Lorde has reached a new career milestone as the video for Royals officially passed 1 billion views on YouTube. The achievement gives her first entry into the platform’s Billion Views Club and marks another major moment for the song that first introduced her to a global audience.
The video hit the milestone more than a decade after Royals was released in 2013. Lorde was still a teenager when the track arrived, and its stripped-back sound quickly set it apart from much of mainstream pop at the time. The song became a defining release from her debut era and helped launch her career on an international scale.
Royals went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed at No. 1 for nine weeks. Its success turned Lorde into one of the most talked-about new artists of that year and gave her a breakout hit that has continued to resonate with listeners.
With 1 billion YouTube views now attached to the video, Royals has added another lasting mark to its legacy.