8 facts about Lorde’s “What Was That,” a raw reflection on her battle with body image—not a love song

Few artists know how to hit you with a soft punch quite like Lorde. Her lyrics don’t scream, they whisper confessions. And in her latest release, “What Was That?”, she trades romantic entanglements for something far more personal: her body.

Gone is the cinematic glow of heartbreak and youth. This isn’t the teenage dream of Pure Heroine or the dramatic longing of Melodrama. Instead, Lorde gives us something stripped down and unsettlingly honest: a conversation with herself, told through discomfort, food, and mirrors. And it’s raw enough to sting.

What makes “What Was That?” stand out isn’t just its sonic vulnerability; it’s the fact that she finally talks about something fans have long speculated but never confirmed: her struggle with body image and eating. It's not metaphors anymore. It’s confessions. And we’re listening.

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“What Was That?”Lorde’s Unfiltered Body Image Reflection

In this era of curated vulnerability and polished breakdowns, Lorde drops something more organic, messy, quiet, but deeply human. Her song doesn’t feel like a typical pop single. It feels like a journal entry that escaped.

And she’s not hiding behind cryptic imagery this time. She names the problem. She shares the cost. There are no romantic interests, no cinematic love stories. Just a young woman confronting the most complicated relationship of all the one with her own reflection.

Now, let’s break down eight real moments gathered from lyrics, Instagram stories, and fan conversations that highlight just how brave and revealing “What Was That?” really is.

She admitted the battle directly for the first time

In a remix of Charli XCX’s “Girl, So Confusing,” Lorde confessed to “starving herself” and being “at war with her body.” While not part of “What Was That?”, this public admission set the tone. For fans, it felt like the curtain had finally been pulled back.

The mirrors weren’t metaphorical, they were covered

Just hours after WWT dropped, Lorde posted an Instagram Story of all her mirrors covered, a visual also referenced in the song. She also wrote on her website about her struggle with food, making it clear this wasn’t just lyrical poetry, it was her reality.

She imagines a version of herself that feels free

In the pre-chorus, Lorde reflects on a woman she either used to be or wants to become, someone who’s comfortable in her body, who feels worthy and light. It’s an echo of liberation, filtered through longing.

The title isn’t just catchy, it’s a genuine question

“What was that?” is repeated like a loop in the song, as if she’s waking up from a fog. There’s a lyric about “waking up from a dream,” suggesting that being okay with her body feels so foreign, she questions whether it ever really happened.

There’s a breakup... but not the kind you think

She mentions a breakup in 2023, which raised eyebrows since she hadn’t been publicly linked to anyone in years. But the real split might be metaphorical, letting go of the comfort of control, or the version of herself tied to her disorder.

The simplest lines cut the deepest

There’s a section where she talks about eating and letting food digest properly, no dramatics, no fanfare. Just the basic act of nourishment, delivered so plainly it hurts. It’s a line easy to overlook unless you know how hard that can actually be.

She sings the truth without dressing it up

Two standout lines say it all: “'Cause for the last couple years / I’ve been at war with my body” and “I cover up all the mirrors / I can’t see myself yet.” No metaphors, no symbolism, just facts.

She confirmed the imagery was real

Later, Lorde shared a photo from her IG story with the caption: “When the mirrors looked like this.” It tied directly back to the lyrics, closing the loop between her personal life and the world she’s built in the song.

What’s so striking about “What Was That?” is that it goes exactly where most pop songs won’t. Lorde isn’t talking about someone else leaving her; she’s talking about trying to stay with herself. And that might be the hardest relationship to keep.

This song doesn’t beg for chart success or streaming milestones. It feels like it was written for survival, for clarity. It’s her way of saying: Here’s what I’m carrying, even when it’s invisible. And somehow, that transparency feels more radical than any breakup anthem.

Lorde didn’t give us a hit. She gave us a wound. But she also gave us healing, not the Instagram kind, but the messy, real kind that involves tears, carbs, and mirrorless mornings.

“What Was That?” isn’t a song you dance to. It’s a song you sit with. Maybe cry too. Maybe feel less alone with.

And in an industry still obsessed with perfection and polish, Lorde chose to be painfully honest about something as personal as body image? That’s the loudest quiet statement she’s ever made.