Lorde
Lorde performs during the MuchMusic Video Awards (MMVA) in Toronto, June 15, 2014. REUTERS/Fred Thornhill REUTERS/Fred Thornhill

Lorde’s signature curly locks are gone! It’s just for a short while, though. The 18-year-old Kiwi superstar straightened her hair and even shunned her iconic purple lipstick for a tamer, sleeker look for a photo shoot.

See Lorde’s new, albeit temporary, look here.

The Grammy-winning singer-songwriter swapped her usual wild child goth look for a more chic style for the UK Telegraph’s Stella magazine. In the interview, she talked about why her fashion choices almost always consist of suit pants and jacket, why she weeded out people from her staff, and what she was doing to people’s trash in New Zealand.

Though her sartorial choices differ from many of her peers in the music industry, Lorde said it’s because she has different idea of what feels comfortable and looks cool.

“I put on a suit and I’m like, ‘I’m a badass!’ And that to me is my daring,” she told the magazine. She added, though, that if she happens to feel beautiful and strong in a bra and undies, she’s not going to deny herself from wearing those things.

As a relatively newcomer in the industry, Lorde has already developed quite a reputation. She explained that it’s not unusual for a successful female artist to be called a diva. While boys with an “attitude” are often called cool and rock ‘n roll, girls aren’t described with positive adjectives.

“But I guess it happens to any successful female. They don’t even have to be young, they don’t have to be in this industry. People find it difficult to watch women being assertive or dominant. I know I’ve encountered it over and over and over, people thinking I’m being difficult for demanding a high standard. You encounter it basically daily when you’re the boss,” she said of the double standards women suffer from.

That was also why she fired some people from her staff. The “Yellow Flicker Beat” songstress said she only retained those who are happy to be working for her, and had axed those who had difficulty following commands from an 18-year-old.

Lorde has no idea how much she has now since she just lets her father deal with her finances. It’s no question, though, that she’s a lot richer now than when she wrote her first hit “Royals.” Even so, she still hasn’t treated herself to anything extravagant yet.

“See, I’m boring because my favourite thing to do is trawl the inorganics,” she said of the reuse/recycling program in New Zealand. Apparently, there’s a period every year when people clears out things that they don’t want anymore from their homes, such as old televisions, couches and clothes. They put the unwanted items on the street for a few days before the items are collected and put into a landfill.

“People drive around and go through other people’s household rubbish. And, honestly, I’ve gotten amazing furniture, shoes, hats, jackets,” Lorde proudly said of her favourite treasure-hunting hobby. It didn’t stop her from doing that again even though she’s already rich and famous, so to speak.

“I did this three weeks ago! Recognised every single time. So embarrassing!” she laughed.