Lorde was the big draw for Saturday night’s fall gala.
She appeared on an enormous red dress with giant flowers, a feathered skirt, and a big bright wig.
“This is one of the first, like, songs that I wrote when I came into the studio,” the 18-year-old singer, described the lyrics, “white pop star.”
She told those who bought tickets to the gala that she felt as though the gala would bring her a measure of stability.
“Because I only have this moment on the back of these seats, it’s so much more sacred than when we’re making music, which is a very selfish experience,” she said.
Though she grew up listening to country, Temptations, and the Beatles, Ms. Lorde confessed she didn’t know much about chess. “I was like, ‘okay, this girl doesn’t know that much about chess?’” she said. (Nevertheless, a director recognized her. He thanked her for her example. She replied, “I just thought you should tell the world that I’m working on it.”)
Ms. Lorde performed “Homemade Dynamite” and the “Yellow Flicker Beat”-drenched “Green Light.”
The Guggenheim Museum gala raises money for its modern and contemporary art collection, which covers 4,000 paintings and 2,200 sculptures.