Today's Evil Beet Gossip

Lana Del Rey is not a caricature

lana del rey

Lana Del Rey is kinda nuts, to the point where people are wondering if this whole thing is not just Elizabeth Grant (her real name) playing a character called Lana Del Rey. Not so, says Lana – she’s who she’s meant to be and she doesn’t do anything with anyone else in mind.

From NPR:

Not everybody has thought it’s a good idea to have lines like “He hit me and it felt a kiss.”

Definitely. But that’s been the theme of my career. The thing about me is, coming from an alternative music background and singing for nine years, being basically invisible, I’m so used to writing for myself — and at the end of the day, I do it because I feel like I have to. So when I’m recording or writing, I don’t have other people in mind. It’s not always comfortable for me, but I don’t not say what I want to.

Is Lana Del Rey a character played by Elizabeth Grant?

No. Lana Del Rey is exactly who she’s supposed to be: Free enough to be her own person, and that’s exactly who I am. I’m not like a persona. I’m not a caricature of myself.

She spends time in the interview discussing her thoughts on “surrendering” to men, as well (it’s an idea she’s “not uncomfortable” with), which is interesting but seems a bit like bullshit to me.

I don’t know – I listened to Ultraviolence… or shall I say, I tried to listen to Ultraviolence and then nearly fell asleep by the end of the first song. It’s all just TOO maudlin for me, too over-the-top. I could tolerate the first album and even liked a lot of it, but I’ve heard enough about California, booze, pick-up trucks, lipstick and blue jeans to last me a lifetime. Is it a grower?

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  • the “he hit me & it felt like a kiss” line is from a Carol King song that Courtney Love made famous again in the 90’s. I love the new LDR album. But there are a lot of musical references that I’ve heard before. It’s just like what everyone always says about her music, it’s old mixed with new and it sounds beautiful. I think that she is a caricature of herself. She’s an artist and she’s selling albums. Almost every artist in this industry is selling something about themselves. But she’s still the one writing her own songs and singing them and bringing them to life so in that sense it probably is authentic to her.

  • I like her new album but as always with her music it takes time and the right atmosphere. Definitley no everyday music but still great.

    • Try ‘money power glory’ and ‘fucked my way up to the top’, my personal favorites so far.

      • Eggactly. Is she admitting she literally ‘fucked’ her way to the top? anyone know if this exists? Maybe it was her alter ego that made it. ;D