Lorde's shock MTV VMAs confession

She's seriously ill but for Lorde, the show must go on.

In her lilac, feathered gown, the NZ singer glowed on the MTV VMAs red carpet – but her radiant appearance masked serious illness.

"You can't tell in these pictures but I have the flu so bad I needed an IV #showgoeson #cutelilproppedupcorpse," she tweeted alongside pics of herself on the red carpet.

The singer had sparked confusion when she appeared on stage but didn't sing a note – instead, Lorde opted to perform an interpretive dance to her new song "Homemade Dynamite".

Her tweet, though, suggests Lorde's lack of lung-power on the night was down to her illness.

Want more celebrity, entertainment and lifestyle news? Follow Be on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram