Lorde's onion rings Instagram: a Newshub reporter's intrepid investigation

It's been the mystery that's captured our newsroom, then New Zealand, and then the world. But on Friday, finally, it was put to rest. 

Newshub's talented and intrepid reporter Anna Bracewell-Worrall, broke the "massively random" (according to the BBC) story of the Instagram account, following a digital trail of evidence to build a compelling case. 

For Bracewell-Worrall, who appeared on Three's The Project on Friday evening, the whole experience has been "surreal". 

"All the credit goes to a 17-year-old super fan that goes to Western Springs, thanks Lucie" Bracewell-Worrall said. 

The face of a woman who's very confused about where her career has taken her
The face of a woman who's very confused about where her career has taken her Photo credit: The Project

"She mentioned in passing that Lorde has this Instagram account and I was like 'um, what?'"

The throwaway comment led to one of the strangest and most widely shared stories of her career. 

Bracewell-Worrall says the main giveaway for her was "the fingers" in the photos.

"There was only four shots to go off, two of them had fingers in them," she said. They were a "perfect match" to other photos of Lorde's hands on social media. 

The story got picked up globally; in Australia, the US and the UK. And on Friday, during a Jimmy Fallon interview, Lorde owned up to being the onion ring expert behind the Instagram account. 

Newshub.