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Lana Del Rey is an American singer born in 1985 in New York. She became famous thanks to her album "Born to Die" which became top charts in 2012.

Exploring melancholic themes such as true love, languor of the past, drugs and abuses ; Lana Del Rey also built her persona around a submissive and fragile femininity fundamentally rooted in America's old ways.

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This article explores in depth how Lana Del Rey build her persona in a post-feminist society filled with contradictions.

Lana appears to be another side of the coin, completely opposite to Madonna's rhetoric about neoliberal female empowerment, she aspires to be "unpowered", singing her unconditional love for terrible men and the suffering it causes her.

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"Del Rey herself said she admires Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse—one committed suicide, and the other sang about refusing to go to rehab then OD’d”

Lana does not hide her clinical depression, however the public is still wondering if she meant her regulars "death wishes" in her song but also in her interviews. While some considers the act of suicide as a total lost of hope, others argue that there is a strong sense of selfishness in Lana's rhetoric. As if to claim control of one's existence, one is entitled to end it themselves.

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Musician Lana Del Rey’s death fantasies indicate a more widespread infection of ego-centric secular humanism in the popular culture we all share.

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"Her face is a math equation that he has yet to solve..."

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As some videos became viral for mocking Lana Del Rey, some others became trendy by glorifying the artist, mostly on TikTok under hashtags such as #lanacult.

"The cult is dedicated to singer Lana Del Rey, an American singer-songwriter popular for her cinematic music that explores big themes such tragic romance and sadness" as explained Ellissa Bain in her article on February 2021 for the online tabloid HITC.

To join this trend, fans only had to put as profile picture this image of Lana's face in front of an explosion, and that's all.

The #lanacult has now been viewed 1.3 billions times on TikTok and fans try to revive the movement by promoting new pictures of their idol for 2023 with the #lanacult2023.

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Lana's fascination with the past is also reflecting on her fan base. During the pandemic, the singer gained some weight. However, a lot of fans still used pictures from her twenties, completely veiling her new appearance, sometimes even shaming her for it.

Rumors of a supposed anorexia have then been brought up - some found hints in her songs, as she struggled with drugs addiction.

In 2023, Lana outed a new album and started a tour where she appeared slimmer - still curvy compared to her past, but comfortable in her own skin, ignoring critics.

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Coquette aesthetic and glorification of ED

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Coquette aesthetic and glorification of ED

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Coquette is a hyper feminine aesthetic originally created on Tumblr that blew up mainly on TikTok. Lana Del Rey is the biggest inspiration for this whole movement that includes sub aesthetics such as dollette, vintage americana, ballet core and so on.

Coquette core is all about soft colours, pink, white and red, vintage fashion revolving around pearls, classic old Hollywood, blouses, Mary Janes, loafers, skirts, tights, heart shapes etc.

This video essay tackles all topics related to coquette aesthetic, from its shallow parent the nymphet movement on Tumblr, to girl blogging and the way coquette can be used to fits certain agendas.

SaoirseMay insist on the idea that the girly and childish themes embraced by the aesthetic are only sexualized because of the male gaze, and it's this patriarchal point of view that is sometimes used to brainwash coquettes into outdated gender roles.

The YouTuber also deplores the lack of body representation in this movement with very few POC and non-skinny people. Some blogs reuse the coquette aesthetic to promote eating disorder behaviours to maintain an almost malnourished figure (comparable to the heroin chic aesthetic held by Kate Moss in the 90's).

The idea that coquette is whitewashed feminity that only focus on staying young and frail is the reason for most of the coquette backlash. It goes against the core idea of coquette which was to re embrace traditionally feminine aesthetics as a form of empowerment.

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All about coquette (and the dark sides of the aesthetic) // video essay

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Lana Del Rey - before and after plastic surgery

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Lana Del Rey - before and after plastic surgery

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Lana Del Rey at The 2023 Billboard Women In Music Held At The Youtube Theater - March 2023

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Americana core or the Lana's American Dream

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Americana core or the Lana's American Dream

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Lana Del Rey often sings about the USA, and more precisely the East Coast (even though she's born in Manhattan).

In her early career she romanticized fashion and aesthetics from the 50-60's, but also added a melancholic tone to the so-called "American Dream".

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A changing trajectory since Norman F**ing Rockwell

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A changing trajectory since Norman F**ing Rockwell

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Lana Del Rey's persona evolved as her career matured.

“I’m as different as I am the same, which is hugely different and hugely the same, in a creative aspect.” – Lana del Rey

The singer also started giving her opinion on political matters, mostly since Trump's 2016 election.

"Trump becoming our President was a loss for the country and your support of him is a loss for the culture” she wrote under Kanye West Instagram post in October 2019

While dreaming of old aesthetics, Lana Del Rey do not share "old values" like gun-owning, and described herself as "happy" under Obama's presidency.

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Waiting to meet Lana Del Rey is like waiting to spot a unicorn. Before she arrives at her management's office - a gorgeous Hollywood house on the cusp of Laurel Canyon that feels exactly like the kind of place she might inhabit, with rich green vines lining its cream exteriors and Grecian pillars - it feels like waiting for a mythical figure to materialise. It wouldn't be a shock to glance outside and see her lounging by the azure swimming pool, just like one of the starlets she sings of. And as our scheduled interview time creeps back later and later, the anticipation grows ever stronger.

People have an image of Del Rey that's almost a caricature; someone blue and untouchable, a depressed icon who belongs in another time. But in reality things couldn't be more different. Maybe it's a California thing, but Lana has a disarmingly relaxed manner. She looks like she's come straight from the beach, her golden brown hair crinkled into the kind of haphazard, voluminous waves you only get from dunking your head into the ocean.

She's late not because she's a superior being with no need for the concept of time, but because she's spent hours driving from northern San Diego where she lives "some of the time", to this house on the hill behind the Chateau Marmont, in the black pick-up truck that's parked in the driveway. As she settles on a dusky green couch, she clutches a chunky square vape covered in pink holographic plastic in one hand and a coffee in the other.

Happiness (or lack thereof) has been a constant theme in Lana's story, partially because sadness features so often in her songs. It's also because the world's obsession with figuring out her mental state always rears its head when she puts out something new. "Always. Always," she agrees with a little eye-roll. "But I can't be totally naïve and say, 'Why? Why do they [do that]?'"

And true to form, a week after we meet, fans are scouring new album ' Norman Fucking Rockwell! ' - named after the American illustrator and author who, like Lana, chronicled American culture in his work - for clues about her emotional wellbeing.

On the cover for her fifth album, 2017's ' Lust For Life', Lana sported a beaming smile and flowers in her hair. The world seemed stunned that she could possibly be happy now. In contrast, the sleeve for 'Norman Fucking Rockwell!' is a little more urgent. Del Rey is on a boat with one arm around Jack Nicholson's grandson Duke, the other outstretched to the camera. In the distance, you can see dozens of fires lighting up California and covering it in thick smoke. It's as if she's trying to pull you on board and steer you to safety with them.

Being labelled a 'sad girl' isn't something that really bothers Lana though. "Honestly, now I think it's funny," she says, gazing out of the French doors. "I'm not just one thing. I'm not cheerful all the time. But being able to express my sadness sometimes makes me actually more cheerful than some people I know, because I gave myself permission to have a lot of colours."

You could read the public response to her unsmiling face in the videos for the likes of 'Video Games' as a telling insight into people's expectations of women. The commentary on her perceived mood is the pop star equivalent of men thinking it's okay to tell women they don't know to smile. Del Rey says it isn't as cut and dry as that. "That's some of it, but women were also quite tough on me," she says. "Again, I think that tells more about themselves - [women are] tough on themselves."

Del Rey isn't the only modern artist to be painted as this perpetually glum figure because of the melancholy that lives in their music. If she was considered the prom queen of sadness, James Blake would likely have been named king. Last year, he dismissed the "sad boy" label appointed to him, calling the phrase "unhealthy and problematic" and damaging to the discourse around male mental health. Del Rey feels similar about the tag being thrust upon her. "I really never felt like much of what people said about me resonated with how I felt at my core," she says. "I thought it was cool that I was just in my process and, at some point, I'd probably get to some kind of plateau where the sound would round out and it would grow into another thing. It was a little nerve-wracking having people want me to be one way forever but, I mean, it's a life. There's a life in there and that's ever-evolving and definitely for the better."

These days, Del Rey spends a lot of time on the road, orbiting around LA as she escapes to either the north or the south, but always returning back to the city. Being behind the wheel so much played a big part in shaping 'Norman Fucking Rockwell!', released last week, and its lyrics are dotted with geographical locations like pins being pushed into a map. Each marks out tales lived at each spot - Laurel Canyon, Venice, Santa Ana, Topanga, Malibu, Long Beach, Newport, Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood and Vine, the PCH, and the 405 freeway. On Instagram recently, she showed off a necklace she'd made in Beverly Hills, a gold bar stamped with "wild at heart" on the back and the coordinates of LA on the front. This born-and-raised New Yorker has done what New Yorkers often swear they'll never do - given her heart over to the Golden State.

"It's just my favourite place," Del Rey says, exhaling a cloud of vape smoke. "There's lots of space to figure everything out. San Fran is pretty different - Jesus, things are so calm for me in San Francisco now. It's such an interesting, quiet way of being."

One song on 'Norman Fucking Rockwell!' might make you think west coast life isn't the cure-all people make it out to be though. On 'Fuck It, I Love You', she sighs, " I moved to California but it's just a state of mind/Turns out everywhere you go, you take yourself/That's not a lie, " as if expectations of a mental glow-up post-relocation were not met. Instead, she describes it as her "most dishonest song", sung as if it's about herself when it's actually about a friend.

"If I'd been super honest in that song, I would have just been like, 'California is more than just a state of mind. It's all fucking amazing,'" she says, although she does concede it took some work to feel that way. "If you're moving to a major city, it's going to take a few years. Double down on your efforts to make friends because they ain't coming to you. You've got to sniff them out like a little bloodhound. It's tough, but I do actually love it here."

Her face suggests she's felt that struggle herself but she says she's good with her "little handful of girlfriends". They travel around the state together and serve as a sounding board for Del Rey when she's working on music. "[On this album], I would play them stuff and seeing how much they liked it made me feel really confident that it was good," she says.

Some of the other friends Del Rey has made out in LA include The Last Shadow Puppets. She's been seen in videos at karaoke bars with Miles Kane and Alex Turner, her and Kane belting out Elton John's 'Tiny Dancer' as the Arctic Monkeys frontman dances between them. Some of the peripheral members in that band (Zach Dawes, Loren Humphrey, and Tyler Parkford) feature on 'Norman Fucking Rockwell!''s 'California'. "We had a little rock band on the side," she explains. "It kind of didn't go anywhere but we had a good time."

Then she casually slips into conversation that the group, which also included Kane, made a whole album together. "It's never..." she begins when asked when we can hear it. "We were very messy! But it's cool 'California' made it on there - I feel like it's a little piece of our friendship band."

Her own record features the witchy groove of 'Doin' Time', a tribute to iconic Long Beach ska punks Sublime, whose frontman Bradley Nowell shared a similar predilection as Del Rey for writing about California and its seedier side. Although she loves them now, she says they weren't a big band for her growing up. Nowell died from a heroin overdose in 1996 when she was 10, and it took her another 10 years to discover them for herself.

"I didn't really know cool music until I was a little older," she laughs. "I think their song 'Santeria' was the first song I heard, I definitely listened to that at some college parties just feeling very sexy. They were such a one of a kind band. There's some really cool stories about them around here, like how they were asked to headline a bunch of major festivals and didn't show up because they were sleeping."

You might expect Del Rey to be making her own legends in her downtime but her life, she insists, is pretty regular - a healthy mix of creativity and friend time. There's the driving ("a lot of driving," she says), the game nights with her friends, the trips to the dog park with her photographer and director sister Chuck Grant, the poetry writing, the swimming, and filming the things she sees as she flits between LA, San Diego, San Francisco, and other communities along the coast.

"I'm a big chronicler," she explains. "I spend a lot of time just capturing stuff, even on the phone. When the wildfires were happening [in 2018] I wanted to get up in a plane and see it and film it." As if to pre-emptively reinforce her point, a day earlier she posted a candid video on her Instagram of a conversation about aliens taking place on a green-lit boat.

Del Rey has never been one to shy away from telling the world how she feels, be it in her songs, interviews, or on social media. Last year, she got into a brief Twitter feud with rapper Azealia Banks, during which she tweeted the iconic come-and-have-a-go-if-you-think-you're-hard-enough line: "U know the addy. Pull up anytime." Banks never showed. And before that, there was the incident that sparked said beef - Del Rey's stance on the way Kanye West was advocating for President Donald Trump.

"Trump becoming our President was a loss for the country and your support of him is a loss for the culture," she wrote in a comment under one of the rapper's Instagram posts last October. On new song 'The Greatest', she alludes to those words in the lines " I'm facing the greatest/The greatest loss of them all/The culture is lit and if this is it I've had a ball." Later, she mentions West directly as she sings: "Kanye West is blond and gone."

"I didn't want to," she says now of stepping into that moment. "I didn't like that I pressed enter. His commentary felt so bold and reckless and self-assured, and it was talking about somebody - the President - who has engendered a lot of hatred within the culture. I feel like there's a carelessness there to not see that there's been an increase of meanness [spread] around by certain supporters."

As she talks about the moment, she doesn't seem like she's fully worked out how she feels about being entangled in that conversation. "I don't regret doing it," she asserts, "but it isn't easy. I don't really know. It was how I felt but, you know, whatever." That might sound flippant but there's a passion to her words on Instagram and in her eyes now that suggests she only spoke out because she really cares.

The 34-year-old musician performed at West's wedding to Kim Kardashian in 2014 but when asked if she was close to him before speaking out, she replies: "I'd say to us who came after, he was so important. And so there's that. But I just liked him." Has she seen or spoken to him since? She breaks off eye contact and looks out of the window again, flipping through her last 10 months of memories. "Nooo..?" she answers, drawing out the word, a wry smile forming on her lips as she does.

Politics is something Del Rey has only recently become more outspoken about. Pre-'Lust For Life' she was often criticised for not talking about important things in the world. "People were pissed before when I didn't say anything," she says, before offering up her justifications for being focused on other subjects. "We didn't have Trump as President before. There was less to say. I grew up with Obama and we were happy in New York. We were really, really happy with everything. That's what I think people miss. We had gotten to a point where we could focus on the music and the arts. It was great."

On 'Coachella - Woodstock In My Mind' from 'Lust For Life' she wrote of attending Coachella as tensions between the US and North Korea mounted, and on 'When The World Was At War We Kept Dancing' asked if Trump's presidency meant the end of America. Both songs signalled a shift in her songwriting. But 'Norman Fucking Rockwell!' doesn't keep it up, with politics only briefly appearing via the final verse of 'The Greatest'.

Three weeks before the record's release, though, a surprise new song appeared online. 'Looking For America' followed two back-to-back mass shootings: one in El Paso, Texas and another in Dayton, Ohio, in which a total of 32 people were killed. On it, over barely-there fingerpicked guitar, she sings, " I'm still looking for my own version of America/One without the gun, where the flag can freely fly/No bombs in the sky, only fireworks where you and I collide. "

Del Rey says it was these two particular shootings out of the many that take place in America on a regular basis (according to non-profit group Gun Violence Archive, there have been 283 mass shootings in the US in 2019 as of September 1) that made her write this song, because of how strongly people reacted.

"The country was extremely heartbroken and terrified that within 24 hours we would have such big mass shootings," she says. "I was getting phone calls from people I wouldn't expect and people crying - really strong, normal people. Everyone's just really nervous about taking the family to the next parade. It sounds cliché, but it's not a joke. It was just the time [to say something]."

When pop stars start to wade in on politics, especially on subjects like gun control, they're often told to stick to music. Suggest she might have faced any backlash for her steps into that field and she scrunches up her face. "I didn't hear so much negative stuff after I wrote the songs," she says. "What I learned was people like it." Maybe she's right - the comments on the YouTube version of 'Looking For America' are mostly positive, save for a few that say things like: "This isn't Lana singing and she would probably be appalled at the idea of her own voice denouncing the Second Amendment."

Looking ahead to the 2020 Presidential election next Autumn, the key issue that needs to be tackled, in Del Rey's view, is mental health. "The thing about 'Looking For America' is it's not just about the citizens' right to bear arms," she explains. "I get that. It's people not being able to pull out and look at the broad picture and be like, 'It starts with this'. There's no addressing of mental health. Yes, there's the gun, but it doesn't mean that just anyone should be allowed to get one."

Right now, she's not sure who she thinks would be best to tackle that concern while challenging Trump next year but she's "listening to everybody". "Anyone would be better," she adds with a dry laugh.

For Del Rey, the dramatic events unfurling over the last year or so - the historic wildfires, the Hawaii nuclear bomb scare caused by an erroneous warning message - mirror what we're putting out into the world. "The President is a reflection of the culture, the culture is a reflection of our relationship with ourselves and, of course, nature is our great reflector and equaliser," she says. "Maybe that's a bit metaphorical but it's probably no coincidence that it's raining fire everywhere. I read a caption about the Amazon that said the lungs of our world are burning. It makes me wonder what's our heart?"

Ever since she broke through with the elegantly downcast 'Video Games', Del Rey has been an outlier in the pop world, keeping herself sonically separate from her peers. It's surprising, then, that on 'Norman Fucking Rockwell!' she chose to work with Jack Antonoff, frontman of Bleachers and pop producer du jour who's worked with Lorde, Taylor Swift, Carly Rae Jepsen, Sia and Pink. While he doesn't overshadow the women he works with, there's a definite Jack Antonoff pop sound - a shimmery kind of deceptive euphoria - that weaves its way through most records he's involved in. If Del Rey had already carved out her own, very specific space in culture, how would teaming up with someone with an equally distinct but very opposite oeuvre work?

"Jack very much takes my lead - I don't know how it is with him with other people, but he liked for me to know where I was going," she says. The two met at a party and it was him who extended that invite to work together. "He asked me if I wanted to come over to his studio in New York and I told him I didn't have anything to write," she explains, but he insisted that they could do something together if she just gave him a couple of hours. The way she tells the story makes it seem like she was fairly nonchalant about his offer at the time, but she accepted anyway and was surprised by what she found. "His sensibility is a little more traditional and acoustic than I thought it was. That was really good because some of my songs in my journals were already eight minutes and I didn't want to condense anything. He'd like, 'Ten minutes?! Alright!' He's like a little comedian."

That desire to make sprawling epics, like the near-10 minute 'Venice Bitch', are a world away from the songs that featured on Del Rey's debut album. Not 'Born To Die, but the one before - the one that saw her moniker spelt 'Lana Del Ray' and was pulled from sale after three months because, according to the singer, the label she released it with couldn't afford to fund it (the songs are easy to find on YouTube). Whether it was widely available or not, that record - with its Nancy Sinatra drama and weird experimental ticks - was the start of all of this for her and the beginning of a whole lot of change.

That record will celebrate its 10th anniversary next January. "Wow!" she says when reminded of that, then takes a second to take stock of what's changed between then and now. "I'm as different as I am the same," she concludes. "Which is hugely different and hugely the same, in a creative aspect. I sang before I spoke so singing is a real calling for me, but the rest of my life is like... sheesh. I'm surprised by how much it changes all the time."

For someone so heavily linked with the rose-tinted lure of nostalgia, it might surprise you that the past is not where Del Rey's mind naturally resides. Instead, it's the future that she says she often dwells on. "I have to exhaust myself to be super present," she explains. "If I know I have a show at the Hollywood Bowl, my mind is on that stage until I get there cos I want it to go well, and then I'm thinking about other random stuff. I have to do more than most people to stay in the present. I've gotta run."

In the immediate future, Del Rey has the first North American leg of her 'Norman Fucking Rockwell!' tour, a new album called ' White Hot Forever' already in the works, and the theme tune for the new Charlie's Angels reboot on the way. On the latter, she appears alongside Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus in what is a combination of icons most people wouldn't immediately put together. Grande and Cyrus might seem like a natural pairing, but Del Rey feels like she's from another world to them.

"Ariana and I met a while ago and we text now and then," she says. "She asked me to do it and I was like, 'Yeah, let me see if I can cook something up for your little bridge.' I love her record so it was easy to say yes."

The trio recorded their parts separately so the first time she met Cyrus was on set for the video, which she describes as "really funny and cool". "I wasn't nervous to meet her," Del Rey laughs, "but I didn't know she was such a bold character, just speaking her mind." She whispers that last part and clicks her fingers at the same time. "It was definitely different for me, but kind of fitting somehow."

Grande's name is one that crops up a few times during our conversation and is clearly someone Del Rey respects. When discussing the long flow of singles in the run-up to 'Norman Fucking Rockwell!', she credits Grande's "reactiveness" for making her feel "more comfortable putting things out as I wanted to and as they happened". Later, after having the " the culture is lit " line from 'The Greatest' recited back to her (she responds by repeating it in a voice that can only be described as valley girl on spring break), the pop star is one of two artists she cites by name as getting her approval (the other is Billie Eilish, someone who has done a similar thing to Del Rey and carved out her own inimitable cultural niche).

"Ariana's baseline energy is super interesting to me," she offers as one reason why she likes her. "She's really fast. There's not much time between a thought and a manifestation. There's something for me to learn there."

As for the rest of pop culture in 2019, Del Rey is mostly on board. The only other thing she singles out as something she's enjoying right now is "all the mumble rappers", whose number includes Lil Uzi Vert, Juice WRLD, and 21 Savage. "It feels sexy and authentic," she enthuses. "I'm into it. Personally, I've been waiting for a bunch of different people to flood in and they're all here. It's awesome."

As the Californian sun drifts behind the huge trees on the other side of the pool, a knock on the door tells us it's time to wrap it up. Interview over, Del Rey turns the tables, asking questions about freelance life as we gather our things. She seems weirdly interested, drawing parallels between my responses and advice she gives her sister. As we say goodbye, she flashes another big, warm smile, striking one final blow to the aloof persona that's constantly projected onto her. Lana Del Rey is not who you think she is - she's so much more.

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The Big Read - Lana Del Rey: "I give myself permission to have a lot of colours"

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'Norman Fucking Rockwell' blowing minds, she talks to NME about America's failings, forest fires, Donald Trump - and reasons to be cheerful.

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During her debut, Lana Del Rey have been accused of fake authenticity. This video essay debunk the singer's career from her messy teenage years, to the creation of the "Lana Del Rey" persona.

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Looking for America - a song for charity

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Looking for America - a song for charity

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"“Looking for America” is a song Lana wrote on August 5th, 2019 regarding the mass shootings throughout the US, once she got back to L.A. The message of the song relies upon Lana dreaming of a better situation for American people"

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"Looking for America" is a song Lana wrote on August 5th, 2019 regarding the mass shootings throughout the US, once she got back to L.A. The message of the song relies upon Lana dreaming of a better situation for American people, a topic she has sung before in tracks like "Coachella - Woodstock in My Mind" and "When The World Was at War We Kept Dancing." Del Rey released the song via streaming platforms on August 9th, 2019 as a single.

The title of the song might be a reference to "America" by Simon & Garfunkel:

They've all come to look for America

According to Pitchfork "all proceeds from the song will benefit the Gilroy Garlic Festival Victims Relief Fund, the El Paso Community Relief Fund and the Dayton Foundation. "

Del Rey took her Instagram to share a video of her singing in the studio with friend and producer Jack Antonoff.

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Looking For America Lyrics: Took a trip to San Francisco / All our friends said we would jive / Didn't work, so I left for Fresno / It was quite a scenic drive / Pulled over to watch the children in the park

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Norman F**ing Rockwell - released in 2019

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Norman F**ing Rockwell - released in 2019

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Lana poses on the cover with one arm around Jack Nicholson’s grandson Duke, trying to bring the spectator to safety on the boat with them - while a fire burn in the background.

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Lana is smiling on 2017 "Lust for Life" album cover

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Lana is smiling on 2017 "Lust for Life" album cover

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"Is Lana finally happy ?" was the question often asked by the medias.

Lana responded later by claiming that she have the right to show a larger range of emotions than just sadness, implying that the "sad melancholic girl" box she's been put in since her debut is now outdated.

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Ultraviolence - A song romanticizing domestic abuse ?

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Ultraviolence - A song romanticizing domestic abuse ?

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Released in 2014, the album "Ultraviolence" and its eponym song are massive hits, but they raise concerns among feminists. Is Lana Del Rey really serious when she sings "He hit me and it felt like a kiss" ?

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"I'm not glamourising abuse" - Lana defends herself in a 2020 BBC article

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"I'm not glamourising abuse" - Lana defends herself in a 2020 BBC article

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"Speaking to Pitchfork in 2017, she recoiled at the mention of the line "he hit me and it felt like a kiss", also from the track Ultraviolence.

"I don't like it. I don't sing that line any more," she said.

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Lana Del Rey has defended herself against accusations that her lyrics are anti-feminist.

Writing on Instagram, the star criticised "female writers" who have attacked her for "glamorising abuse".

She said her lyrics often talked about "the realities" of emotionally abusive relationships, and argued there should be a place for those topics in music.

"I've been honest about the challenging relationships I've had," she said. "That's just how it is for many women."

"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 has to be a place in feminism for women who look and act like me," she continued.

"The kind of woman who says no but men hear yes; the kind of women who are slated mercilessly for being their authentic, delicate selves; the kind of women who get their own stories and voices taken away from them by stronger women or by men who hate women."

Del Rey also called out double standards, noting that stars like Ariana Grande, Cardi B and Beyonce could sing about "being sexy, wearing no clothes [and] cheating" without facing criticism.

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Del Rey's lyrics have frequently addressed unhealthy relationships, and being seduced by controlling or foreboding characters.

Her break-out hit and signature song, Video Games, described a lover who was distant and dismissive, but for whom she professed undying love.

'Romanticising domestic abuse'

Later songs followed a similar theme. "My old man is a bad man," she sang on Off To The Races; while her boyfriend on Ultraviolence "used to call me DN - that stood for deadly nightshade, because I was filled with poison".

In recent years, the singer has distanced herself from some of her earlier lyrics, and even removed a song called Cola from her live show because of its references to a Harvey Weinstein-like figure.

Speaking to Pitchfork in 2017, she recoiled at the mention of the line "he hit me and it felt like a kiss", also from the track Ultraviolence.

"I don't like it. I don't sing that line any more," she said.

"Having someone be aggressive in a relationship was the only relationship I knew. I'm not going to say that that [lyric] was 100% true, but I do feel comfortable saying what I was used to was a difficult, tumultuous relationship, and it wasn't because of me. It didn't come from my end."

Nonetheless, accusations of glamorising abuse have continued to haunt the singer.

A typical criticism came from journalist Isbella Castillo, who wrote an essay saying Del Rey's music was " full of outdated, anti-feminist ideas".

"Whether it was her intention or not, romanticising domestic abuse is dangerous territory when you have an audience of young, impressionable listeners, or any listeners at all for that matter," she wrote.

Others took a more sympathetic view - with music critic Lindsay Zoladz arguing Del Rey's portrayal of a woman who stumbled, fell and picked herself up again was a more realistic alternative to "empowerment as the default aspiration of the pop star".

In her Instagram essay, Del Rey picked up this theme, insisting she was writing "about the realities of what we are all now seeing are very prevalent emotionally abusive relationships all over the world".

She added that her success had given other women the freedom not to sing about being happy," and to just be able to say whatever the hell they wanted to in their music - unlike my experience where, if I even expressed a note of sadness in my first two records, I was deemed literally hysterical as though it was literally the 1920s".

Closing her statement, the star said she'd be exploring these themes further in two forthcoming books of poetry; and announced a new album, due on 5 September.

That record will be the follow-up to 2019's Norman [Expletive] Rockwell, which was nominated for album of the year at the Grammys, and topped the BBC's " poll of polls" for the best-reviewed record of 2019.

Follow us on Facebook, or on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.

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Lana Del Rey: 'I'm not glamorising abuse'

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The star says she resents people implying her lyrics are anti-feminist.

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NME Interview 2012 - Lana Talks about her music and one of her first success "Video Games"

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NME Interview 2012 - Lana Talks about her music and one of her first success "Video Games"

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Musical inspirations from Nirvana, Eminem to Frank Sinatra ("the masters of every genre" she said)

In this short interview, Lana talks about the relationship that inspired her for her song "Video Games". Many fans are struck by the smoothing voice that she keeps, even while talking naturally.

@Em-kg7qn 8 years ago

"Whenever i can't sleep i put her interviews..her voice is sooo smoothing, if she ever has children she'll be the best story teller, lulluby singer"

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"Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd" - The ninth album released on March 2023

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"Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd" - The ninth album released on March 2023

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Many critics depict a "matured" Del Rey for the lyrics on this album.

In a review for NME, Rhian Daly's pointed out that Del Rey "steps into new lyrical territory" in the album, as well as "new sonic worlds", cementing Del Rey as one of modern music's "most intriguing" songwriters - source : Wikipedia

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An awkward start at SNL - the authenticity questioned since her debut

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An awkward start at SNL - the authenticity questioned since her debut

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In 2012, Lana is invited for the first time on SNL. This performance is known to be one of her worst, resulting in a lot of fans and journalists wondering if she could actually sing.

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In a recent article from September 2023, Lana Del Rey went back on her failed performance in 2012.

She explained that SNL offered her to go back on stage, but she stayed reticent.

"I didn’t know if it would be received well, but there’s a lot of weirdos out there now, so, we’re fine. We’re in good company" she said.

Lana admitted that she might one day do television again, but she will need to overcome shyness.

"Maybe now, even if I didn’t feel confident, I would do it anyway," she added, before seeming to hint that the SNL debacle harmed her courage: "But there was a reason not to feel confident."

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Ever since Lana Del Rey's infamously lackluster 2012 Saturday Night Live performance, she's rarely performed on television. Now, she's opening up about why.

In a new cover story interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Del Rey reflected on choosing to stay away from live TV performances after she received backlash for not sounding great while delivering renditions of " Blue Jeans" and " Video Games" on the hit variety series.

The 38-year-old singer-songwriter explained that she's received offers to return to the small screen after SNL but only accepted one - to sing "Let Me Love You Like a Woman" from her Chemtrails Over the Country Club album on The Tonight Show in 2020, which was not in front of a live audience due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Maybe [performing on TV is] something else I'll grow into more, like touring. And don't get me wrong. I toured for nine years of my life. It was nonstop. It was tough. But you know in your heart when it's the right time. And it's never been the right time," Del Rey told the outlet.

"Maybe now, even if I didn't feel confident, I would do it anyway," she added, before seeming to hint that the SNL debacle harmed her courage: "But there was a reason not to feel confident."

Following her performance on SNL, the star was heavily criticized for her vocal abilities and even parodied in a later episode of the series.

Del Rey admitted she wasn't sure another live performance on TV would be embraced by viewers. "I didn't know if it would be received well," she said. "But there's a lot of weirdos out there now, so, we're fine. We're in good company."

The Grammy-nominated artist spoke about how the industry has changed since she came on the scene. "I started at a time when things were very much one way. Little by little, there's a lot more room for storytelling and saying different stuff," said Del Rey. "You're seeing a lot more good girl songwriters, too. Well, who am I to say that? I like a lot of the singers out right now."

Since May, Del Rey has been touring the world in support of her latest album, Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. Elsewhere in the THR interview, she spoke about preparing for shows and how it feels different today than previously in her career.

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"I get nervous. [But] this is a totally different tour," said Del Rey. "The stage production is bigger. There are more people on that stage with me, so I'm more comfortable. But even if it was just a one-off show and it was just me in the spotlight, I'd be much more equipped now."

She continued, "I have experience. I've toured just off of YouTube [music] since before I had an album. But right now, I'm excited. I don't feel nervous to tour."

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Lana Del Rey Explains Why She's Rarely Performed on TV Since Infamous 'SNL' Debacle: 'I Didn't Feel Confident'

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In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Lana Del Rey reflected on backlash she received after a lackluster 2012 performance of "Blue Jeans" and "Video Games" on 'Saturday Night Live.'

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Lana Del Rey seems uncomfortable with performing on TV

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Lana Del Rey seems uncomfortable with performing on TV

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In this extract, we can see that Lana Del Rey appears shy and anxious about her upcoming performance on SNL.

In the comments, many people defend her saying that she's by far a better performer in real life. It gives the impression that Lana's aura cannot be televised, it's too authentic for that.

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Lana Del Rey For MTV - About Her SNL Performance

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Critics of Lana lack of authenticity and "weird" persona.

"I'm stiff, distant and weird" claim the parodic Lana Del Rey

This parody shows how unwell was understood and received Lana's persona on mainstream television in 2012. The actress stressed the idea that Lana forces a fake "weirdness" and mysterious aura to her character.

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2023 perfomance at Hyde Park - fan video recording

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2023 perfomance at Hyde Park - fan video recording

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In this video we can see how the crowd knows all the lyrics by heart. Lana is smiling, she seems to have overcome her anxiety.

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Lana Del Rey Hyde park - opening, a&w, young and beautiful

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Lana had six relationship and is rumored to be fiancé to her seventh, Evan Winiker.

In a lot of her songs Lana talks about what happened in her love life, many fans tries to link each lyric to a face.

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Lana Del Rey is looking for her "equal" when it comes to finding a romantic partner.

While the Grammy-winning songstress has been fairly low-key about her dating life, she's still managed to make headlines with her relationships. Since her album Born to Die propelled her to fame in 2012, Del Rey has been linked to a number of creatives, from musicians to photographers.

Although Del Rey has said she doesn't have a type, she knows what she wants in a potential partner. She told Rolling Stone in 2014 that she thrives in intense relationships and has "an affinity for really good, strong, self-assured people." She may have found just that in her recent rumored partner Jack Donoghue, a member of the electronic music band Salem.

Del Rey has been linked to the musician since early 2022, although she's never confirmed the relationship herself. Since seemingly making things Instagram official in July 2022, the pair have kept quiet about their romance - but it seems that private is the way Del Rey prefers.

Here's a look back at Lana Del Rey's dating history.

In 2011, Del Rey began dating Scottish singer-songwriter Barrie-James O'Neill, who was a member of the band Kassidy at the time. The pair began writing music together and were spotted out together on several occasions.

"When I met my boyfriend ... we always say that the entire time we were writing for each other, but we didn't know it until we met each other," she told Just Jared in 2012. "So, you feel like even though you didn't know the person then all the songs are for them now."

In November 2012, Del Rey and O'Neill made their red carpet debut at the MTV Europe Music Awards. The couple continued dating through 2013, and when Del Rey began working on her album Ultraviolence early that year, she had O'Neill by her side. Del Rey explained to Radio.com that, in the early stages of writing, she worked with just a few people, including O'Neill and composer Daniel Heath.

In April 2013, Del Rey and O'Neill recorded a cover and an accompanying music video of Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood's song " Summer Wine." Shortly after, O'Neill's band joined Del Rey on the road, opening for the singer on her Paradise Tour. The couple even sparked engagement rumors when Del Rey was spotted with a diamond on her ring finger in early 2013, according to .

By 2014, the couple had gone their separate ways. "We are currently not together," she told German-language Swiss newspaper . "He is a wonderful person. But there are some things he has to deal with. I will not explain it in detail. This was hard on our relationship. I no longer felt free."

According to New Musical Express, O'Neill told the Scottish Sun that he wasn't aware that they had broken up until his cousin pointed him to a news story about their split. Despite the breakup, O'Neill understood her decision, admitting that it "probably wasn't easy" being with him as he was living with depression and insomnia.

"I had saved up a bit but I felt like a burden on Lana - as she was having to take care of me. And I don't like that, I like to provide for myself," he said.

Although the couple went their separate ways, they've remained on good terms. In 2021, O'Neill helped to write several songs on Del Rey's album Blue Banisters. He later released a song called " Riverside" that they had written and recorded during their relationship.

In July 2014, shortly after Del Rey's split from O'Neill, she was spotted in Italy with photographer Francesco Carrozzini in photos published by Just Jared. Del Rey and Carrozzini - who is the son of Vogue Italia's late editor-in-chief, Franca Sozzani - were also seen sharing some PDA while watching a World Cup game that day.

Although Del Rey didn't formally confirm their relationship, the pair continued to spend time together through the fall. In January 2015, they were spotted taking a romantic trip to St. Barts over the holidays in photos obtained by the Daily Mail. The couple was later seen spending time in Malibu, California that January. In August 2015, Del Rey and Carrozzini jetted to Italy to attend the wedding of Beatrice Borromeo and Pierre Casiraghi, reported .

The pair were last photographed together in September 2015 and reportedly went their separate ways that November.

Del Rey was first linked with rapper G-Eazy in April 2017 when they were reportedly spotted spending time together at Coachella. Then, less than a month later, the pair were photographed for the first time as they left a Hollywood nightclub together. The relationship didn't last long, as G-Eazy was reportedly dating his "Him & I" collaborator Halsey by the summer of 2017.

While neither Del Rey nor G-Eazy has spoken out about their fling, some fans speculated that the rapper dissed Del Rey in his 2020 song "Moana." According to magazine, G-Eazy seemed to imply that Del Rey tried to get back together with him: "I know a Keisha and I know Lana / They try to get me back, but I'm like, 'No, nah, nah' / I'm sorry, I don't want no drama, nah / That's a hard no, pass."

In September 2019, Del Rey was linked to real-life cop and Live PD analyst Sean "Sticks" Larkin. The pair were photographed spending time together as they took a stroll through New York City's Central Park. Larkin later said the pair "just kind of hit it off from day one."

Just a few months later, Del Rey confirmed their relationship, joking that she "would've worn something different" had she known she was being photographed with Larkin in the park. Later in the interview, when asked if she was concerned with the response to her dating a police officer, she shared that she felt Larkin was a "good cop" who was able to "see both sides of things."

In December, Del Rey and Larkin made their relationship Instagram official. In a snap shared to Del Rey's account, Larkin embraced the singer and gave her a kiss on the head. In January 2020, the couple stepped out for their red carpet debut at a pre-Grammys gala.

Over the next few months, they split their time between Los Angeles, where Del Rey lives, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he calls home. Del Rey even met his children, who Larkin admitted were "kind of blown away" by the relationship.

"When we were in Tulsa we hung out with my law enforcement friends and their spouses. We all Super Bowl partied together, dinners and things like that," Larkin recalled after their split. "Normal things couples do with their friends."

Unfortunately, their relationship didn't last much longer - by March 2020, they had split. In a profile for the New York Times, Larkin confirmed the breakup.

"Right now, we're just friends," he said. "We still talk and whatnot, we just have busy schedules right now."

Although Larkin had said the pair remained friendly after their split, Del Rey has led fans to believe otherwise. While promoting her album Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, which she announced on Larkin's birthday in December 2022, Del Rey arranged for a billboard advertising the album to be placed in Larkin's hometown.

"There's only one [billboard] and it's in Tulsa," she wrote on her private Instagram account, later adding in the comments, "It's. Personal."

Following Del Rey's split with Larkin in 2020, she was linked with musician Clayton Johnson. The pair began following each other on Instagram in August 2020; sources told PEOPLE that they met on a dating app.

Not long after, fans began to spot Del Rey in Johnson's Instagram posts, including a snap of the couple wearing matching Wizard of Oz costumes for Halloween. In the photo, Del Rey appeared to be wearing a diamond on her ring finger. She was seen wearing the ring again while performing on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon in December. While Del Rey didn't confirm any relationship news, sources told PEOPLE that the couple were engaged.

Later that month, Del Rey spent the holidays at Johnson's parents' farm in Modesto, California. Staying in the family's guest house, Del Rey later called the experience "pretty idyllic," sharing that during their time there, they had "a sweet little night singing all the old Disney and holiday songs." In February 2021, Johnson made things Instagram official by sharing a snap cozied up to Del Rey for his birthday.

The pair eventually went their separate ways, but it's unclear exactly when they split.

In early 2022, rumors began swirling that Del Rey was dating musician Jack Donoghue from the band Salem after he shared a since-deleted Instagram video of the pair at a monster truck race. In the video, Dey Rey even referred to Donoghue as "babe." In May, Del Rey appeared in photos taken at Donoghue's birthday party.

While neither Del Rey nor Donoghue has confirmed their relationship, they seemingly made things Instagram official in July 2022. Del Rey and Donoghue took photos in front of Chicago's Cook County Jail, which he captioned, "family visit." The photos have since been deleted.

Since then, the couple has kept their relationship low-key. In February 2023, a Del Rey fan account speculated that a bouquet of flowers that Del Rey received around Valentine's Day were a gift from Donoghue, as the bouquet was spotted on both of their Instagram Stories. "It's a love-hate thing," she captioned the photo, though the singer didn't specify what her Story was about.

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Lana Del Rey's Dating History: From Sean Larkin to Jack Donoghue

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Lana Del Rey has been linked to Sean Larkin, Barrie-James O'Neill and G-Eazy. Here's a look back at her past boyfriends and relationships.

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Article on People featuring the fiancé rumor

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Article on People featuring the fiancé rumor

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Who Is Lana Del Rey’s Rumored Fiancé? All About Evan Winiker

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Lana Del Rey and Evan Winiker were first linked in September 2022 and recently sparked engagement rumors. Here’s everything to know about the singer’s rumored fiancé

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@fjj3471

Her voice is BETTER without music

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This content creator makes a pie for damaged and aesthetic obsessed Lana Del Rey's fans.

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What food I’d make for you based on your favourite singer 🧑‍🍳 Part 5 #lanadelrey #asianfood #foodtok #foodtiktok

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The Lana Del Rey’s aesthetic - a playful meme 

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The Lana Del Rey’s aesthetic - a playful meme 