Man of the Year (Lorde song)

"Man of the Year" is a song by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde. It was released on 29 May 2025 through Universal Music New Zealand and Republic Records as the second single from her fourth studio album, Virgin (2025). Lorde co-wrote and co-produced the song with American songwriter Jim-E Stack, and wrote it while exploring her gender expression after attending a GQ 'Men of the Year' party in November 2023. The song is a downtempo and industrial track that begins as a pop ballad with a minimalist production and builds into a powerful climax, incorporating cymbals, drums, and synths. Lyrically, it recounts Lorde's experience exploring her masculinity and gender identity, describing herself as the titular "man of the year."

"Man of the Year" received praise from music critics, who described the song's emotional vulnerability as a culmination of her artistic evolution, although some reviews were critical of the song's instrumentation. The song debuted and peaked at number 11 on the singles chart in New Zealand and had minor chart placements in Australia, Canada, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and on the Billboard Global 200. An accompanying music video for the song was released on the same day and directed by Grant Singer, featuring Lorde binding her chest and dancing in soil in an empty loft. The setting of the music video was a reference to The New York Earth Room art installation by artist Walter De Maria. Critics opined that the music video symbolised themes of self-expression and gender fluidity.