Lana Del Rey Slams Haters; Mentions Beyonce, Ariana Grande, and More

Alt pop singer-songwriter, Lana Del Rey, took to her Instagram to speak out against the modern-day critique of her lyricism and songwriting. Making it very clear where she stands, the singer holds no bars in a post that she has titled: ‘Question for the culture’. 

Lana Del Rey has long been described as the manic pixie dream girl of music. And while some audiences love and relate to her style of music, and have heralded her as one of the foremost female songwriters in the industry today, many have criticised her for “glamorising abuse”. 

Lana Del Rey made it big with songs like “Blue Jeans”, “Young and Beautiful” and “National Anthem”, carving a niche space for herself in commercial music defined by the melancholia, tragic romance and nostalgia reminiscent of the Americana sound. Throughout her career, she has been dragged for writing her truth and in her Instagram post earlier today, she’s finally laid it bare. 

Calling the names of her peers – Nicki Minaj, Camila Cabello, Doja Cat, Cardi  B, Beyonce and Kehlani among others, Lana Del Rey calls out the hypocrisy of pop music as it stands today, saying: “Now that (they’ve) had number ones with songs about being sexy, wearing no clothes, f**king, 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 glamorising abuse??????”. 

Referring to some of pop music’s biggest female stars, and songs like “My Oh My”, “Say So”, and “Side to Side”, Lana Del Rey points out that all the songs reaching No. 1 have to do with ideas of expression, just like hers. She further states: “Let this be clear, I’m not a feminist – but there has to be a place in feminism for women who look and act like me – 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.”

Ending the post on a positive note, Lana Del Rey has confirmed the news – her new album will release on the 5th of September. 

And while Lana Del Rey trends at No. 1 on Twitter, garnering attention for her words, many are raising their objections with the fact that she has labelled herself “not a feminist”. Comments against her point of privilege when remarking that she “has paved the way” have also surfaced.

In any case, we’ve all been warned against the narrowness and hypocrisy that threatens the voice of women world over. If modern-day critique is about facilitating all expression, this piece by Lana Del Rey has brought to light the facade of inclusivity in pop music today. 

By: Ahalya Narayanan