Lorde was just 16 when the international music industry started paying attention to her, but she actually started much younger than that. At age 12, Ella Yelich-O’Connor could already get the audience going with the help of her band, Extreme, as shown in an unearthed video on YouTube.

The almost nine-minute footage, shot in 2009 and uploaded online in November 2013, shows Lorde still sporting her signature long brown curls while performing with six other kids and just being plain awesome at 12 years old.

She wasn’t the only vocalist in the band, but with the way she introduced their set and answered the interview later on, it’s clear that she was the leader.

Lorde looked adorable wearing off-white dress, black leather jacket, and boots. It might just be her heels, but it appeared that she was also the tallest among her group. Her equally brilliant band members all looked cute and cool as well.

Comparing Lorde’s stage presence with today, she seemed more confident then. It might be because she was singing among her peers and not performing in front of the entire world.

According to the video description, Extreme, from Belmont Intermediate School, competed in the covers category of the Intermediate Schools Battle of the Bands Finals in 2009. They placed third in the competition.

It all turned out good for Ella four years after. She became an international star, got herself two Grammy Awards, topped charts and broke records, became an in demand artist for music festivals, and became besties with music A-listers like Taylor Swift.

Placing third in a competition doesn’t seem so bad after all.

More videos featuring Lorde with her talented bandmates can be viewed here.