"Royals" was released as the album's lead single on 3 June 2013, through digital distribution. The song received widespread acclaim with reviewers complimenting its minimalist production and lyrics. It achieved commercial success by topping the charts in New Zealand, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States. She became the youngest artist to top the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart since Tiffany's "I Think We're Alone Now" (1987) and the first New Zealand act to reach number one as a lead artist. The song received three Grammy nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance, winning in the latter two categories.