The carousel of images also featured a snap of a disc with the text, “ProHealth Advanced Imaging”, as well as a candid photo of the star enjoying a decadent dessert - her black eye still clearly visible. The snaps - which included four selfies of the apparent injury - were posted alongside the caption, “DYHTS?”
The acronym was followed by multiple symbols, including a copyright logo, several variations of the letter ‘L’, a triangle, a 4, and the symbol showing the male and female signs interlocked.
“DYHTS” appears to reference a photo of a navy cap at the end of the carousel, which is embroidered with the text, “Do you have the stones?” in white stitching.
The choice of images quickly prompted speculation in the comments, with several fans hypothesising the bruise was symbolic of a forthcoming “hit” album.
“Did the album drop on you, queen?” a third said, with a fourth adding, “Someone said she got punched for The Love Club” - referencing the title track of Lorde’s debut EP, which contains the lyrics, “I’m in a clique, but I want out. It’s not the same as when I was punched.”
Lorde - real name Ella Yelich-O’Connor - has not publicly explained the cause of the black eye, which some fans have speculated could be makeup.
The 27-year-old hasn’t released an album since the divisive Solar Power in 2021.
In June, speculation mounted that the Grammy winner’s long-awaited fourth record was imminent after she shared a series of images of her leaning over a balcony alongside the cryptic caption, “Use the existing tools wherever possible”. Similar to her most recent post, the caption was followed by multiple symbols - including a copyright logo and three different ‘L’ figures.
“If the tools do not exist you are spiritually obliged to create them,” Lorde wrote on the now-deleted post in June, alongside further symbols including a tarot card, the number 27, multiple stars, a shark, a rabbit and an Egyptian figure.
Other photos in the carousel included Lorde spitting off a balcony and a pill engraved with the word “spit”, sparking theories the album’s title or lead single would be named as such.
Elsewhere in the carousel, Lorde also shared an image of a selection of books, including Playboy by Constance Debre, After the Ecstasy, the Laundry by Jack Kornfield, and Getting Lost by Annie Ernaux. The star also uploaded multiple images on her Instagram Story that showed an extract from Haley Nahman’s writings on Substack.
Meanwhile, fans have been attempting to decode the latest string of symbols, with several taking to the singer’s subreddit to share their theories. The original post on Reddit has already amassed 500 upvotes at the time of writing, as well as more than a hundred comments.
“The caption is a clear reference to L4. Four L’s with distinct markings ... referring to her albums, the number 4 highlighted twice, the gender symbol for some reason, and DYHTS? Sounds like a title shorthand for the first single. It also lines up with her bio having four different sentences with each alluding to one of her albums,” one fan hypothesised.
“Her now deleted post from a few months back had the same Ls and symbols, but then some more.”
“The caption is 99% a reference to her next album and the lead single. ‘DYHTS?’ sounds so much like a title shorthand,” another weighed in.
“She has makeup artist hair clips in her hair - I reckon it’s makeup but it’s so realistic,” a third suggested, referencing the clips typically used to keep hair off the face during makeup application in each of the black eye selfies.
Lorde has teased her upcoming fourth album for a second time in a matter of months. Photo / Getty Images for Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Last year, the singer celebrated the 10-year anniversary of her debut album, Pure Heroine. The 2013 record and its hit single Royals shot the then-17-year-old to international stardom, securing her two Grammy Awards.
The Auckland local went on to release her second album, Melodrama, in 2017 - which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 - and her third album, Solar Power, in 2021: a project that divided fans and critics despite reaching number one in both Australia and New Zealand.
