Lorde shares rare Instagram pictures of 28th birthday bash in New York

The Royals hitmaker posted a rare picture of herself receiving a cake for her small 28th birthday bash. Photo / @lorde, Instagram

A small crowd, cake and what looked like cannabis cigarettes were part of Kiwi superstar Lorde’s 28th birthday celebration, with the Royals singer making a rare post to her Instagram stories to mark the special day.

The award-winning artist, whose real name is Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O’Connor, is now largely based in New York, and took to Instagram on Monday (New Zealand time) to share pictures of the intimate affair.

Her first picture showed cigarettes – both tailor-made and some rolled in twisted “joint” style, traditionally used for smoking cannabis – on a coffee table with boxes of matches, a lighter, and half-drunk glasses and bottles of alcohol.

Lorde's 28th birthday bash featured what looked like cannabis cigarettes and alcohol. Photo / @lorde, Instagram

It is not known if the cigarettes contained marijuana, which is legal for recreational use by adults 21 and older in the state of New York.

The photo also featured packets of green unopened chewing gum strips, ash trays and two bottles of what appeared to be liquor.

The five-time Grammy winner was not shy about the fact she voted yes in the NZ 2021 cannabis referendum, telling ZM’s Bree & Clint in 2021 of her decision while in an on-air interview.

Yelich-O’Connor also told the pair she was smoking a bong of sorts in the music video for her hit song Solar Power, revealing it was a fennel bulb.

“Yes I am. I took your standard apple bong and made it a bit more chic, a bit more me,” she said.

“I’m sure if you hit it for long enough the fennel would begin to roast.”

The next photo saw Yelich-O’Connor, wearing a black tube top and silk pants, looking thankful for receiving a birthday cake which came with a large single gold candle.

Another photo, captured by GQ fashion writer Samuel Hine, shows the songstress in a blurry shot smoking a cigarette and blowing smoke out the window of theapartment.

Daily Mail reports that Yelich-O’ Connor bought her two-bedroom 112sq m New York condo for US$3.5 million ($5.8m).

Her birthday celebration isn’t the first the singer has been seen partying at in recent months. She was spotted at British singer Charli XCX’s birthday alongside Billie Eilish, Glen Powell, Nelly Furtado, Euphoria actress Barbie Ferreira, and Anya Taylor Joy and Kim Petras.

Last month, she was pictured out in New York with American artist Jim-E Stack in a rare public appearance, leading to speculation he was set to help her produce a new album.