Lorde debuted her new single "What Was That" on Tuesday in Washington Square Park, performing to a flood of fans who gathered for the surprise announced by the singer earlier in the day.

New York-based fans were sent the message announcing the performance through her text line. "Meet me in the park," the message read. "Tonight 7pm xx." Fans soon swarmed Washington Square Park, eagerly awaiting the singer. However, the event was shut down by local police and park rangers, and those gathered were told the event was canceled.

Lorde posted on her Instagram story 10 minutes before the event was scheduled to start, writing: "Omg @thepark the cops are shutting us down I am truly Amazed by how many of you showed up !!! But they’re telling me you gotta disperse … I’m so sorry.”

A DCPI Spokesperson made a statement on the situation, explaining that "officers were alerted of an unscheduled event inside of the park" at 6:47 PM. "A sound and parks permit is required to have a concert in a New York City Park. This individual did not possess either," the statement clarified. "Organizers of the event were informed they could not perform and they left the location." Lorde was not named in the statement.

However, this didn't stop the crowd from staying. An hour later, producer Dev Hynes (better known by his artist name Blood Orange), who is rumored to have worked on Lorde's upcoming album, showed up to the event with a speaker playing the full version of the song as fans followed closely behind, everyone making their way through the park. The full song was revealed to fans, who had only heard the snippet Lorde had posted in a recent TikTok. She eventually made her appearance soon after, singing and dancing along to the track.

Earlier, following her special appearance at Charli xcx's set at the first weekend of Coachella 2025, Lorde shared an audio message with fans preceding this new era of hers.:

“I just wanted to say hi because everything is about to change and these are really the last moments where it’s just us, which is crazy [laughs] ... But so right, I’m so ready. I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to say that, but I am. I’m so thankful for your patience. I’ve felt your love, I’ve felt you right there. And yeah, this is gonna be crazy. You have no idea [laughs]. OK, I love you so much. I’ll talk to you soon.”

"What Was That" is set to be released on April 24.