonight at RODEOHOUSTON for an unforgettable performance by @codyjohnson, @jonpardi and @randyhouser shattering the all-time concert-only attendance record.”

In addition to regaling the crowd with his solo hits such as “Dear Rodeo,” “The Painter” and “Til You Can’t,” Johnson also had some surprises for the audience. He welcomed Carrie Underwood to join him for their duet “I’m Gonna Love You,” and invited Latin music star Carín Leon for a rendition of their duet “She Hurts Like Tequila.”

“I’m Gonna Love You” previously earned Johnson and Underwood CMA nominations for musical event of the year, and music video of the year (the clip was directed by Dustin Haney).

The annual RodeoHouston features plenty of entertainment for rodeo fans, but also a string of top-notch concerts. This year’s RodeoHouston ran from March 2 through March 22, with a performer lineup that included Riley Green, Megan Moroney, Forrest Frank, J Balvin, Lizzo, Dwight Yoakam, Tim McGraw, Lainey Wilson, Shaboozey and Pepe Aguilar, as every evening, an artist spearheaded the stage at the NRG Stadium in Houston.

RodeoHouston has been a Texas mainstay for decades beginning in 1932. A decade later, the show welcomed its first entertainer, Gene Autry. Other artists who have performed at RodeoHouston over the years include Elvis Presley, George Strait, Alan Jackson, Beyonce, Selena, Alabama, Charlie Daniels Band, Charley Pride, Chris Stapleton and Faith Hill.

See RodeoHouston and Johnson’s joint announcement below: