A little-known 16-year-old from New Zealand owned the summer of 2013 with a catchy song that criticized lifestyles of the rich and famous. Naturally, she was rewarded with riches and fame. But Ella Yelich-O’Connor, aka Lorde, has handled her sharp ascent over the last three and a half years with grace, sensitivity, and humor. Since ceasing touring behind her 2013 debut Pure Heroine in late 2014, she has mostly laid low.

Of course, throughout this time frame, there have been plenty of questions regarding her sophomore album, starting as early as December 2013, when Lorde told Billboard, “I’ve been writing but I haven’t really had time to hit the studio as of yet.” Since then, she’s collaborated with Disclosure, curated a soundtrack for The Hunger Games, posted vague Instagram and Tumblr updates from the studio, and even chilled by the beach.

Then yesterday, on her 20th birthday, Lorde finally posted the first major update regarding her currently unnamed second record. She explained that the album, which is almost finished, will chronicle her transition away from her teenage self. Let’s look at how Lorde got here, and what we know about the album so far.

April 2014

Along with Kim Gordon, Joan Jett, Annie Clark, Dave Grohl, and Krist Novoselic, Lorde performed Nirvana’s “All Apologies” at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Upon airing in June, the highly-praised rendition was briefly dampened by —of all people—Iggy Azalea, who felt Lorde was the wrong choice for the number because of her age. Lorde did what any sensible person forced into responding to Iggy Azalea should do, shrugging off the hate like, “I had a good time. That’s all that mattered.”

June 2014

Lorde told the BBC that her sophomore record would be “totally different” and an “improvement,” thanks to her growth as a songwriter. “I wrote the last album about that world, which was the suburb where I grew up and populated by my friends and people who were really familiar to me,” she explained. “Now I’m in a different place every day and I’m with new people every day and it’s a different vibe.”

In keeping the same vibe, though, Lorde turned her signature look—heavily lined eyes and dark purple lips—into a small makeup set for MAC. She told Vogue that both the Pure Heroine Lipstick and the Penultimate Eyeliner should be able to be worn by regular girls. Goth lite for all!

September 2014

Lorde released “Yellow Flicker Beat,” the first taste of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 soundtrack (which she curated), and her first song since Pure Heroine. The full soundtrack, released that November, featured songs by Chvrches, Charli XCX, Grace Jones, the Chemical Brothers, and more, along with a Kanye rework of “Yellow Flicker Beat” and Lorde’s Bright Eyes cover (teens, stay teen-ing). “Yellow Flicker Beat” went on to be nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Song the following year.

December 2014

While trawling through her archives, Lorde discovered and shared “Lost Boys,” a Pure Heroine song that wound up on the cutting room floor. Later that month, she appeared in a very silly skit for the Australian radio program Triple J along with Diplo, Disclosure, Skrillex, Courtney Barnett, Flume, and more.

February 2015

On Triple J, Pure Heroine producer Joel Little said that within a month or so, Lorde would be in the studio. “We’re just going to start writing some songs. We haven’t got some planned out ‘this is what it’s going to sound like,’” he explained. “I think we’re just going to start writing and when it starts to feel right, we’ll know that it’s right. It’s pretty simple really.”

March 2015