Consider Lorde a Britney Spears fan. The “Solar Power” singer is Vogue’s October cover star, and gave the magazine an exclusive performance, which they later posted to their YouTube page on Wednesday (Sept. 8). Surprisingly, Lorde’s performance included a unique cover of Spears’ single “Break the Ice” off 2007’s Blackout.
In the video, Lorde stands on a rock fully surrounded by trees in New York City’s lush Botanical Gardens in a red, long-sleeve crop top, matching leggings, and patent leather red heels. A boom box accompanies her, playing the instrumental for “Break the Ice.” The singer trades in the song’s original electro-R&B instrumental for something much more stripped back and enigmatic to let her voice shine. After singing the first verse and chorus, Lorde takes off her heels and transitions into the dreamy instrumentals for her Solar Power track “Fallen Fruit.”
“Break the Ice” was a moderate hit for Spears. After making the song her third and final single from her fifth studio album, Blackout, “Break the Ice” peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 48 in May 2008, and spent a total of 17 weeks on the chart. Blackout, by extension, peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 chart and spent a total of 34 weeks on the chart.
“Fallen Fruit” has yet to chart for Lorde, but her corresponding album Solar Power spent two weeks and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 chart on Sept. 4. The album also hit No. 1 on the Alternative Albums chart.
Watch Lorde’s stunning cover of “Break the Ice” — and her transition into “Fallen Fruit” — below.
