Wednesday 11th September 2013 by Michael Baggs

Tags: Lorde

New Zealand star Lorde has spoken of her surprise at scoring such a huge hit with her single 'Royals', which this week followed the likes of Katy Perry and Eminem into the US Billboard Top 10.

The star has become one of the most talked about new artists of 2013, and is set to bring her laid-back, streetwise soul sounds to the UK later this year with the release of her debut album, Pure Heroine. The lead single 'Royals', she reveals in a new interview, was never written with the intention of becoming a hit single, and she is surprised at the level of international interest in the track.

"It's weird, because obviously when I wrote it I had no idea it would be a big deal or anything," she tells Billboard magazine. "I just wrote something that I liked, and that I thought was cool. It's always strange, particularly with my lyrics -- there's a quite distinctive and personal [tone], and people are sitting in their bedrooms and covering it on YouTube. It's been awesome though.

Watch Lorde's US Top Ten hit 'Royals' below

Speaking of her influences, the teenage singer reveals an eclectic mix, naming James Blake and Nicki Minaj as two of her favourite artists.

"I'm a big James Blake fan, and I always have been. And I really like Burial -- I've kind of gone back through and listened to all of Burial's music," she adds. "I also got the Nick Minaj album 'Roman Reloaded,' which I've been really into. She is so fucking good, man, I can't even fathom it.

"I watched this amazing video the other day, of her just riffing about sex. She was putting on makeup and talking, and she's a total feminist, and I was like, 'Man, you are a badass, Nicki.' I love it."

Below: 9 teenage stars poised to take over the music world