25 Jun 2025

How did Lana Del Rey become cool again?

After a series of controversies and a creative slump, American singer Lana Del Rey made a triumphant return in 2023 with the brilliant album, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, thus reclaiming her crown as a talented and captivating pop diva. Focus on her spectacular comeback as the singer is now on tour in UK and Ireland stadiums.

  • By Violaine Schütz.

  • Her name dropped in the Charli xcx song Mean Girls, a major influence for the pop phenomenon Addison Rae, a glamorous and kitschy Skims campaign shot by Nadia Lee Cohen – a few years after a live performance at Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s wedding – praises from Billie Eilish, enchanting appearances at the Met Gala, standout performances at Coachella in 2024… Singer Lana Del Rey is the name on the lips of every cool person. Yet, just a few years ago, the enigmatic music star was far from being unanimously acclaimed.

    A reference for Addison Rae and Charli xcx

    Flashback to 2021 – the now 40-year-old American artist released two uneven albums, Chemtrails Over the Country Club and Blue Banisters, and was mired in controversies. At the same time her inspiration seemed to fade away and her country-folk music with poetic lyrics about sex and death ended up on the verge of caricature. Her image, so crucial to her success, also appeared tarnished.

    Before the recent rebirth of Lana Del Rey, the talented singer-songwriter had accumulated a series of blunders both off-stage and in her records. For some people, her dubious choices and missteps had turned the former idol into a pseudo-rock diva who made people uncomfortable. These missteps also fueled early criticisms of the artist regarding her use of plastic surgery and her pin-up, Hollywood aesthetic in service of the male gaze… Even though she made her debuts in the free world of indie rock under the name Lizzy Grant.

    A domino effect of controversies surrounding Lana Del Rey

    One of the public criticisms thrown at her? In 2012, the singer made a veiled reference to Harvey Weinstein in her track Cola. But unlike Rose McGowan and Asia Argento, she never openly accused him or mentioned his last name. The oracle Lana Del Rey merely whispered: “Harvey’s in the sky with diamonds and he’s making me crazy / All he wants to do is party with his pretty baby / Come on baby, let’s ride.” Not exactly a scathing takedown. The singer has always taken care to present herself as an apolitical Lolita figure. However, it hasn’t always been a good strategy…

    Also in 2012, Courtney Love criticized Lana Del Rey for covering the song Heart-Shaped Box written by his husband’s band, Nirvana, without understanding what the song was about. The frontwoman of the band Hole reminded everyone on social media that the track was actually about her vagina – she used to trim her pubic hair into a heart shape.

    Lana Del Rey – Young and Beautiful (2013).

    A spat with Kurt Cobain’s daughter

    The great irony is that the singer of The Born to Die later posed for Skims in a heart-shaped box. Two years after the controversy over that grunge anthem, Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love’s daughter, Frances Bean Cobain, accused Lana Del Rey of glamorizing death due to remarks she made about her father’s passing in an interview.

    In 2020, the star once again stirred controversy. The latter appeared at a public event wearing a mesh-like mask full of holes and rhinestones, right at the peak of the Covid pandemic. To many fans, it was an insult to healthcare workers and victims. They all voiced their outrage loudly on Twitter, denouncing what they saw as a tasteless show-off.

    Overt criticisms against Doja Cat and Beyoncé

    Still in 2020, the singer was slammed on social media over her assessment of fellow artists. The Video Games, who has long claimed her indifference toward feminist causes and is frequently accused of glamorizing abusive relationships, wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Now that Doja Cat, Ariana (Grande), Camila (Cabello) (who Lana Del Rey would later invite to perform with her at Coachella, ed.) , Cardi B, Kehlani and Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé have had number ones with songs about being sexy, wearing no clothes, cheating, etc — can I please go back to singing about being embodied, feeling beautiful by being in love even if the relationship is not perfect, or dancing for money — or whatever I want — without being crucified or saying that I’m glamorizing abuse? In the wake of these less-than-sisterly remarks, the hashtag #LanaDelReyIsOverParty began trending.).

    Lana Del Rey – Candy Necklace (2023).

    Lana Del Rey’s rebirth with Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd

    Yet, many refused to believe that the woman who once captivated each one of us belonged to the past. We longed for the queen of pop to come back down off her pedestal and reconnect with the small, real things in life, and reignite her creative spark at last… The miracle happened in 2022. Several signs hinted at the return of Lana Del Rey’s cool factor.

    First, she began posting more grounded, unfiltered photos with less makeup and fewer poses on her Instagram account called Honeymoon. Then, word came out that she had bought one single billboard to promote her new album, Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd and that it was placed in Tulsa, the hometown of her ex-boyfriend, a police officer. Things accelerated in February 2023, when Lana posed for Nadia Lee Cohen for Interview magazine looking more badass than ever in a wedding dress and cigarette in hand on a car hood or straddling a motorcycle, with her signature languid pout. The ultimate flex? She was interviewed by Billie Eilish, a huge fan of her, highlighting the influence Lana Del Rey has had on today’s pop stars.

    Billie Eilish’s stamp of approval

    But it was above all her ninth album, Did You Know that There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, released in March 2023, that sealed her comeback. It reminded everyone why we had fallen in love with her in the first place. Starting with her emotive, versatile voice. The American artist delivers sensual, vulnerable, bittersweet, and unsettling songs that reveal their full depth, beauty, and complexity throughout the record.

    Even better, the pop-folk icon stuns us with trap, jazz, folk, and gospel sounds, as well as subtle self-references to her discography. She covers her song Venice Bitch on the track Taco Truck x VB. Plus, she features unexpected collaborators, such as with Canadian rapper Tommy Genesis.

    I’m not that smart, but I have things to say.” Lana Del Rey

    Disarmingly sincere and unafraid to expose her doubts, Lana Del Rey titled one of her tracks A&W (short for “American Whore”). She used it to denounce the misogyny she faces as an unmarried, childless woman in the music industry. On another track, she sings: “I’m not that smart, but I have things to say.” Another confession? She openly acknowledges that many people hate her and that she tried to commit suicide as a teenager. Lana Del Rey also wonders whether she would make a good mother and addresses the way she was raised by her own mother.

    A gifted poet, the singer explores themes like family, death, spirituality, healing, and love in her lyrics. They can often read like modern haikus, delivering poignant lines that go straight to the heart. In doing so, she distances herself from stereotypical images of gangsters and starlets in America. Instead, she offers memories and emotions that are both deeply personal and universal.

    Lana Del Rey – Henry, come on (2025).

    A new album scheduled for 2025

    With her new heart-wrenching songs, Lana Del Rey has reclaimed her flower crown and throne – the same one she sat on in the Born to Die video. Except this time, the crown has far more thorns and much less plastic than the one she once wore.

    In 2025, the singer is expected to release a brand-new album. One that has been repeatedly delayed and is said to lean toward country music. We can only hope it allows her to maintain her current status… In the meantime, her influence is everywhere, especially in Selena Gomez’s and Addison Rae‘s latest records.

    Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (2023) by Lana Del Rey, available now. The singer is currently on a stadium tour across the UK and Ireland.