Lorde Reveals Why New Zealand is So Important to Her

Lorde looks simply stunning in a Dior look on the cover of Elle magazine’s June 2017 issue, on newsstands now.

Here’s what the 20-year-old singer had to share with the mag:

On having a private creative process: “Everyone’s making music in L.A. now�”which is great if you aren’t the shyest, most introverted nerd. I found it a little too social. I made my first record in New Zealand with very little discourse�”I was just my own unit. In L.A., it’s very, ‘Oh, what project are you working on?’ I was like, ‘I need to be out of this.’”

On how she balances her celebrity status and personal creative process: “New Zealand. That’s why I am so passionate about going home. Most of my friends are people I knew before I was famous. I’m very thankful that I never feel like the smartest person in the room, or the coolest person in the room, or the funniest. When I’m there, I’m just there. People forget that I’ve done anything. They say, ‘Ella’s this weird old dowager with a nice house.’”

For more from Lorde, visit Elle.com.