Lorde spent five days on Scott Base in her ambassadorial role for Antarctica NZ. Photo / Antarctica NZ
Lorde spent five days on Scott Base in her ambassadorial role for Antarctica NZ. Photo / Antarctica NZ
Kiwi musician and superstar Lorde has donated more than $100,000 to help further research in climate change science in Antartica.
The 26-year-old Royals singer has gifted a cool $120,000 towards the new Ella Yelich-O’Connor Antarctic Doctoral Scholarship, under Antarctica NZ, which supports research aimed at advancing understanding and promotes protection of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean.
She is said to have a keen interest in Antarctica and the surrounding region - and was inspired to do something to help scientists after an eye-opening trip to Antarctica in 2019.
She spent a week at Scott Base and visited scientists in the field as she learned about Antarctica’s role in the global earth system and the impact climate change is having on the frozen continent.
“This harsh environment feels eternal, but is dangerously vulnerable,” she said at the time.
Lorde shared reflections about her 2019 Antarctica trip on A24's Divine Frequency podcast. Photo / Supplied
The trip inspired the young singer to write music and ultimately resulted in her album: Solar Power.
It also inspired her to produce a photographic book - Going South - of her Antarctica travels. The proceeds from the book helped raise funds for the new scholarship.
“It’s critical that we continue to support new scientists in this important area of research,” Lorde said.
“New Zealand’s Antarctic scientists are world-leading - and scholarships like this ensure we attract the best minds to help solve some of the planet’s most difficult questions.”
Despite her life-changing experience, Lorde later revealed some regret about travelling there, telling the A24 podcast crew at the time that she had always had an obsession with Antarctica from a very young age.
“I felt like I needed to go there. I had this reaction - people call it last chance tourism, which is going somewhere before it’s too late. And that was my first thought.
“Going there and actually having that experience made me realise: ‘Oh no. You can’t go around doing this. This is the opposite of what you’re supposed to do’,” she said.
“I probably shoudn’t have gone to Antarctica. It was naughty to use my pop star resources and burn that jet fuel to get there.”
Waikato University professor Ian Hawes, who has led a number of Antarctic research projects, met the musician during her trip and praised her for her desire to act on her return.
“When people first visit Antarctica, they’re usually a little overawed by the place and sometimes that is as far as it goes.
“But when Ella returned, we had a chance to talk about it and it was obvious [she] thought deeply about what she’d seen and experienced,” he said.
“It was clear she really wanted to do something to help.”
Hawes said the scholarship would help support the right people into Antarctic science; while also ensuring the pressing problems facing society would continue to be addressed.
