With white dresses and bows in our hair, my friends and I made an hour-and-a-half trek to Pennsylvania to see Lana Del Rey live.
The warm weather welcomed us to the outside pavilion, where 22,000 other fans had fought our way through ticket-selling websites to be there. It was a sea of people in heart-shaped sunglasses, flower crowns and wedding veils. The smell of cigarettes and marijuana filled the air, and I couldn’t be happier.
Lana Del Rey has been my longest relationship, as I’ve been listening to her since I was 13. I think hearing Summertime Sadness for the first time permanently altered my brain chemistry. Whether the effect was positive or negative is still up for debate.
As someone whose interests change like the seasons, I never could have pictured myself ten years later singing the same songs as I did in middle school. However, her music grew with me, and I found myself relating in a way I never had before.
As I looked around at the thousands of other fans with their custom-made Lana Del Rey American flags, I thought to myself, “What kind of hold does this person have on us?”
Lana Del Rey had a rocky rise to fame. She was pegged as being a moody singer who’s obsessed with death and unhealthy relationships. She’s found herself in numerous controversies over the years from her infamous Saturday Night Live performance, cultural appropriation and allegations of glamorizing domestic abuse. If I had to name a few.
While the “Video Games” singer has been the topic of many think pieces and you typically won’t hear her melancholy songs played on the radio, that hasn’t stopped her from building up a devoted fan base and taking over social media platforms such as Tumblr and TikTok.
So what is it about her that makes us want to overlook the controversies and sing about the crappy boyfriends we’ve never had?
Lana Del Rey has only ever been who she is. Many of her songs tell the story of a flawed female protagonist. Topics spanning from substance abuse, grappling with critics and getting tangled in unhealthy situations are common themes throughout her records. This is a woman who makes mistakes and is (sometimes) apologetic about it.
As an insecure and anxious preteen girl, I had never heard anything like it before.
Her music itched the part of my brain that made me feel out of place in my environment. Her lyrics articulated complex feelings I couldn’t quite explain myself. I was a girl who made mistakes, a girl who sometimes spoke out of place and a girl who lived defensively.
Her imperfections make her relatable. While many artists hide behind shiny personas and undying optimism, her music came on the scene and communicated something different. She has inspired a generation of kids who found their feelings represented through her music. She paved the way for artists who write about their raw and unfiltered feelings like Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo.
In short, it was refreshing to see.
I think that’s why we’re still listening over 11 years after her debut, and her star only seems to be getting brighter. However, this time, a new generation of fans is singing with us.
Faith Fistler is an opinion writer. Contact her at [email protected].
