Lorde’s ‘Virgin’ album artwork shocks fans with nude photo

Lorde’s new album Virgin gave fans an earful of new pop tunes, but its album artwork is also opening eyeballs over a nude photo fans online have reported to be included in the LP’s vinyl edition.

Upon Friday’s album drop, many fans shared imagery on social media that showed what they said was a photo included in the insert artwork for the vinyl release. The photo shows someone’s navel, crotch, and pubic hair, partially visible underneath the zipper on a pair of see-through pants.

“Lorde showing lordeussy on her vinyl im seated,” one fan wrote on X while additionally sharing a photo of the NSFW image, later clarifying, “For anyone confused – I love this cover.”

Lorde’s official webstore shows the standard cover — a blue X-ray image of a pelvis — hovering just above the outline of the photo of the nude image fans have shared online, with the grey carpeting behind the body visible in both.

The singer’s store does warn potential buyers with a “PARENTAL ADVISORY” in all-caps letters, and further informs them that there are “ADULT IMAGES” contained within.

Entertainment Weekly has reached out to representatives for Lorde for comment.

Virgin released Friday as the 28-year-old New Zealander’s fourth album — her first since 2021’s Solar Power, which marked a commercial downturn for the performer.

The new album’s lead single, “What Was That,” however, reversed that trajectory by becoming Lorde’s first solo top 40 hit in the United States in nearly eight years, since 2017’s “Green Light.”

Last year, Lorde made headlines for settling years-long private tension with Charli XCX — the latter of whom wrote about their rocky relationship on her 2024 Brat album song “Girl, So Confusing,” without referencing Lorde by name.

The pair later confirmed the song was about their ties after Lorde jumped on a remix of the song to hash out their differences, and they’ve since performed the song on stage together.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly‘s free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

On the remix, Lorde admitted that she was “speechless” to wake up to a raw voice note from XCX about the volatility, in which she told her how she felt about their relationship. Lorde promised to eventually “work it out on the remix” of the track.

“You always say, ‘let’s go out,’ but then I cancel last minute. I was so lost in my head and scared to be in your pictures, because for the last couple years I’ve been at war with my body. I tried to starve myself thinner, then I gained all the weight back,” Lorde sang on the new version. “I was trapped in a hatred and your life seemed so awesome. I never thought for a second my voice was in your head.”

Virgin is out now.