When Lorde sings, she sees her songs in colour, reports The New York Times.
The 20 year-old is part one of the four percent in the world with synesthesia.
The rare neurological condition causes senses to be mixed, in Lorde’s case sound-to-colour.
This means whenever a new note is played, she sees a different colour.
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For the Auckland-native, it is just as much about getting the sound perfect as it is the colours she sees.
“From the moment I start something, I can see the finished song, even if it’s far-off and foggy,” she said.
“It’s about getting the actual thing to sound like what I’ve been seeing.”
She explained each song is a creation of her imagination, synesthesia and collaborators.
The singer explained during a Q&A on her Tumblr in 2015 that one of her earliest hits, Tennis Court, was not right colour-wise.
Originally described as “tan” the song turned to green with the addition of a pre-chorus refrain, according to the singer.
The singer’s second studio album, Melodrama, is set to be released on June 16.