From smoking a cigarette far too young, to wearing thick eyeliner and fawning over older men, Lana del Rey has long been a cultural foundation for both the ‘It and alt-girl.’
She’s influenced every major pop artist on today’s charts, collaborated with icons such as Stevie Nicks and Taylor Swift, and blurred the lines of what it means to make music of a particular genre. She has collaborations with hip-hop artists like Quavo and The Weeknd, and has covered country songs and embraced Americana traditions. Despite the brilliant and still underappreciated music Del Rey makes (let us not forget that she has never won a Grammy), it’s her unpredictable and slightly messy life which seems to draw so many headlines. Only two weeks ago the internet went wild after news broke that Del Rey had married alligator tour guide, Jeremy Dufrene. Tiktoks were flooded with comments saying “this is so Lana Del Rey coded” as after all the pair had only confirmed their relationship a month ago. And yet it really only touches the surface of the crazy moments that have emerged during her career.
Perhaps it’s best to start at the beginning of Del Rey’s career where she admitted to being part of a cult. Ran by a guru as part of an underground sect in New York, it was an experience which informed the making of her album, Ultraviolence, and inspired lyrics to the titular track and Cruel World. Originally born Elizabeth Grant, when Del Rey began to make music she adopted the iconic stage name. However, originally it had a slightly different spelling as Rey was spelt with an ‘a’ rather than the now iconic ‘e’. The change was made to create a more ‘LA aesthetic’ and celebrate her transformation away from her New York upbringing and adventures.
The musician’s time in a cult hasn’t been the only strange relationship she’s recently found herself in. A photo posted by her then boyfriend went viral as it showed them outside the county jail he had previously been incarcerated in. The Cook County Jail of Illinois was paid a ‘family visit’ by Del Rey and Jack Donoghue, who’s a member of the electronic house band S4LEM. Another odd relationship was with James Franco, who seemed to be obsessed with her, writing a book which was never published called ‘Real and imaginary conversations with Lana Del Rey.’
Lana Del Rey may be a multi-millionaire but she will still happily work a day in hospitality, just as she did in 2023 when she picked up a shift at a ‘Waffle House’ in Alabama. Selfies of the singer with fans and locals spread quickly, with her makeshift name tag ‘L- A – N – A’ haphazardly drawn. After staff began to recognise her, they offered her a uniform and she began to serve cokes to regulars and even sang Amazing Grace.
Lastly, there’s nothing quite as iconic as how Del Rey has gotten back at her exes. To promote her latest album: Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Boulevard? The musician only used one billboard to advertise a huge photo of her in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the hometown of her police officer ex. This wasn’t the only thing she did to get back at him, as when she performed the festival circuit, the single Chemtrails over the Country Club was a permanent part of the setlist, with a different lyric change each time to call out her ex. Some of the most iconic would have to be “He’s born in December and he got married when we were still together” or perhaps “He got married while we were in couple’s therapy together”.
As just a brief overview of Lana Del Rey’s most iconic moments, this list barely touches on her cultural criticism, odd relationship with fellow artists like Courtney Love or her affinity for wearing Shein dresses on red carpets. If there’s one thing we expect from musicians today, it’s to be entertained. And who can deny that Lana Del Rey never disappoints.