In less than a year, Lana Del Rey has emerged as one of the many new artists to watch in 2012. With web hits “Video Games,” “Blue Jeans” and “Born To Die,” Lana is separating herself from the crowd with her haunting vocals and glamorous exterior.
Recent times have proven strenuous for the 25-year-old. Skeptics have rained on her parade, hoping her talents would match her acclaim.
Boasting haunting vocals and suggestive lyrics aren’t enough to make fans stand in amazement; eventually, an awe-inspiring performance will be beneficial in raising her credibility. Unfortunately, Rey is comfortable with mediocrity and having the stage presence of Kim Zolciak. She tells Complex,
“My real fans know I’m not a showstopper on stage,” she’ll explain later. “I don’t have fucking circus lights. I just don’t care. My fans are there because they want to hear the record live. Everyone else is just there to see what happens.”
“Everyone else” is the millions of potential fans who watched her tank on Saturday Night Live.
While at her Bowery Ballroom showing, she exemplified previously absent personality through sarcastic flare.
“Lana, I love you,” screamed a fan, pronouncing her name wrong. “It’s Lon-ah,” she corrected, sounding like a girl telling a guy to slow down on the first date. “You keep telling me you love me and you don’t even know me.”
Seemingly overnight, Lana, formerly known as Lizzy Grant, changed her entire exterior to become more appeasing to what society expects current Pop stars to look like. Controversy erupted because of this, along with the changing of her name.
“This whole thing about her name is absolutely insane,” says her manager, Ben Mawson. “David Bowie, Elton John, Bob Dylan, and Lady Gaga are not using their real names. Why is she being picked on? She came up with the name herself. She had three Myspace pages. One was Lizzy Grant, one was Lana Del Ray, another was Lana Del Rey with an ‘E.’ I was like, ‘You can’t have three—decide!’” After three months she settled on Lana Del Rey. “It makes me laugh,” Mawson adds. “I’ve represented 60 to 70 artists and I’ve never gotten more of the real deal than I’ve gotten from her. She’s absolutely a self creation. I guess it’s sort of a weird compliment because she appears to be so perfect. People can’t believe it’s true.”
Lana piggybacks from her manager, and defends her progression as a person and artist.
“If you consider the definition of authenticity,” Lana says, “it’s saying something and actually doing it. I write my own songs. I made my own videos. I pick my producers. Nothing goes out without my permission. It’s all authentic.”
“Why would it be a different thing?” she asks, sounding genuinely confused. “I never changed my sound. I never stopped writing about what was actually going on in my life. There’s nothing to hide.”
After listening to Lana’s music prior to the name-change and facial reconstruction, I’ll testify that her sound never changed.
Read the entire article at Complex.com. Also, check out A$ap Rocky’s Complex feature.
