The New Zealand pop star announced to fans on social media she would be hosting a meet-up at Washington Square Park on Tuesday evening, local time.
However, so many fans turned up that police told them to leave.
Lorde posted to her Instagram Story: "OMG @thepark the cops are shutting us down. I am truly Amazed by how many of you showed up!!!
"But they're telling me you gotta disperse ... I'm so sorry."
Fortunately, Lorde managed to play her new song What Was That to the crowd through giant speakers as she danced on top of a table.
The lyrics go: "Since I was 17, I gave you everything / Now we wake from a dream / Well baby, what was that?"
Lorde recently teased "everything is about to change" as she prepares her new era.
After teasing a snippet of her new song in her first TikTok video, Lorde changed her Spotify bio to tease new music dropping on April 25, which we now know is What Was That.
The Royals hitmaker also thanked fans personally for their "patience" as they await her first new music since her 2021 LP Solar Power.
In a voice note, shared directly to fans on WhatsApp, she shared: "I can feel all that I have shed to be able to be in this the way I am right now.
"I just wanted to say hi because everything is about to change. These are really the last moments where it's just us, which is crazy.
"It's so right. I'm so ready. I didn't know if I'd ever be able to say that, but I am. I'm so thankful for your patience. I've felt your love, I've felt you right there. This is going to be crazy, you have no idea."
The Green Light hitmaker, whose real name is Ella Yelich-O'Connor, posted her first TikTok of her walking through Washington Square Park.
Lorde is known for her mysterious social media activity.
Just before the TikTok, Lorde wiped her socials clean and changed her profile picture to one of a chrome metal water bottle.
Her Instagram bio now reads: "THE THEMES ARE ALWAYS THE SAME— A RETURN TO INNOCENCE— THE MYSTERIES OF THE BLOOD— AN ITCH FOR THE TRANSCENDENTAL."
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