Lorde is "not close" to releasing new music.
The Green Light hitmaker teased fans by posting a picture of her with headphones on listening to her own music. She captioned the post on her Instagram story: "Listening to myself." It sparked speculation that new tunes could be on the way soon.
However, Lorde insists that's not the case and that she is "building stamina for this chapter".
Commenting on a post on a fan page called Lorde Content on Instagram, she clarified: "We're not CLOSE close you guys .. i'm just getting so hype n needed to let u know.
"start ur excitement on a low flame and bring it up to a gentle simmer .. we building stamina for this chapter. (sic)"
The New Zealand-born star's last studio effort was 2021's Solar Power.
In September, Lorde revealed she was working on new music whilst living in London. The pop star revealed in an email newsletter to fans that she has been living in the British capital since May.
She began: "Things feel clear here. I haven't seen many friends; mostly, I'm alone with my thoughts.
"I go swimming, I go to work, I walk home or take the train, I eat in my kitchen, I go to bed thinking about what I'm making. I'm starting to miss my friends and family, like a vitamin I'm deficient in."
Lorde also revealed in the same update that she has been battling a mystery illness.
The 27-year-old singer — whose real name is Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor — stopped taking her regular medication after spending more than a decade on it and found herself becoming ill on several occasions.
She penned: "The little yellow pill I took every morning for thousands of mornings since I was 15. My gut isn't working properly, my skin is worse than ever, I've gotten sick half a dozen times."
The Royals hitmaker went on to explain to fans that she has "never really listened" to her body and has used this year to focus on her health after "ignoring" it for so long.
She said: "I realised earlier this year that listening to my body is hard for me, it's something I never really learned how to do. I've been trying to teach myself that this year, but it's been hard actually, pretty confronting, has made me fully aware of all the times I ignored it or didn't give it what it needed, shamed it for a fight or flight response, took a handful of pills and pushed through."
However, despite her woes, the Grammy-winning star is determined to reflect on 2023 with "fondness".
She said: "I know I'm gonna look back on this year with fondness and a bit of awe, knowing it was the year that locked everything into place, the year that transitioned me from my childhood working decade to the one that comes next — one that even through all this, I'm so excited for. It's just hard when you're in it."