Quicker Than a Lana Del Rey of Light

Ya know that old saying, "There's no such thing as bad publicity?" That seems to be a common theme I've noticed this month as I've managed to find two likable new artists because someone seemingly "important" very vocally denounced them as artists. First it was @donaldglover, who I discovered because one of my favorite blogs Pigeons and Planes did a long winded reactionary post on Pitchfork giving his album Camp a 1.6 out of 10. Nothing screams "your album is awesome and I have a personal grudge against you and don't want you to succeed" than a 1.6 out of 10.

Now it seems the public has turned it's eye to an interesting young woman named @lanadelrey. How did I get wind of her you ask? Simply put it was because @bwilliams's thought her performance on Saturday Night Live was "one of the worst outings in SNL history." In case you missed it, feel free to watch her performances of Blue Jeans and Video Games. And here's a good summation of the degree that everyone went HAM on Lana after the performance.

So what's all the buzz about then? Well for starters, Elizabeth Lizzy Grant transformed into Lana Del Rey overnight and released the video below, which is now up to 21 million views...

Video Games was the beginning of people becoming curious of her for a lot of reasons. For one, she's got a female Johnny Cash thing going on with her slow, drawn out diction. On top of that, it'd be fair to say she's sort of girl next door cute and her throwback style perfectly aligns with her "Gangster Nancy Sinatra" image.

So why is everyone attacking her? That's a good question and I have a few theories. First off, she's sooo incredibly different than anything else out that many people are skeptical of her authenticity. From the millionaire parents to the intricately recreated persona, the super botoxed lips...it's easy to see why people are skeptical. Add to that the @kanyewest comparisons because of her dark, haunting song lyrics and slightly inflated self-confidence and you've got a bullseye starting to form her back. When you describe your own music by saying, “Think Nina Simone singing a Cat Power song over Lil Wayne’s track. It’s Sick.", then it can rub writers (whose job is to come up with these creative descriptions) the wrong way. It's like giving yourself a nickname before anybody really knows you...#OhWaitSheAlreadyDidThat

If you're wondering how I feel about Lana, the jury is still deliberating. Do I think her reincarnation as a new artist is interesting as hell and she is worthy of respect for bringing something different to the table? I'd say so, but let's all keep in mind that her debut album hasn't even hit stores yet. My hope is that you take a similar stance and wait to judge after you hear Born to Die, which is due out next Monday, Jan 31st. From an underdog perspective, I hope she shakes the haters and becomes the rose that grew from concrete. That being said, I really hope she isn't being forced down our throats because she has a Rebecca Black type backing both financially and creatively...#FridayWillNeverBeTheSame

Lana Del Rey - Video Games

|iTunes