Lorde accused of racism in lyrics for 'Royals'

New Zealand pop upstart, Lorde has conquering the U.S charts so it’s pretty much expected that she’d face some sort of backlash. But rather than accusations of over-hype, she’s instead been hit with criticism for her lyrics, with some regarding lines in ‘Royals’ as racist.

Veronica Bayetti Flores of blog feministing.com recently wrote: “While I love a good critique of wealth accumulation and inequity, this song is not one; in fact, it is deeply racist.” She continued: “we all know who she’s thinking when we’re talking gold teeth, Cristal and Maybachs.”

The post went on to say: “Why aren’t we critiquing wealth by taking hits at golf or polo or Central Park East? Why not take to task the bankers and old-money folks who actually have a hand in perpetuating and increasing wealth inequality?”

The piece has been met with a polarising response, some agreeing with the original critique and others coming out to defend the 16 year old. The debate has even reached TV news coverage level, with CNN, CBS and more discussing the issue.

You can watch the CNN coverage of it beneath:

[via CoS]