If I was younger and I still lived and breathed stan culture, perhaps I would be in my feelings about Lana del Rey’s new statement. But as it is, I just find it funny. Lana is so chaotic and amazing, I think we might have to stan if just for the much-needed DRAMA of it all. Lana announced that her new album – a follow-up to the critically acclaimed Norman F–king Rockwell – will be out in early September. She announced the album with a statement on her Instagram which is just so unnecessarily bitter and shady. I LOVE HER.
In a statement posted to her Instagram account, the “Summertime Sadness” singer wrote: “Now that Doja Cat, Ariana, Camila, Cardi B, Kehlani and Nicki Minaj and Beyonce 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?”
Del Rey takes a stand on “female writers and alt-singers” who accuse her glamorizing abuse “when in reality,” she continues, “I’m just a glamorous person singing about the realities of what we are all now seeing are very prevalent abusive relationships all over the world.”
She continues, “With all of the topics women are finally allowed to explore I just want to say over the last ten years I think it’s pathetic that my minor lyrical exploration detailing my sometimes submissive or passive roles in my relationships has often made people say I’ve set women back hundreds of years.”
There’s clearly no shortage of ammunition for her next projects, which she mentions in the final stanza. “Anyways,” she writes, “none of this has anything to do about much but I’ll be detailing some of my feelings in my next two books of poetry (mostly the second one) with Simon and Schuster. Yes I’m still making personal reparations with the proceeds of the book to my choice of Native American foundations which I’m very happy about. And I’m sure there will be tinges of what I’ve been pondering in my new album,” which is set for Sept. 5.”
People – youths? – are mad because they think Lana is, like, calling out their fave? When really she’s just saying that she was the first and your fave followed HER. Which is a separate issue. She’s not saying Beyonce, Nicki, Cardi, Ari, Doja, etc are trash, she’s saying that they’ve all been copying her, that she was the first person to sing about abusive relationships and falling in love with problematic men and making terrible love mistakes. Which… is not true. Lana was not the first, and she’s delusional for thinking that and saying that. But also, lmao. She’s ridiculous and her album announcement got the chaotic energy she wanted. (Also, I saw this on Twitter: Lana did this on the first day of Gemini Season OH MY GOD LMAO).
lana’s message turning us from a quiet fandom to having 7 different fandoms hate us in one night 😭 pic.twitter.com/lpGZ5Qdkd4
— 𝑘𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑛🍊 (@electric_lana) May 21, 2020
Rihanna not releasing music for so long that Lana didn’t even include her in the letter. pic.twitter.com/IKwh5P8MU3
— c (@chuuzus) May 21, 2020
Photos courtesy of WENN, IG.
I really don’t care about any of these feuds, real or imagined? There are very few artists that I’m ride or die for, and thankfully most of them seem to keep pretty private.
I did laugh at the ‘first day of gemini season’ part though, as I am a double gemini (sun AND moon) hahaha. It’s also my ‘birthday season’. I say that as if I do extravagant things all season, when really I’m just like “Do I HAVE to do that thing? But it’s my birthday season!” for the week before and after my birthday.
I don’t think she was saying she’s the first, she was just saying that she shouldn’t be bullied and criticized for singing about those things when other women are celebrated for singing about cheating and being sexy, etc. I’m not really sure what she’s talking about since she’s been mostly lauded as far as I can tell, but I don’t think she was saying she was the first or that there was anything wrong with what those other women were saying. she was just saying they’re being celebrated and she doesn’t see why she was criticized while they’re celebrated. I think. to be honest it was kind of hard to follow that word salad.
It is very poorly worded and mentioning those women added nothing to her argument and probably took away from it. Doja and nicki have a #1 but for nicki it took her 12 years and to insulate that they haven’t been criticized in the same way is ludicrous.
She should’ve finished her rant with ‘I hope didn’t offend anyone by not mentioning them’
She sounds bitter as hell. And I take issue with her name (mostly) black women as if they, especially the women listed, aren’t getting criticized within an inch of their careers, for multitude of reasons, everyday.
“I’m not not a feminist but there has to be a place for women who look like me and act like me” needs to be reworded differently cause huh???
I (guess) I understand her point but this is written so poorly.
Thank you. Every woman she named is either black or a woman of color.
She can kick rocks in flip flops. Nobody ain’t playing with her.
Tiffany, since when is Ariana considered a WoC? Pretty sure she’s always been called out by black women all the time (rightfully so) for blackfishing…but now she is a WoC being victimized by being on this rando list?? Make up your mind.
This reminds me of how everyone forgets that hipster BS chef girl criticized GOOP along w/Marie Kondo & Tiegen. Are we picking & choosing here or what? Let everybody know.
How did she criticize GOOP? I read the article; she went out of her way NOT to comment on GOOP. She was asked about GOOP, and pivoted straight to Kondo and Teigan.
@Tiffany Completely agree. I also get what you were trying to say. I don’t think you meant to include Ariana in the description as WOC and you got jumped on for it. Basically, Black SM jumped on this story with the angle it deserves… This mediocre white singer called out talented WOC for hype.
The white feminism JUMPED out.
She couldn’t think of five men to name? K.
Ariana Grande? Her parents are from Italy. Not really WOC
She’s not saying she was first, she’s saying “every time I put out an album you say I’m glamorizing abuse. Now that these other girls have gotten #1s this summer singing about less-than-perfect topics and not faced this kind of criticism, I trust that when I drop my album I will also be given the benefit of the doubt.” It’s passive-aggressive and bitter, but against her critics (or something), not other artists.
I agree.
Triggered not triggered.
She lost me by saying she wasn’t a feminist but there needs to be a place in feminism for her. Then be a feminist and fight for it
I haven’t paid enough attention to her over the years, so my guess on what her image is like may be off. Feminism does need to be more inclusive and think beyond the white woman who wants reproductive rights and votes democrat, but doesn’t stray too far from respectability politics. But…is Lana really an example of the types of women excluded from or even abused by the movement?*
Like others have already pointed out, most of the women she listed are woc, and almost all of them seem to be more threatening/infuriating to our victim-blaming culture. They and other women have all taken plenty of outrage and gatekeeping over what they include in their work. She’s right that women should be able to tell the truth about their relationships and experiences too, the delivery was just kind of messy.
*Deplorable women don’t count, obviously. Women shouldn’t be asked to support people who are active threats to their rights and safety.
It was a double negative. “Not not a feminist”
Lol. Lana’s as delusional and self-centered as ever.
I agree. she does seem to live in her own world. but I love her music. and having read her statement now, I don’t see why people think she criticized any of those other singers. she didn’t say their music is bad or those topics like sex, cheating or whatever are a problem. she was just saying…if they can sing about those things then let me sing about my things. if you can accept them selling basic instinct topics and stuff, then let me sing about abuse or whatever.
The problem is that she’s acting like they’ve never been criticized for singing about those topics, when most of them have gotten far worse backlash (and *racist* backlash at that) than she ever has. She’s also casting her music vs. theirs in a VERY problematic light by describing her material in flowery ways, compared to reducing their material to a simplistic “cheating, f*cking, wearing no clothes”. It’s ridiculous because that’s basically what half her catalog is and she’s describing it as “being embodied and feeling beautiful by being in love”. And she DID sing about topics like Lolita-style relationships, doing drugs, and abuse in a romanticized manner. Why she’s suddenly pretending otherwise is beyond me. Her whole rant was peak white feminism (and she can’t even commit to that, looking at her silly “I’m not not a feminist” comment).
I am a big Lana Del Rey fan, but I cannot understand how in one breath she says she wishes women could explore any topic in their music and then says she’s not a feminist. She’s making a feminist case and then degrading the word. She needs to talk to Emma Watson.
No, as others have pointed out, she said she is a feminist with a double negative, which is confusing.
I agree with her that singing about passive or abusive relationships shouldn’t be wrong, those people exist. And if that is her personal story, she should be able to sing about it.
Well if Lana wanted attention she surely will get plenty. I assume she is friends with some of the women she mentioned. She did a song with Ariana. I also wonder if any of these artist will say anything. I really like Lana and her music but this seems a bit messy and shady.
Yo, I like her music, but can we all agree she’s neither as deep nor as clever as she pretends to be? She’s a rich girl with a moderate level of talent who wants things handed to her the way they’ve been handed to her during her entire life. Most of the time when she actively opens her mouths during interviews, I find myself rolling or eyes or laughing because she’s just so clearly uneducated about so very many things.
For instance, here she’s couching this statement in terms of how she’s been singled out and criticized for her writing choices, but anybody with a modicum of sense and familiarity with celeb culture knows her true goal – publicity. She knows why name dropping and starting fights (particularly with WOC, as we just saw with Roman!) will get her name in the press. That’s not meaningful. That’s just business. Stop pretending it’s deep.
Honestly I’d go further than your first comment and say that Lana is actually pretty damn vapid. It’s irritating precisely because she often likes to act like she’s one of the only profound artists out there. I’ve listened to a lot of her music and while I enjoy some of it, it doesn’t merit her arrogance and pretentious attitude at all.
I totally agree, Veronica.
YES THIS. 100% agree.
the “i’m just a glamourous person” phrase is killing me, she’s so dramatique
i need to find a chance to use that at work.
“why did the site shit the bed??!!??”
“look, i’m just a glamourous person singing about the realities of the prevalence of abuse all over the world, ok???”
“…what?!?”
“Betty, your cereal is spilled all over the floor, milk is everywhere!”
“I CANT H E L P THAT IM A GLAMOROUS PERSON!!!!”
Lmaooo oh Lana, gurl, love you & your aesthetic and songs but should have paused & waited thinking before posting this. It even as some typos so I’m gonna assume it wasn’t well thought out before pressin’ yes lol
Ha, so funny! I’m going to use ‘I’m just a glamourise person’ too! Why did you forget to buy toilet paper? “I’m just a glamourise person dealing with the weight of society’s expectations on femininity!
Also, Karen’s got a new album coming out😝 lol
Ugh! She is a mess!!! And I love her!!!!!
I loved her last album, but this kind of statement is just over the top.
Lmao she created songs about abuse. Ella Fitzgerald. Nina Simone. Bessie Smith in 1923. Martina McBride. Tracy Chapman. Florence and the Machine. And on and on and on. I’ll wager that domestic abuse has been the impetus for songs since the beginning of song creation.
Yeah…I like her music, but this is really making me not like her. As far as I know, she has been widely applauded for her music, especially her last album. There’s no need for this. She’s stirring up drama where there wasn’t any, and using mostly WOC examples to do it. Do not like.
I thought Beyonces Beyhive was nuts,they have quite the competition with Nicki Minajs Barbz.
I just came here to see if anyone mentioned her mismatched eyes. her face looks funny, like half of it is one person and the other half belongs to another
I have no idea who this is a photo of!
I’m way too old to care about the specifics of any of this inter-fandom drama, but Lana Del Rey’s going off last year on the NPR critic who wrote glowingly about her music but also said she had a “persona” soured me on her permanently. She DOES have a persona. That’s not bad, it’s just a fact.
What Lana is saying about her critics is somewhat valid. People have criticized her lyrics for seeming to glamorize abuse and addiction (which I disagree with, and I don’t think is fair of them to say about her music). But couching that statement in a comparison to so many artists who are women of color, was dumb and undermined her point. They all face criticism too, more than she does, for all kinds of things. They also have to deal with racism within the music industry and Lana doesn’t.
I’m not a fan by any means, but I recall her making several statements over the years that have left me scratching my head in confusion. I can’t even be mad about this one.
To quote Twitter…”Is this Lana Del Rey thing just last week but without the recipes?”
HAHAHAHA. YUP!
Wait, I like her music but don’t follow her personal life. She says she’s still paying Native American foundations. Is this a consequence of her wearing a headdress in the Ride video or did she do something else?
This is the messiest, most confusing statement, what did those seven women do to you? I am not a giant fan of any of them but seriously? Are they really the problem?
It is also super passive-aggressive, self-centered, and self-aggrandizing. No one hates you (Am I missing some big hating Lana movement here?), you’ve had an incredible career, stop worrying about maybe a few minor critiques.
Saw all the smoke on Twitter and thought will sit this one out because the stans will more than represent. These women, who are successful in their own right, are really up in their subconscious and letting it all spill out. Wish everyone would go back to baking and leaving their innermost wretched thoughts to themselves.
She should really be calling out all the classic country artists who stole her vibe decades ago.
All this music is awful anyway. Lana is a terrible singer, remember SNL, so I don’t care😄
Sounds like white woman tears to me. I’m annoyed with her use of “for the culture” followed with her shading a bunch of Black women. Lana can have several seats
She is annoying as heck.
Lana is really dumb, this statement was so foolish. Why call out female artists at all, let alone black women? She is not the first woman to write about those topics, nor is she the only one who has received criticism for her music. Girl needs to pull her head right out of her ass. Sounds like sour grapes to me!
I don’t think these women came up with anything as artless, gross and disturbing as “Cola”. If glamourising abuse in relationships in that Pedo Hollywierd setting while trying to ape the insidiousness of David Lynch’s ‘Twin Peaks’ /‘Lost Highway’ works for her then…
Apparently Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande, and Doja Cat didn’t mind what she had to say because they liked her comment on instagram.
They actually didn’t; someone just posted photoshopped screenshots to make it look that way.
They’re all laughing at the reactions together, on a live.
So we’re angry at the chef for focusing her comments on two Asian women, but we’re good with Lana calling out a full list of POC (minus Ariana)? I don’t get it.
Lana got the blowback she desperately wanted by listing mostly WOC the exception of one name (a tactic well recognized for what it is). To cloak her phrases in the guise as woe is me and say those women built careers on sexualization is disgusting. To say those artists bring sex but she’s tackling issues near and dear to her life…girl bye. Who the fudge is she? She had some hits in 2013 and dates a cop but wants to dis the longevity of black female artists like Beyonce. Nah forget her head and the neck it rode in on 😒. Kinfolk Kollective’s FB post on the issue did a great job highlighting black voices on the issue.