The #FreeLorde Hashtag Has Fans Worried for the "Royals" Singer
Updated Nov. 19 2020, 9:54 p.m. ET
It appears that New Zealand-born pop singer Lorde may be involved in a bit of Melodrama right now.
On Monday, Oct. 7, a hashtag that simply read #FreeLorde went viral on Twitter. And as you can probably imagine, fans of the 22-year old "Tennis Courts" singer immediately began to panic.
So, what happened? Was Lorde arrested? Here's everything you need to know.
Those who have loved Lorde from the very beginning know the singer, songwriter, and notorious onion ring fanatic began her career at the young age of 16, when she released her very first studio album called "Pure Heroine."
The album gained a tremendous amount of popularity shortly after its release, according to The Spinoff. So, Lorde got the Green Light to abandon her 13th year at Takapuna Grammar, to further pursue her budding music career.
And luckily, things ended up working out for her — since dropping out, Lorde has released a total of two studio albums, per RNZ. She's also won two Grammy Awards, a New Zealand Music Award, and a Taite Music Prize.
She's quite accomplished for someone in her age group, and if she had ended up finishing high school, she might not be where she is today.
But her failure to finish high school is a point of contention.
Recently, an NZ National Party politician known as Simon Bridges suggested a new penalty called "School Leaver Tax Policy."
Right now, students only need to stay in school until age 16. But according to News Hub, Simon's policy would fine all parents of high school dropouts a total of $3,000.
The School Leaver Tax Policy has not — in fact — been implemented in New Zealand yet, nor will it necessarily be — many are against it because it works against already impoverished and homeless families.
So, why would any of this be affecting Lorde right now, if the policy is yet to be approved?
Was Lorde arrested? It was all a rumor. 
A Twitter Moment from Oct. 7 featured a photo of Lorde, with the caption:
"Singer/Songwriter Lorde (Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor) has been rumored she will be imprisoned for denying to pay a fine of $3,000 in New Zealand."
Publications like The Spin Off and News Hub have reported famous New Zealanders who would receive fines for this law, should it be implemented. But since it hasn't happened, it seems like Twitter just hasn't done their research. Tsk, tsk.
Fans within the Twitterverse who haven't read into the not-yet-implemented policy have started tweeting #FreeLorde, despite the fact that she hasn't been fined, nor is she going to prison regarding this matter.
Take a look at the uninformed tweets to this nonsense rumor, below.
Rumors can spread like wildfire, especially when people aren't fact-checking. Lorde is not going to jail, and she hasn't been fined — she would have simply fallen into the category of a non-existing penalty, should it be implemented.
So I guess the moral of the story is to read the news. Lorde is A-OK, fam.
