27
27
What we know about Lana Del Rey’s upcoming album
Acclaimed for her two sensational performances at the last Coachella festival and a concert at Rock en Seine, Lana Del Rey continues her epic journey with two melancholic and sublime country-inspired singles “Henry, Come On” and “Blue Bird”. The singer also unveiled an excerpt from a song that seems to take a jab at Ethel Cain, to tide us over until her next album, due in 2025.
by Violaine Schütz.
Lana Del Rey’s new southern gothic-country album
Lana Del Rey never ceases to surprise. After marrying a crocodile tour guide, she’s radically changed artistic direction, release date, and album title. The record was initially titled The Right Person Will Stay.
The American star had announced a new album would be released in 2025, just over a year after her epic Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (2023). Initially titled Lasso, then The Right Person Will Stay, the record was expected to lean toward country in its production.
Much like Beyoncé’s foray into Americana with Cowboy Carter, Del Rey told Rolling Stone US she wanted to create a very Americana record: “If you haven’t already noticed from the award winners and our artists, the music industry is turning to country. We are turning to country. It’s happening.”
However, the singer, who had originally planned to release the album on May 21, 2025, changed her mind. The album, reportedly made up of 13 tracks, now leans more toward a Southern Gothic aesthetic than straightforward country, while remaining true to her melancholic musical universe.
Tough, a country-rap duo with Quavo
For this new project, Lana Del Rey traveled to Nashville with longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff. She will also tour the UK and Ireland in 2025 in support of The Right Person Will Stay.
To keep fans waiting, Del Rey released a collaboration this year with rapper Quavo (of Migos fame). Their country-rap track Tough, already performed live at Fenway Park in Boston, echoes her 2012 song National Anthem, whose video co-starred A$AP Rocky.
In the song’s video, Quavo and the pop pin-up share a romance filled with hugs and guitar serenades on a pastoral backdrop, often standing on a wooden porch.
Lana Del Rey for her single Henry, Come On (2025).
“Henry, Come On” and “Blue Bird”: Lana Del Rey’s new melancholic singles
Another promising preview of the new album? On Friday, April 11, 2025, Lana Del Rey dropped a new country-inspired single, previously teased via a glamorous photo (red lipstick, Hollywood waves, and a white lace dress) and a short clip. The stripped-down, guitar-and-voice track Henry, Come On enchants with Del Rey’s bewitching vocals and poetic lyrics.
Shortly after, another country-tinged track titled Blue Bird was released on April 18th, 2025. Featuring an acoustic guitar and a harmonica, the song is perfectly suited for an evening in a rustic wooden cabin by the fireplace.
Finally, on August 14th, the star posted a snippet of a new song on Instagram, produced by Jack Antonoff. In the lyrics, she mentions singer Ethel Cain, saying the latter didn’t like one of her Instagram posts. Both artists were romantically involved with the same man in the past, Jack Donoghue, co-founder of the cult underground band Salem. Lana Del Rey shared a photo on the platform that resembled an old picture of Ethel Cain and Jack Donoghue from the time they were dating.
A triumphant year of 2024
Before all that, 2024 proved to be an intense year for the Video Games (2012) singer. Her two acclaimed and spectacular shows – including motorcycle entrances – at Coachella and at the Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona, led to a sold-out, emotional performance at Rock en Seine on August 21st.
But Lana Del Rey’s dazzling ride doesn’t limit itself to music. The Skims muse made a magical appearance at the Met Gala and caused a stir on social media with glamorous outfits worn during her public outings. Strongly inspired by old Hollywood glamour, these looks recalled the elegance of her early days… The question now is whether or not her next album will stay on repeat like her sublime, widely acclaimed Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.
