Obviously, Del Rey is as much at the mercy of pandemic-induced reflection as any of us. If March’s Chemtrails over the Country Club saw her biting back at criticism and wondering whether fame had all been worth it, this record feels like her letting go, rising above the noise and acknowledging the things that really matter: her sister, her friends, her own sense of self. This eighth album is the freest Del Rey has yet sounded, both musically and lyrically. In fact, after a decade at the mercy of other people’s perceptions of her, she’s no longer willing to be a guest star in her own story. Blue Banisters is her second album release in just seven short months, a defiant statement that it’s still business as usual for the LA-based singer-songwriter. Anyone with a modicum of humility, or a passing interest in self-preservation, might have deleted their social-media accounts and lain low for a while, hoping the world would move on.ĭel Rey has done the opposite. More ludicrously, she was pilloried for wearing the wrong kind of face mask to meet fans at a book-signing late last year. Having tiptoed the line between controversy and credibility since the beginning of her career, she suddenly began making headlines for all the wrong reasons.įirst, she posted footage of clearly identifiable looters during a Black Lives Matter protest then later issued a rambling, defensive statement answering claims that she had glamourised abuse by questioning the feminist stance of other female artists (most of whom were women of colour). Time will tell if this horrifically awkward album release will hinder her sales, her future in the music industry, or both.Over the last 18 months, Lana Del Rey has weathered more than a mere pandemic. While millions of fans in her comments section are sending support and happily streaming the album, many others are wildly offended by Lana’s lack of sensitivity. The more Lana talks about this topic, the more out of touch she sounds. The phrase “my best friends are rappers my boyfriends have been rappers” has been especially ill-received. My dearest friends have been from all over the place, so before you make comments again about a WOC/POC issue, I’m not the one storming the capital, I’m literally changing the world by putting my life and thoughts and love out there on the table 24 seven. My best friends are rappers my boyfriends have been rappers. In 11 years working I have always been extremely inclusive without even trying to. We are all a beautiful mix of everything- some more than others which is visible and celebrated in everything I do. With another statement, she made herself look even worse: Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga, – hell, even Taylor Swift sings about “being sexy,” too.Īgain, I don’t think we should throw shade at any of these women for singing about whatever their hearts desire, but especially after a year where racial inequality was rightfully brought back to the forefront of our minds, fans were quick to question how Lana could be so thoughtless.Ī post shared by Lana Del Rey just like before, Lana should have stopped there. Worse, though, was the noticeable lack of white women included in her condescending clapback.Īll the artists she mentioned are POC (with the hotly-debated exception of Grande), and let’s be honest: She could have just as easily made the same example with plenty of white singers. In response, the six-time Grammy nominee called out a number of other female artists and shamed them in the same way she was being shamed.

Why did she post this? Well, some haters were dragging her for singing lyrics about, among other dark topics, being hit by her lover. Now that Doja Cat, Ariana, Camila, Cardi B, Kehlani and Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé have had number ones with songs about being sexy, wearing no clothes, f***ing, cheating etc – can I please go back to singing about being embodied, feeling beautiful by being in love even if the relationship is not perfect, or dancing for money – or whatever I want – without being crucified or saying that I’m glamorizing abuse? Now, the 35-year-old is not normally embroiled in drama, but in an Instagram post from May 21, 2020, she put herself in troubled social waters that are still angrily churning today. A few days ago, Lana Del Rey dropped her seventh studio album, Chemtrails over the Country Club – a production collaboration between her, Jack Antonoff, and Rick Nowels.

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