Who is Lorde dating currently? Singer's relationship history explored

Lorde, originally Ella Yelich-O'Connor, became a superstar at a very young age, and her tunes instantly picked up popularity with people all around the globe. When her fame was unveiling itself, the intense attention from the public led her to keep her distance from social media voluntarily.

In so doing, she has had a quiet existence, revealing barely anything about her life and concealing her romantic life from public view.

This carefully preserved distance from the constant virtual scrutiny allows her to focus on her music and have some control over the narrative of her life. Lorde's love life has been a topic of interest for years, both to her fans and the media, inciting great curiosity based on her relatively private personal life.

Lorde performs at the Radio 1's Big Weekend 2022 - Day 3 (Image via Getty)

As much as she has kept her love life out of the public eye, even the smallest glimpse into can get a lot of people talking.

This discrepancy between her on-stage image as a fearless and reflective artist and her private, closed-off existence has rendered her increasingly mysterious, stoking speculation and gossip each time she's spotted with someone new or hints cryptically in song.

Who is Lorde dating currently? All you need to know!

At the moment, Lorde is not in any publicly acknowledged relationship, rather keeping her energy focused on her music and individual development. She has been extremely vocal in the past few years that her life is about developing as a person and an artist, with no publicity at all revolving around her love life.

This attribute has earned her respect from fans, who admire her commitment to her career and her authentic means of becoming famous. By keeping her own life to herself, Lorde maintains that her work is always center stage, to be able to experiment with new artistic direction without restriction.

Lorde and her relationship with Justin Warren

In a previous chapter of her life, Lorde dated Justin Warren, a professional in the industry roughly 17 years her senior. Justin Warren, then American promotions director for Universal Music in New Zealand, initially met Lorde in 2009 when she signed on to the label as a teen. They became increasingly close over time, but their age gap, as well as the fact that they met under such circumstances, made their relationship headline-grabbing.

In September of 2023, Lorde publicly aired her heartbreak through a newsletter for her fans. The heartbreak was one that she explained to us as both new and old, discussing how the pain did come at all times, most often with no apparent reason behind it.

Still, she had come to embrace it as part of who she was. Lorde admitted to having learned that she should no longer shun pain, and that there was beauty in traveling through it, though at times she grew tired of enduring it alone. She said:

"I'm living with heartbreak again. It’s different but the same. I ache all the time, I forget why and then remember. I’m not trying to hide from the pain, I understand now that pain isn’t something to hide from, that there’s actually great beauty in moving with it. But sometimes I'm sick of being with myself."

When she was in a relationship with Justin Warren in 2015 (though it is based on speculations), the two have kept their personal lives so much under the radar that few occasional paparazzi photos capture their moments together.

Lorde has previously talked about how the public side of her life can be overwhelming, only to then disclose that coping with fame is something she finds difficult and something she doesn't acquire easily.

Who is Justin Warren?

Justin Warren is an American Universal Music promotions director based in New Zealand and, to a significant degree, responsible for marketing popular artists.

Besides his work with Lorde, Warren has worked with several top artists, such as Eminem, Justin Bieber, and Katy Perry. Warren has spent decades in the music industry, where he has been involved in selling some of pop and hip-hop music's biggest names, turning many of their releases into number one hits.

As The New Zealand Herald reports, Justin Warren met Lorde in 2009 when she was only 13 years old and signed with Universal Music. Their affair was rumored to have started six years later, when the two were seen together at the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards of 2015.

Justin Warren and Lorde's relationship rumors denied

In November 2015, Justin Warren walked with Ella on the red carpet during the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards, building public interest in their relationship. The two were then seen together in February 2016, a few months later, in New Zealand, adding fuel to the romance gossip. Warren later cleared the rumors, however, vehemently denying allegations.

Justin Warren said:

"Ella and I have worked together for years and we're good friends. Any rumors of us being 'a pair' are ridiculous. Ella has a really busy year ahead of her and we'll be spending more time together as plans for the next Lorde record unfold."

Lorde and Justin Warren's engagement rumor

Jewelry has often spawned gossip about Ella's personal life, most notably about rings. In March 2019, fans wondered if she was engaged when she was pictured with Justin Warren in New Zealand, sporting a silver ring on her left ring finger. The rumor mill swirled, however, with nary a peep from Lorde. The rumor resurfaced in April 2021 when she wore a gold ring with what appeared to be a large diamond at the Variety Power of Women event.

Lorde at Miu Miu : Outside - Paris Fashion Week - Womenswear Fall/Winter 2024-2025 (Image via Getty)

While it garnered much attention, Ella remained silent regarding the significance of the jewelry. The mystery was not cleared when, in June 2022 she turned up at the Glastonbury Festival wearing yet another ring on the same finger.

Lorde and Justin maintained a very private life

Ella and Justin Warren, both from New Zealand, have managed to keep their relationship relatively private, but there were rumors about their living situation that began in March 2019 when they were photographed rug shopping together.

In September 2023, Ella indicated that she was going to return to New Zealand soon, stating that she was missing her family and friends, and described the feeling as missing a "vitamin," something she couldn't quite do without. She explained her stay to her fans, informing them that she had been residing in London since May of the same year and intended to return to New Zealand shortly.

Living in the public eye tends to invite rumors, and Lorde and Justin Warren's relationship is not immune. Though both reside in New Zealand, information regarding whether they share an address has remained vague. In keeping with her nature, the two never publicly validated their relationship status as a couple.

Lorde's first relationship with James Lowe

Before dating Justin Warren, Ella was also in a relationship with a photographer, James Lowe, when she was 16 and he was 24. Though her mom, Sonja Yelich, acknowledged in a 2014 Rolling Stone interview that she and Ella's father didn't approve of the disparity in ages, she became fond of James Lowe after meeting him.

While she did not condone the relationship, Sonja understood that Ella had a pattern of dating older men. Her mother also revealed that her first boyfriend was a few years older than Ella. She said:

"I didn’t say, 'Yeah, sure, go date a 24-year-old.' But her dad and I met James, and we liked him. When Ella was much younger, her first boyfriend was older, four years or something."

Ella and James Lowe broke up in 2015 after three years of being together, and most presumed her song Green Light on Melodrama to be the emotional fallout of the breakup. Regarding this, Lorde said:

"The song is actually about a heartbreak. And it's not something that I really am used to writing about. It took me a while to be able to figure out how to write about that. It was my first major heartbreak."

Whether it's speculation of commitment brought on by a silent ring or gossip about cohabitation, she keeps quiet, doing all the talking through her music and reflective narrative instead.

In an overexposure-grabbing world, she has created a place where mystery reigns and inspiration governs. As she continues to mature, both on a personal and professional level, Lorde remains an admirable role model for being able to continue to be yourself in the limelight and have your voice shape your legacy.