Happy 41st birthday to the iconic Lana Del Rey.
The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter holds one of the most acclaimed discographies in music today with albums like βBorn To Dieβ βNorman Rockwellβ βUltraviolenceβ and more. She is regarded as one of the most influential and impactful figures in music β often cited as an influence by numerous of her peers.
seeing people reduce Lolo Ferrari to just being a "cunty big boobie bimbo" and not a real person who lived a tragic life & whose breast implants basically ruined her life for the benefit of men who watch porn will always make me sad. a marylin-esque figure
I'm not even 30 years old yet (barely) and I recall that when I was a child, 30Β° was something we'd get for maybe a few days in mid-August, with anything near 33Β° being considered newsworthy
31Β° in May... what have we done to this planet, man
She asked the culture a question and then the culture spent six years answering it.
Two months after this post went up and the internet tried to end her career, Taylor Swift released folklore. An album built on sadness, longing, and fictional heartbreak. The most dominant pop star on the planet pivoted to the exact aesthetic Lana was defending.
Seven months later, a 17-year-old named Olivia Rodrigo released "drivers license." A song about crying while driving. It became the biggest debut single in Spotify history. Rodrigo said it herself: "Lana raised an entire generation of songwriters and taught them that there's beauty in their vulnerability and power in their melancholy."
Billie Eilish said Born to Die "changed music." Taylor Swift called her "the most influential artist in pop." Three of the five biggest female artists of the decade gave her the credit publicly.
Pitchfork called her debut a "faked orgasm" in 2012. She went on to release nine consecutive top-10 Billboard 200 albums, cross 50 million equivalent sales, and headline Coachella.
Olivia Rodrigo's third album comes out next month. The title: "You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love."
That's the answer to her question.