How Lana Del Rey Has Impacted Pop Culture

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Lana Del Rey is a famous singer-songwriter who has become popular worldwide for her sultry vocals and emotional ballads. The lyrics of her songs are extremely vulnerable and often reference serious moments of her life. One example of this can be seen in her song, “Summertime Sadness”, where she says, “Think I'll miss you forever, Like the stars miss the sun in the morning sky,” which alludes to the death of one of her close friends, and the seasonal depression she endures as a result of how much she misses the time they used to spend together.

The sorrowful undertone of her songs is largely uncommon within the pop genre, as many singers of this genre produce more upbeat and cheerful tracks. However, she channels her more alternative roots and markets the relatable sound to the masses. Because of this, she stands out from other common artists, who don’t channel the sounds and spirit of 60’s blues. Her tracks are continuously streamed with one of her most popular albums, “Born to Die,” remaining on the Billboard 200 top charts for over 350 weeks; As a result, she set the record as the only female artist to stay on the charts this long.

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There are many factors contributing to this singer's success, but I believe one of the main reasons she continues to stay on top of the industry is due to the vulnerable, small-town persona she has established. Despite her being one of the biggest names in music, she still chooses to perform at smaller venues, which emphasizes the intimacy within her very personal songs and creates an illusion of her being a smaller local artist.

She can commonly be caught doing things like shopping at Goodwill, even though she is wealthy and can afford designer clothing. This appeals to her fan base, as it is mainly made up of teenage girls, and thrifting is a very common trend among young women. She is also commonly spotted doing things that seem very random for a pop star, such as working a shift at Waffle House. This draws attention to her, as people think it is funny, and start tweeting possible reasons as to why she would be working there. Her decision to remain “relatable” has helped a lot of her fans connect with her. They enjoy that their favorite singer still goes to thrift stores just like them and see it as a sign that the artist has not let their fame get to their head.

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Another aspect of Lana Del Rey’s persona that stands out is her distinct fashion sense. Lana embraces a more “soft” and old-fashioned aesthetic, including wearing hair bows, light colors, and clothing with a lot of lace. This hyper-feminine aesthetic has been embraced by many of her fans, who have begun to associate a more “coquette” fashion taste with the singer. Many fans of hers can be caught wearing the same hair bows and style of clothing as her, and view dressing in this way as another opportunity to connect with the artist.

Lana has become a timeless artist, and her ability to remain popular despite not having released music in a while shows how much of an impact she has on pop culture.

Strike Out,

Writer: Zara Khan

Editor: Isabel Wilder

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