The voice, the fierce attitude, the ever-growing confidence, the disarming charm, the burning sensuality, the dramatic flair, the subtle touches of humor here and there, and the raw emotions.... this girl deserves more recognotion. I'm so sick and tired of people who keep bashing for all sorts of reasons.
The most frustrating thing is those who attack and judge her because she's had a little work done on her face. So fucking what about it? It's her own damn face, she can do what she wants to it. The way some people talk, you could swear she's guilty of murdering a bunch of innocent children or boiling baby rabbits!
Sure, she looks more beautiful now and she's more attractive. But in this business, a pretty face is not enough to succeed and establish yourself anymore. You need true talent and skills. And Lana's got them in spades. Her success is not based on her physical appearance. Have her detractors and critiques ever heard her sing live? There are moments when she litterally makes my heart beat faster or skip a beat when she produces certain notes or with the way she pronounces certain words.
Yep! The most annoying thing for me is when she's called manufactured, like some label exec created "Lana Del Rey". All you have to do is listen to this super early album to see that the themes LDR would bring to the fore in later years was already there; she was already starting to explore themes of being drawn to bad boys, criminal life, etc. And obviously there was no label exec behind May Jailer telling her to write about these things. It's all her. And it feels very honest.
Beyond that, it's not like every other pop singer doesn't streamline their approach and develop a "character" to a certain degree. The all do it! I don't get why LDR is the one who's called out for it. Ugh. There are certain other big stars right now who I won't name who reinvented their image, got plastic surgery (much more invasive than anything LDR has had done), spew constant ridiculousness in interviews that's downright cringeworthy, with music that's more concerned with exploiting their fanbase than actually expressing who they are. They also rip off true legends, the greats, such as, oh I don't know, Madonna, Bowie, Grace Jones, to name a few. Why don't they get the scrutiny that LDR does? Double standards, eh?
To me LDR is 100% the real deal. Aside from her pure, raw talent, her songwriting is to me very honest and confessional. What's cool, though, and what I think throws so many people off, is that her perspective within her songs and her writing style is very elliptical. You have to have some imagination and understanding of symbolism for it to really "click" with you. You also should look at many of her songs as character pieces that aren't completely her, but parts of herself that she chooses to present in a heightened, dramatic fashion. Then her songs make perfect sense and are in fact quite confessional. Again, basically every singer, pop or otherwise, does this. It's a natural aspect of songwriting and storytelling.
All of which is to say I totally agree, Tristan. She's such a unique talent -- exactly what pop needs right now. People need to lay the fuck off all the stupid shit they focus on with her and look at the music. It ain't that hard to do.
Sidenote: I would be totally happy if her next album was a combo of Sirens-like acoustic ballads mixed with the slow-burn sensuality of Yayo. When she was first talking about the next album it sounded like that was what she was gonna go for. But lately she's changed her tune and the new album seems to have been put on the back burner (Noooo :( ). It's really unfortunate; Black Beauty was part of those early sessions and that song is just too perfect. Really I just need new LDR in my life. But hey Tropico looks pretty wicked even if the songs aren't new. And at least all three songs being used are among my favorites.
The voice, the fierce attitude, the ever-growing confidence, the disarming charm, the burning sensuality, the dramatic flair, the subtle touches of humor here and there, and the raw emotions.... this girl deserves more recognotion. I'm so sick and tired of people who keep bashing for all sorts of reasons.
ReplyDeleteThe most frustrating thing is those who attack and judge her because she's had a little work done on her face. So fucking what about it? It's her own damn face, she can do what she wants to it. The way some people talk, you could swear she's guilty of murdering a bunch of innocent children or boiling baby rabbits!
Sure, she looks more beautiful now and she's more attractive. But in this business, a pretty face is not enough to succeed and establish yourself anymore. You need true talent and skills. And Lana's got them in spades. Her success is not based on her physical appearance. Have her detractors and critiques ever heard her sing live? There are moments when she litterally makes my heart beat faster or skip a beat when she produces certain notes or with the way she pronounces certain words.
Yep! The most annoying thing for me is when she's called manufactured, like some label exec created "Lana Del Rey". All you have to do is listen to this super early album to see that the themes LDR would bring to the fore in later years was already there; she was already starting to explore themes of being drawn to bad boys, criminal life, etc. And obviously there was no label exec behind May Jailer telling her to write about these things. It's all her. And it feels very honest.
DeleteBeyond that, it's not like every other pop singer doesn't streamline their approach and develop a "character" to a certain degree. The all do it! I don't get why LDR is the one who's called out for it. Ugh. There are certain other big stars right now who I won't name who reinvented their image, got plastic surgery (much more invasive than anything LDR has had done), spew constant ridiculousness in interviews that's downright cringeworthy, with music that's more concerned with exploiting their fanbase than actually expressing who they are. They also rip off true legends, the greats, such as, oh I don't know, Madonna, Bowie, Grace Jones, to name a few. Why don't they get the scrutiny that LDR does? Double standards, eh?
To me LDR is 100% the real deal. Aside from her pure, raw talent, her songwriting is to me very honest and confessional. What's cool, though, and what I think throws so many people off, is that her perspective within her songs and her writing style is very elliptical. You have to have some imagination and understanding of symbolism for it to really "click" with you. You also should look at many of her songs as character pieces that aren't completely her, but parts of herself that she chooses to present in a heightened, dramatic fashion. Then her songs make perfect sense and are in fact quite confessional. Again, basically every singer, pop or otherwise, does this. It's a natural aspect of songwriting and storytelling.
All of which is to say I totally agree, Tristan. She's such a unique talent -- exactly what pop needs right now. People need to lay the fuck off all the stupid shit they focus on with her and look at the music. It ain't that hard to do.
Sidenote: I would be totally happy if her next album was a combo of Sirens-like acoustic ballads mixed with the slow-burn sensuality of Yayo. When she was first talking about the next album it sounded like that was what she was gonna go for. But lately she's changed her tune and the new album seems to have been put on the back burner (Noooo :( ). It's really unfortunate; Black Beauty was part of those early sessions and that song is just too perfect. Really I just need new LDR in my life. But hey Tropico looks pretty wicked even if the songs aren't new. And at least all three songs being used are among my favorites.