Going South is a 2021 memoir and photo-book by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde. The book documents her experience visiting the continent of Antarctica for a week in January 2019, with accompanying photos taken by New Zealand photographer Harriet Were.
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| Author | Ella Yelich-O'Connor (Lorde) |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Harriet Were |
| Language | English |
| Genre | |
| Published | 4 June 2021 |
| Publication place | New Zealand |
| Pages | 104 |
All proceeds from the book were used to fund a postgraduate scholarship created by Antarctica New Zealand, a government agency.[1]
Background & release
O'Connor expressed an interest in exploring the region of Antarctica from an early age, noting an excursion to an aquarium as a child and learning about the Terra Nova Expedition as particularly sparking her interest.[2] In January 2019, she was invited to visit Antarctica's Scott Base and McMurdo Station, travelling as an Antarctic Ambassador with Antarctica New Zealand.[3][4] During her stay, she explored the Antarctic terrain, observed microscopic species in environmental laboratories and spoke with scientists.
Announced in November 2020 through her newsletter, O'Connor described the book as a precursor to her then unreleased third studio album, describing the trip as "this great white palette cleanser, a sort of celestial foyer I had to move through in order to start making the next thing."[5] The book is split into two parts; an opening 10-page essay written originally for Metro, followed by pages of photographs by Ware and footnotes from O'Connor. On the inside of the book's back cover, the phrase "blink 3 times when you feel it kicking in" is printed, alluding to a line from Solar Power's titular track, which was released less than two weeks after the book.