Pop star Lorde is giving herself a lengthy break from work because her parents are convinced her non-stop schedule this year (14) has made her ill.

The New Zealand singer has postponed her tour of Australia, which was due to kick off in Melbourne on Thursday (24Apr14), after falling sick and she has jetted back to her home country to recuperate.

Lorde, 17, has now opened up about her health battle, revealing she is suffering from a nasty chest infection, and explaining that her parents stepped in and told her to take a break following months of non-stop work commitments since her double win at the Grammy Awards in January (14).

In a series of posts on her Twitter.com page, she writes, "I have had to postpone my Australian shows because of a nasty chest infection and... general ill health. I am so so gutted to have to do this but my parents and my team stepped in telling me I needed a break after being... non-stop since the Grammys in January.

"We will 100 per cent be back for this tour (most likely in November) so don't worry about that. I just need... time to get back to full gollum girl fitness before I go out playing shows again... I'm truly sorry if I let you down or if you feel inconvenienced by this and I hope you can understand."