Lorde's Real Age Questioned By Conspiracy Theorists, Birth Certificate Revealed

Lorde's Birth Certificate Surfaces

Ever since Lorde burst onto the scene with the hit song "Royals" this past spring, you've probably caught yourself saying, "I can't believe she's only 16." And since Nov. 7, you've been saying, "I can't believe she's only 17."

It's okay. Lorde doesn't really bear resemblance to any teenager we've ever known, and she also seems to possess more wisdom than most adults three times her alleged age. Theorists additionally note that some of the singer's quips in recent interviews seem to give the conspiracy legs.

"Hi, I'm Ella," she deadpanned to Vanity Fair at a pre-Grammys party, "And I'm actually 45."

And then there was that time she told Rookie Mag's Tavi Gevinson, "[The Virgin Suicides] really resonated with me as a teenager," adding, " I mean, I am still a teenager."

So now you're thinking it's all part of a scam, right? Just like that "Felicity" writer/actress Riley Weston who claimed to be 18, and earned praise as a "wunderkind," before it was revealed she was actually 32. It was all very movie-of-the-week, but when it comes to Lorde, apparently she's actually the real deal.

The Hairpin shelled out a whopping $17.02 to the New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs for a copy of the singer's birth certificate. According to the document, Lorde, whose real name is Ella Maria Lani Yelich-O'Connor, was born Nov. 7, 1996.

She's 17.

Come on people, she's just an old soul.

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