Lorde to tour US, perform at Brits

Auckland International Airport is bracing for hordes of fans turning out to welcome their favourite star home. Photo / Getty Images

Grammy winner reveals she will sing at UK's top awards ahead of sold-out, 16-date US tour

New Zealand's hottest act will tour America from early March, with all 16 shows sold out.

And in a clever

Twitter

announcement yesterday, Lorde revealed she will be taking to the stage yet again at next month's Brit Awards.

Seventeen-year-old Ella Yelich-O'Connor will touch down in Auckland today after spending a night out mingling with some of the world's best musos and even dancing with legendary musician Sir Paul McCartney.

Her manager, Scott MacLachlan, told the Herald: "She went to the Daft Punk party and danced with McCartney and talked to Beyonce."

Asked whether he knew if Lorde had brought up the "Queen B" reference in her Royals track with Beyonce, Mr MacLachlan laughed: "I don't think so. But Ella, she just takes it in her stride."

She spent most of yesterday with her family and boyfriend in Los Angeles - just hours after picking up two top gongs at the glitzy Grammy Awards.

Mr MacLachlan admitted they were all still on a high and had enjoyed a great time out at a number of after-party functions - as well as their own celebration - including one hosted by French electronic maestros Daft Punk.

The atmosphere had been hugely positive and supportive in LA, he said, and the group - including parents Vic O'Connor and Sonya Yelich, boyfriend James Lowe and producer Joel Little - were incredibly proud of Lorde.

"We're still getting waves of congratulations from people here and back home too. We're all stoked.

"I've left Ella on her own and she's enjoying the day with her family."

Lorde's father, Vic O'Connor, described the moment his daughter won her first award as incredible.

"Certainly when the first Grammy was awarded to Ella, it was total wow. Not something that most people experience in their life. It was an amazing feeling. I was just so proud and very pleased for Ella. She deserves it after so much hard work."

The teenager, who grew up on Auckland's North Shore, will have her first post-Grammy performance this evening at a special Laneway Festival gig at Silo Park, Wynyard Quarter, in Auckland. She is expected to draw thousands of people.

Early yesterday she revealed on Twitter that she would be performing at next month's Brit Awards with UK duo Disclosure.

She included a photo of herself, but with a cartoon-like drawing over her face - a trademark of Disclosure's.

Mr MacLachlan said there would be hardly any rest for the teenager, with gigs across the Tasman lined up before an American tour.

"We're off to Australia for the other Laneway Festival gigs and a tour in America the whole of March. That American tour is completely sold out - every single ticket."

The tour starts in Austin Texas and includes shows in Washington, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, Toronto, Detroit, Chicago and Seattle.

He said Lorde had opted not to walk down the Grammys red carpet, something many celebrities look forward to, just because it wasn't her.

"She just didn't want to walk the red carpet. It's just not her style."

Auckland International Airport is bracing for hordes of fans turning out to welcome their favourite star home.

The singer and her family group were due to arrive early today on an Air New Zealand flight.

Airport spokesman Simon Lambourne said there would be a few precautions made to ensure they would be comfortable once they got off the plane.

"We are expecting some crowds (today) ... and we will have an operations team present to ensure that not only she and her entourage can be welcomed home comfortably, but other passengers who will be on the same flight as well."

• Read more stories on Lorde here.

- Additional reporting by APNZ