Lorde postpones Australian tour due to illness

Singer Lorde has postponed the Australian leg of her tour after falling ill.

Just days before the Royals hitmaker was scheduled to kick off her trek in Melbourne on Thursday (24Apr14), Lorde announced she is too sick to perform.

The 17-year-old pop star has expressed her disappointment in a statement, which reads: "It breaks my heart to have to postpone these shows as the band and I absolutely love playing to Australian crowds, and it was not a decision we made lightly. I know I need to focus on getting better in order to perform at my best. We'll be with you as soon as we can, Aussies."

Under the advice of her doctors, Lorde will head back to her native New Zealand to recuperate.

Rescheduled dates for the concerts, which were slated to take her to six Australian cities until 6 May (14), will be announced soon.