International chart-topper Lorde has returned to her former school in New Zealand to judge the talent quest that set her on the path to stardom.

The 17-year-old singer-songwriter, whose real name is Ella Yelich-O’Connor, popped in to Belmont Intermediate School on Auckland’s North Shore on Friday to judge the Belmont Idol competition.

“flew in to auckland today and went back to my intermediate school to judge the singing competition i won (aged 12) that started my career,” she tweeted.

Her hit song Royals, which is still sitting at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, was played and students sang along.

The eventual winner of this year’s Belmont Idol competition was 11-year-old Kip Griffin.

Yelich-O’Connor was crowned the winner of Belmont Idol in 2009 after performing a cover of Duffy’s Warwick Avenue with friend Louis McDonald, who is now a member of folk-pop band Five Mile Town.

The duo’s performance was recorded and sent to Universal Music representatives, who then signed Yelich-O’Connor on a development deal.