The truth behind Lorde's friendship with Taylor Swift

Singers Lorde and Taylor Swift. Photo / Getty Images

Lorde's friendship with Taylor Swift started off by way of an apology.

Apparently Lorde, real name Ella Yelich-O'Connor, once dissed Swift in an interview and felt bad about it after the Shake it Off singer had gone to great lengths to praise the Kiwi songstress for her success.

"Her (Lorde's) album came out and I thought it was amazing, so I sent her flowers and congratulated her on a great first week," Swift told Billboard magazine.

"And I get this text message from one of our mutual friends, (Rookie editor/actress) Tavi Gevinson, and she says, 'Lorde is freaking out because she said some stuff about you in an interview and she feels so terrible'."

According to Swift, though, what Lorde said wasn't really an insult and the whole thing led to their first meeting.

"She essentially had said that I'm too perfect or something like that - something that did not even mildly offend me, that I thought was cute. She felt so bad about it, so I said, 'It's no big deal. We should hang out sometime'," she said.

"We met up in New York and walked to a park near my hotel, and we ate Shake Shack burgers and got attacked by monster squirrels who wanted our food. I could keep going."

The two are now BFFs, often appearing at awards shows together and regularly talking each other up in interviews.

"Taylor is like this force of protective energy," Lorde told Billboard.

"She looks after everyone she knows. We're both interested and involved in the workings of the industry.

"I have this thing in my head that she should do seminars - 'Swift's 13 Steps' or something."

- AAP