Lana Del Rey covers the latest issue of Billboard to promote her new Honeymoon album. One of my friends mercilessly makes fun of Lana’s dreary persona, and he always calls her stuff “music for narcoleptics.” He’s got that one right, although I’ve warmed to Lana’s tunes and will listen to them sometimes when I’m trying to relax in the dark. Her last album, Ultraviolence, didn’t do so well, and I believe Honeymoon goes back to her sound from a few years ago.
In this interview, Lana goes dark again, as always. She has previously said she’s “a warrior who thinks ceaselessly of death“. She’s told journalists to go write about another artist because she wishes she was dead and doesn’t want to keep on living or making music. Lana was swiftly called out by Frances Cobain, who told her to stop “romanticizing the death“ of young musicians. This interview continues Lana’s obsession with the dark side, but it’s more of an origin story, perhaps:
On her worsening depression & anxiety: “It’s hard for me sometimes to think about going on when I know we’re going to die. Something happened in the last three years, with my panic [attacks]… It got worse. I’ve always been prone to it. I remember being four years old and I’d just seen a show on TV where the person was killed. And I turned to my parents and said, ‘Are we all going to die?’ They said ‘Yes,’ and I was totally distraught! I broke down in tears and said, ‘We have to move!'”
On getting help: “I saw a therapist – three times. But I’m really most comfortable sitting in that chair in the studio, writing or singing.”
Would having kids “chill her out”? “I don’t think so, but… sometimes you just want to be able to enjoy the view. I think I’m really like my mother, in the sense that I make small lists. To calm myself down. I reward myself. You know, ‘If I finish this, then I’ll do that’ – I’ll go for a walk on the beach or swim in the ocean. I go for swims and am actually shocked I do that. Because one thing I’m terrified of is sharks.”
[From Billboard]
I’ve accused Lana before of manufacturing her outward moods, since it’s obvious that she’s manipulated her physical appearance and retro-dream-girl image. She’s no longer Lizzie Grant, but the singer Vanity Fair once called out for “hatching fully formed from the pop incubator.” But she mentioned the magic term for me — “panic attacks” — which are no joke. At least, I hope Lana isn’t joking about them, and this isn’t part of her persona. Should we give her the benefit of the doubt? It’s still a little bizarre that she reveals so much about her moods during interviews.
Photos courtesy of Billboard & WENN
Having worked on my own depression for my entire adult life, you would think I would feel sympathy for her. I’m sort of surprised to feel impatience and irritation. It’s as though she glamorizes and enjoys her depression and anxiety. It’s not going to get better if she doesn’t get help and if she doesn’t want it to get better. I find her attitude exasperating. And why on earth was she asked about having children? She needs to take care of herself before she takes care of someone else. You don’t have children to chill yourself out, or good luck with that if you do. Her whole act just turns me off.
I’ve struggled with depression and anxiety since I was 15, and I feel the same way as you do. It seems like every post about her has similar quotes to this. Evidently she isn’t doing much about it if she’s only seen a therapist three times. I feel awful saying it, but it seems an attention thing for her.
Agreed. I didn’t read the post, but I’ve read oenough other ones the know that they’re all saying the same thing. How can u constantly complain about something but only making a half-assed attempt at getting help? Maybe I’m being too hard on her, because thankfully, I don’t know anything about depression.
If you suffer from panic attacks, seeing a therapist three times barely touches the tip of the iceberg. I’ve been in therapy on and off since 2000. Along with medication, it has helped immensely with my chronic depression and panic attacks. I have a low opinion of her anyway, but I will give her the benefit of doubt, this time
For anyone continuing to suffer from panic attacks, I throw this out there in case it may help. I work with a psychiatrist for my meds, and a therapist to talk things out. But my panic attacks got so bad this year, I couldn’t drive. Just the thought of being on the highway could trigger one. After a lot of research, I found a hypnotist that specializes in panic disorders. I went for four sessions, and it’s been a miracle. If your life becomes as unmanageable as mine, do some research and see if you can find help in your area. I have so much more freedom, not having to worry about driving or taking the long way around.
EDIT: needed to add this. If you suffer from chronic depression, please get tested for MTHFR. It’s a genetic variation (which I have) and it means your body cannot process Folic Acid. Folic Acid is necessary for a lot of neurotransmitter function, among a hundred other things. Getting this test has given my psych a better chance at prescribing me the right meds, as my body cannot metabolize some properly. The “bad” list of meds was dead on! Several meds I had tried that had not worked were on the “bad” list. It’s still no guarantee that a med on the “good” list will work, but at least you’ve narrowed your odds. It’s saved me a ton of time and energy waiting for things to work (or not).
@Melanie – Thank you!
try magnesium for anxiety and panic attacks. lots of magnesium
@GNAT: THIS!
I wanted to come in here and say much the same but I was wondering how to word it without sounding cruel. I can’t say for sure if she really suffers from anxiety and depression. I don’t know her. I do know that she’s been playing at angst for several years now. She comes from wealth and privilege and got the career of her dreams without even trying. She changed her name, she changed her face, she got a career that many struggle for years and never see come to fruition, she enjoys the perks of fame and money. Yet every interview it’s “we’re all going to die”. I can’t help but feel it’s really a shtick. I don’t sense genuineness in her. If she truly IS depressed maybe it has to do with being utterly bored with a life she’s never had to work for. WORKING for something actually increases the will to survive and drastically increases one’s love for life. She sounds like a bored little rich girl.
I agree with you I think it’s all an act. Just like her fake stage name, this is her fake stage persona that she puts on to get publicity.
Pretty much what I was going to comment. The people I know with depression DON’T talk about it and suffer mostly in silence. They struggle with it and I just can’t help but feel that del Ray doesn’t really suffer and doesn’t really know struggle for things and for a better life. It’s all been paid for. I think she would be much more interesting as an artist if she actually went out in the world and lived. It just sounds to me that she’s been a bit indulged with her darkness (We’re all going to die? well, no shit Sherlock, now what are you going to do about the time that you DO have? my God). She reminds me of the daughter in that Steve Martin movie (quite a while ago), where she’s moping around about something, says something about ennui I think, and he finally says enough already and just takes her out and shakes her up and gets her to enjoy life. It’s bordering on the ridiculous, if not well into that territory. Steve Earle deals with the notion better, I think, as an artist. “The Other Side of Town” can be said to talk about it, but is it his whole repertoire? No.
Edited to add that I don’t believe people with depression or anxiety should be quiet about it (please don’t be alone and suffer in silence,). Sure, maybe she DOES have it and talking about it this way is good, but personally, it just doesn’t ring true. And actually, even if she does, it’s dangerous to indulge. Idk, maybe the speculation works for her, so what does she care as long as she’s making money, I suppose. The people I know with it have to work pretty hard at managing it…and it’s not easy. IDK, I can’t help but question her.
D, I have dealt with depression and anxiety my whole life. It only started getting better WHEN I started talking about it. Everyone is different and deal with things differently. And yes, we all die, Sherlock. But some of us get consumed by the thought of death to the point of being paralyzed by fear. It’s not like we WANT to be like that, it just is what it is. Forcing logic isn’t a panacea for all mental health issues.
ladyg
it’s not just how she’s “dealing with it” it’s how she’s monetizing it. Real or feigned, depression is part of her schtick which is all kinds of wrong. Plus she really does glamorize suicide and I’m not sure that’s helping her or anyone else.
This is the stuff I would talk about with my parents (or someone else one trusts a lot ), not the media. I don’t find the talking aspect strange; it’s WHO she’s talking to about it that I find a little weird.
I actually think the rumination and anxiety could increase when talking to the media because then the person would be obsessing over what he or she said to the entire world about a private matter, and how the media took the words and shaped a certain narrative about them. That’s how I suspect an over-thinker would think anyway.
@GNAT – you said it just right.
I don’t think it’s an act at all. I honestly think shes just the type of person who comes off insincere because of the way she looks and her choice of words, so ppl write her off as a phony.. but i really disagree. Her openness in interviews has nothing to do with her spectrum of depression and anxiety… if she’s lived with her anxiety about death since a child, she’s learned to compensate and mask it, so shes a pro by now. Many people with depression, learning disabilities, auditory issues learn to do this at a young age, since they think it burdens people.
She doesn’t seem to have a problem burdening people to me. It’s all she ever talks about. When my depression is at its worst, I definitely hide it – by hiding it. I don’t necessarily thinks she is a phony as in making it up. Perhaps she really is depressed. I just feel impatient with her incessant whining about it while refusing to get help. Therapy three times. But she feels more comfortable just sitting around writing music. Therapy isn’t supposed to make you “comfortable.” It’s work. Making lists isn’t going to do anything without some backup. She needs professional help. She’s setting a terrible example to young fans who might be depressed. Sylvia Plath romanticized depression. It’s irresponsible.
I agree. Some people think that depression and other things have to be manifested in a certain way to be real. Not so. We all deal with it differently — sometimes talking about it is a cry for help.
Exactly, ladyg. Just because she doesn’t handle it the same way other people have doesn’t make it less real. It’s okay to be annoyed by her, but not to discredit her experience just because she doesn’t tell it like you want to hear it.
It doesn’t sound so much like a cry for help to me so much as just wanting to acknowledge her feelings. That’s not wrong and it’s her road to take whether she wants help or not.
GNAT, take a bow. Lana D needs a few weeks R and R with professionals who can help her. Is she spilling her guts as a cry for intervention or is she posturing to capture the $$$$ of suicidal teens?
@GNAT – I was surprised to feel the same way as you’d described. I’ve struggled with depression and severe anxiety for a long time, but I felt irritated by her. But I think it’s a myth that people who are genuinely depressed and suicidal don’t talk about it – it’s false and dangerous to think that someone who is expressively calling out for help gets ignored because people think ‘oh it’s just attention seeking’.
Ditto. Generalized anxiety (and hyper awareness of mortality) here since adolescence. I think she’s completely and utterly infuriating, and I don’t think she actually has any of these problems, at least not clinically. I’ve never met a single other person who suffers panic disorder and depression who behaves as she does. Not one. She’s marketing it. She’s making money off it. She’s fetishizing it.
Eff her.
I talk about it. A lot of people I’ve done group with as a younger person and discuss these things with talk about it. But she’s tried to make it a persona – a fashion. Sorry, that doesn’t ring true. It doesn’t fit with what happens to us when we deal with these issues. Never met a single person in 30+ years who deals with chronic depression and/or panic/anxiety as she does. Not one. I don’t believe her.
People handle depression and anxiety in different ways, and I am not saying people shouldn’t talk about it. I talk about it. Lots of people talk about it. Talking about it and not hiding it and getting help for it is good.
This crap she pulls is just stunt after stunt, and she needs to go away or get more responsible or be held accountable for the reckless way she flings around suicidal ideation in public.
The fear of death is not resolved by anything “outside” ourselves. It is resolved by the inner journey. If you consistently seek inside yourself you will eventually make contact with your Soul. Or what some call your Spirit or your Real Self. The experiences you have with this Real Self will show you that you are not the body, but an Eternal Spirit. The fear of death dissolves automatically. And that’s just the beginning. The inner journey is the most amazing gift you will ever give yourself.
I think it’s genuine. It’s a crippling disease. You might want help but at the same time you don’t believe anything will work so you might not try anything because “what’s the point”?
But I also think she’s one of those people who uses their depression in the same way some people use alcohol to excuse their behaviors… I’m sorry to say this but she’s probably insufferable in an intimate relationship.
Obvious extensions are obvious. I dont get how shes a thing still.
Still? I don’t get why she was a thing in the first place.
then maybe listen to her music. you guys are so frustrating
There doesn’t seem to be an understanding that those of us who don’t really like her music HAVE listened to it, and still don’t like it.
And that’s fine. We don’t have to, anymore than you have to like whatever I’m listening to at the moment.
You call it music? The bulk of it is computerised rubbish. She can’t even sing live.
I’ve seen her live during her ultraviolence tour she is incredible, and all journalistic reviews about her performance and ability to sing live were synonomous with mine . and it is COMPLETELY implausible to categorize her music computerized. Name one song of hers that contains auto tuned. One. Are we even talking about the same singer? If her music is not your cup of tea, perfectly understandable but to say this girl doesn’t have singing talent is complete bullshit….I challenge you to dig out some of the earwax and listen to young and beautiful and listen to yayo…two songs where her voice is the sole focus. and shades of cool. and video games. ##normally I agree to disagree but literally wtf are you talking about
” If her music is not your cup of tea, perfectly understandable but to say this girl doesn’t have singing talent is complete bullshit…”
You’re kind of missing the point here, aren’t you? You like Lana, that’s great for you. But being evangelical about her, and yet dismissive of those who don’t share those feelings, is really, really, really offputting.
I’m not saying you have to like her music. But to say she can’t sing/ that her music is computerized is just frustratingly infactual. and I’m not being dismissive of others, but their opinions which are just devoid of an factual evidence. Literally, her voice and lyrics are the soul focus of her songs-very light instrumental background is her trademark. With all the fake bs that is infesting radio stations today, I just don’t know why people are picking on her. It frustrates me. Why is she a “thing”…she isn’t a thing. she is an artist, one of the few we have left.
Ah the Del Rey fan club.
You only have to listen to her music, from every album to hear it is computerised and vacuous at best. It doesn’t take a genius.
EM…still waiting on you to provide one example of a song in which her voice is computerized. you cant. SMH.
her music changed my life. to say you don’t like it, is fine. but to say its made by a computer is pure bullshit that I will address. plain and simple.
I don’t get all of the Lana hate. She sang “Videogames” live on David Letterman. Youtube it. She can definitely sing.
I’d never listened to Lana Del Rey until after I heard the cover of one of her songs, Gods and Monsters, in American Horror Story. Why can’t her moody persona be both based upon existing depression and anxiety, as well as partially manufactured to sell her music.
On a side note the way she describes managing her mood, making lists, rewarding herself for what she can accomplish is the same as how I try to manage my own depression and anxiety.
Clinical depression and anxiety cannot be managed by making lists. If you are truly depressed, you probably need medication, at least for awhile, as well as exercise, a good diet and talk therapy. You need to research until you find the right doctor for you. You’re sick. Would you try to manage diabetes by yourself and by making lists? I understand your reluctance to admit you need help. I think that’s natural and a symptom of depression. But with the right treatment, you can feel better, and be as good as you were meant to be. It’s none of my business, I know, but I would encourage you to get help. It doesn’t get better by itself. Good luck.
Thank you GNAT for your empathy. I didn’t mean to indicate that those things alone could be sufficient treatment for mood disorder. I only meant to indicate that I also use a few similar cognitive behavioral type tasks. I have been on several medications/ therapy and am currently starting a new med in addition to talk therapy. You are absolutely right it is important to seek professional help.
Oh, good, I’m so glad.
Making lists actually made me start obsessing about the lists and I felt I needed to add the tiniest details, so it made my anxiety worse. Having suffered from depression & anxiety from about 9 yrs old and PTSD in my 20s, I’ve never taken medication for it. I’m not sure if everyone who’s depressed needs medication. I saw a social worker who taught cognitive behavioral therapy and focused neuroplasticity, I started stretching exercises on my own, and got a massage 3 times. It took 2 yrs, but after a long massage, it suddenly felt like this dark fog lifted from my brain. I haven’t been back to that dark place since though I have my mood changes, but, at least from my personal experience, I don’t think medication should always be a go-to with depression, although I realize that everyone is different.
It could be that this singer is a world-class ruminator, which is an underlying mechanism in depression. It could also be that she might be classified as contending with dysthymia, a more low-level chronic kind of depression, than major depressive disorder, in which case maybe she has her coping mechanisms more or less in place. Or maybe she’s a blah person who mistakes malaise for depression. Or maybe she really has a morbid, depressive nature. Who knows? People in pain don’t usually tend to talk up their pain as part of their professional image, though – anything but.
I have clinical depression, anxiety, and am in recovery from an eating disorder, and I think the picture is more complicated than one or the other. My mood disorders either respond negatively or don’t respond at all to medication.
Exercise and a good diet help a lot, as has talk therapy. But lists and small rewards and taking myself out of the situation are all helpful diversion techniques. Those techniques actually make me think she’s done at least some therapy, because they’re among the ones suggested to me.
she is not saying lists are a cure for her mental illnesses…she just said they make her feel good. damn.
GNAT, though I understand your point, somewhat, I think there may be a few view points that you’re not seeing. Firstly, keeping depression and anxiety under wraps only contributes to the taboo nature of the disease. When we tell people to effectively keep their issues to themselves, it doesn’t help, because it adds to the shame factor. Secondly, she very well could be seeing a doctor for meds (not a talk therapist, which some people distinguish as two separate things), but just doesn’t talk about that part. Heck, if she did, people would probably bag on her for that. Thirdly, not everyone can afford mental health care. It isn’t cheap. Now, of course, Lana can afford it, but for the people who can’t, just hearing that someone else has the same, unpleasant thoughts, helps. I don’t think she is “glorifying depression”, she’s just being open about it. She’s not saying, “Kill yourself!” Death is a huge part of artistic expression, and has been since the beginning or time.
I list, too. I have several CBT/cognitive behavior methods that get me through and help me release anxiety/stop the onset of panic.
Medications do not help me. I use exercise, listing, and routines. Because I am fortunate enough to not have an obsessive component to my anxiety issues, I am able to use listing and routine without having those become compulsive, so they work for me. They don’t work for everyone, but they help tremendously for a lot of people.
A good CBT therapist is better than gold. So much help available for people, now, and I really love that. When I was younger, the focus was talk therapy, which does very little for anxiety patients. CBT is a lifesaver for many.
The story of her four year old self learning about death sounded real to me.
I also make lists to help manage anxiety. Her 4 year old self learning about death sounds the same as every person learning about death. Some people just process it differently. That being said, she vexes me beyond measure and I find her insincere and vapid.
I remember when I was about four or five learning about death and crying about it!
She needs to STFU. There are a lot of people out there with serious depression & fear of death & she makes it look ridiculous. I usually have a lot of empathy for people with depression, but she seems to have no desire to actually want to get better, she just wants someone to pay attention to her. I don’t believe her – & even if she really does have problems, she’s doing absolutely no favors to those with real mental illnesses.
Ditto. Just this. Exactly.
If she gets old, she will no longer fear death, but embrace it. This is how it goes, apparently.
What idiot asked somebody talking about her depression and anxiety if having children would help her? Children need as much stability as possible. It should never be the child’s responsibility to straighten out a parent.
Thank you, I latched on to the idiocy and irresponsibility of that question, too.
That horrified me, too. Good gracious. Just, no.
Am I the only one that finds her music beautiful? It’s dreamlike, it’s melancholy, it’s very moving to me at times. Some of her lyrics really hit me in the feeling places and make me think about bigger things. I like Lana. I know most don’t, but I really do think she’s incredibly talented.
You’re not the only one who likes her music. I was surprised just how much I do; I heard “Honeymoon” and it so fit my mood at the time I was entranced, so I started listening to more. I especially like some of her unreleased songs like Queen of Disaster and Riding In Cars With Boys, and the May Jailor acoustic stuff.
I do think she’s talented, and I like some of her songs. That doesn’t make me a fan though. I really dislike her and her fake persona and manufactured career that was handed to her on a silver platter and here she is so ungrateful for it all. But she does have talent and she is surrounded by talented people who enhance her meager natural talent. But she really is a studio creation. Nothing organic or natural about her.
She talks about her depression as if she read a character analysis of who she’s supposed to be and is just sort of regurgitating what she remembers, imo.
I love her music too. And I can also understand how she feels about death and how frightening it is. I don’t have depression, but sometimes when I think about it I find it very overwhelming and hard to accept. So I try to steer clear.
Ultraviolence is one of my favorite albums of the year it came out. Fantastic album.
nothing but good things to say about this artist. i love the way some artists cultivate an aspect that they display to the public. i study different artists and how they manage their relationship with the public and i think she is doing just great. lana is beautiful and talented. i don’t know her history but as someone who manages depression and anxiety I am always happy to hear someone speak honestly about their experiences. talking about any topic that is taboo is good for public discourse. i also like her music.
No, you’re not alone, I love her music too. I bought all three of her albums and I’ll probably buy this new one. Ultraviolence is really good.
It’s funny because I first learned of her on this site, and her interviews have always been terrible. I was pretty turned off by her weird and usually vapid-sounding sound bites. Then I listened to a song of hers just to hear what it was like and really enjoyed it. I almost didn’t want to like it because she doesn’t go over well in print. Beyonce’s got the right idea there. Just quit talking.
We’re all fighting our own battles and it makes me really sad to see all these people scoff at Lana because either her problems aren’t real because she’s wealthy or she should just “go get help” like that’s an easy thing to do.
I find her irritating, but I do like a few of her songs.
I love her music. To the point of having Born to die and Blue jeans being one of my 2012’s memories. Still, I’m not a fan, too fake for my taste.
I like it, too.
Thank you. I appreciate her music as well. Video Games is one of my faves! And I love that she is so dark and depressing. Do I think she personally is depressed? I dont know nor really care one way or another. She still makes very depressing music and there is a place for that in the industry. Not every pop star has to be so bubble gum and try-hard. Lana and her ‘eff you, life’ attitude are (ironically) like a breath of fresh air. And her actual musical chops are impressive. The poster above claiming she uses auto-tune..um what? No.
Her face looks like such a busted plastic surgery nightmare that it distracts attention from her meloncholy personality and lack of talent. How is she a thing?
She really reminds me of Priscilla Presley on some of these photos, especially in the blue dress. (The “pulled, worked on” Priscilla version circa mid-90s.)
I can see that. I was also seeing Ione Skye.
She reminds me of Karen Black in the film Nashville.
I’m a crazy Elvis fan and I am stunned by how much she looks like young Priscilla. Not 1990s Priscilla (I think Priscilla really refined her nose, other features and went for a Cheryl Tiegs/Rene Russo look, post-divorce/circa her acting career), but 1960s bouffant-haired, roundfaced, mega-eyelinered Priscilla. Originally, she had a distinctive face shape–very similar to Tiffani Theissen. She was such a gorgeous woman before all the surgery. I wish I could look like that!
http://36.media.tumblr.com/a7a0358a586226a2ec311ec3f7b58265/tumblr_mkw7dwUzdi1rr64hoo1_500.jpg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/f8/af/a8/f8afa8ccb56dfd2d25248a3fa280587f.gif
I don’t think she looks bad but what shocked me was the difference between the magazine cover and then the two following images. In the magazine cover she looks amazingly beautiful but then you scroll down to see she’s really just a regular/average girl you would see out and about. It was kind of a reminder to me how fake those covers are and how manipulated. Strange how we all know this and yet when we see a beautiful cover it still seems real to us. It was only seeing the images directly after that made it clear the cover was fantasy and not reality.
I feel bad for her. What a dreadful way to have to go through life.
You mean having everything handed to her, and still moody and ungrateful? Yes, that is a dreadful way to go through life.
Nah. I’m a softie. This girl has so many phobias that paralyze her well-being. All the money in the world can’t help you with some of these debilitating mental illnesses. Howard Hughes is a prime example, although in his day, the help and medications didn’t exist and mental illness was shunned even more than it is today if possible……I guess Amanda Bynes and others would understand more than a healthy person.
So rich people can’t also battle depression and anxiety?
I hear you, Nancy. Mental illness has no socioeconomic boundaries. It’s like saying if you’ve had everything handed to you then you shouldn’t get cancer or diabetes either. Grr.
She is a rich kid and her ‘overnight success’ was financed by her rich father.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9bJNv8IeqQ
you could not be more wrong. open your ears.
toby_hemingway’s_girl
Screeching, moaning and warbling.
She needs help, or to stop glamorizing depression et al. She tells a story about dating a 25 year old guy at 16 (do I believe that? Maybe) and driving his truck out of control. It’s not cute, it’s not funny, that’s predatory. When asked if her current bf will mind reading the interview:”Oh, he’s going to read this! But he’ll have things to say anyway. He’s very … aggressive. (Smiles.) And besides, I didn’t say he wasn’t just like me.”
WTF. If she’s faking this she needs to be slapped. If she actually thinks that this is ok she needs help, and the people around her who use this for her image and career need to be slapped.
It’s all part of her phony, manufactured “wild and depressed” persona. Can’t stand this girl. She has a little talent and is not deserving of all that she has.
She’s a product of the current social climate; that’s the problem with her, really. It’s not so much about her as an individual or even as a pop star; but the fact that there is a market that will eat up the self-proclaimed, self-congratulatory, questionably depressed artist and her stories of predatory behavior from bf’s. (Worked for Twilight right?) Pay lip service to the actual disease, but turn around and profit off a social climate that will romanticize rather than treat said disease so shallow naval gazing people can feel special on their tumblr blogs while people actually suffering from depression are afraid to speak up and get real help. I’m really angry this morning. I’ll take my mechanical animals album over to the corner now.
Lay down wait for death and stop being boring woman. You are not Nietzsche.
Lana Del Rey is so fake, but so good. Her whole hackneyed syrupy package is what she IS and if people want to get in a tizzy over that, it’s like just relax and listen to her music.
Isn’t this the girl whose parents bought and paid for her career? If so, you can stop now, we have had enough of your emoting, and you can take several seats, while the truly talented take over your spot in the limelight.
She is talented. She is a good songwriter. Ultraviolence had so many good songs on it. I don’t pay attention to her dreary interviews, but she has put out so many good songs. And I applaud her for refusing to kotow to her label’s demands when she did Ultraviolence. She made the album quietly and in her own way, no obvious hits, and with no input from her label. Dan Auerbach of Black Keys ended up producing most of it and was so impressed with her as she came in with the album really done and he added his touch to it. She brought it to the label when finished and they were very unhappy. She had put her foot down against the pushback she received from the label about Dan.
They wanted it more commercial. They refused to release the album unless Adele’s producer looked at it. She won out, because Adele’s producer thought it was fantastic and wouldn’t change a thing. Then the label was all of a sudden on board.
She knew it wouldn’t be a commercial hit, but it was her songs and her vision. She is talented.
Death is a part of life..
the focus should be on HOW we live that life for the time we have.
I like her; bur she scares me because she has so many young fans that make every word she says sound romantic. Being young you sometimes don’t understand that feeling this way is normal; but we grow past it for the most part. I just wish she would understand how some of her fans take what she says to heart and could do things to themselves because of their youth and immaturity.
I’ve thought that also, But it’s interesting. Her young fans just are savvy. They know it’s her persona by now. They tend to ignore the interviews. In concert, she’s adorable to her fans and a very affectionate singer to her fans even while singing, not anything like her dreary interviews. They all know that side of her. She’s one of the sweetest singers out there as far as the way she goes outside and gives autographs and seems to really delight and care about her fans and really interacts and is chatty and happy, not morose, knows many by name that come to multiple concerts. I don’t know why she doesn’t show that side in interviews.
Lana greeting fans who had been waiting outside. Nothing like what she portrays in interviews.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_A3lDhLDuE
I’ll say that I think her music has improved, in that it’s not as obviously paint by numbers as it was in the beginning.
And she probably is fascinated by death and somewhat depressed. There is truth to the cliche money can’t buy happiness.
And yet, she is still annoying and fake.
I have the same fear of death, where maybe once or twice a month I have a panic attack when I really start to think about it. It sucks, because it’s pretty much the one phobia that can’t be proven unfounded.
Was hoping to see some comments that sympathized or had suggestions re: this fear, instead I see people saying she’s faking. Makes me sad.
Me too; I was rather young when I first realized what death meant and it terrified me. My daughter showed the same tendencies from a very young age as well. I don’t think it’s necessarily a sign of depression, but it can become debilitating if that fear takes over one’s life. Fortunately, it never has for my daughter or me.
I’ve used Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT, which is also called “tapping”) for it, which has reduced the frequency and severity of my episodes a lot; but getting older and having people close to me die has helped too. I lost both of my parents to cancer (my mom when I was in my late 20s, and my dad when I was in my late 30s), and for me, their deaths were a welcome release from their suffering. That helped shift my thinking.
Another option might be to attend a Death Café meeting (at deathcafe.com people can search for ones close to them). It isn’t a substitute for counseling, but the meetings are confidential places to discuss all manner of things related to death.
I don’t like the idea, but I understand why death is a necessity; so now I’m trying to find a way to make my death help those who live after me as much as possible… just as I want to help those around me during my life.
If there’s life after death good. If there isn’t then I won’t be worrying about it.
@Adrienne – Same here… I thought a higher percentage of people would at least give her the benefit of the doubt. It’s saddening, especially coming from people who have had to deal with depression themselves. Can’t everybody experience their depressions their own way?
I just hope she’ll understand that finding a good therapist is possible. I saw one when I was 19, and I wasn’t ready, so I totally get why she’d think it doesn’t work for her. Now, at 30, I have found a great one. Plus, at her level of fame, I’d understand how she might be hesitant to share her real feelings and memories.
All the people who say she had everything handed to her and basically became famous out of nowhere are lazy and don’t know what they’re talking about. A quick YouTube search shows she was working at this for many years. She’s very talented.
If she’s been depressed since childhood (sounds like it) she may identify with her depression. In other words, on any day she doesn’t feel depressed, she may not feel like herself. Seriously I’ve seen more than one person go off antidepressants that were clearly helping because (they said) they didn’t feel creative (or whatever) anymore.
News flash: it’s possible to be creative without being depressed. Lana should just try therapy and/or antidepressants for a year and see what happens. Depression masks the real you. It is NOT the real you.
When I first went on antidepressants, it was very hard for the reasons you state. I felt numb. I no longer had the depths of despair, and that was a relief, but I also never had those moments of inexplicable joy that fill you occasionally for no apparent reason. I missed that. But eventually, I found the right medicine and the right dose, and now I feel like the real me again. It takes work and patience, and most of all a desire to get better. There’s not a magic bullet. I just wish she would get some help – not go to therapy three times and then make lists. I’m not saying that can’t be a useful tool along with medication, but it’s not going to do much by itself.
@JINX I’m a musician, I record & produce music, and in November it’ll be one year that I started going to a therapist for CBT. Yes, one can be creative without being depressed. But I was absolutely struggling with my lack of inspiration once my therapist’s work started unfolding. I have been depressed for 18-19 years, and my whole life and work were based on it in a sense that my depression was central and reliable. This summer I made no music because I was feeling awkward – not yet happy, but way less depressed. I found interest in simple things like going swimming, and I was fulfilled by distraction. I’m still adjusting and only recently started to make music again. You’re absolutely right, it is possible, but it takes time, and you can’t possibly know how long. It’s also scary, especially when you think your whole style and ability depend on it. Anyway, to me this general impatience towards her was shocking.
@GNAT One year ago I was clinically depressed. My therapist wanted to see how CBT was going to work, and it worked very slowly, but also very well. I never got any medication. So I’ll have to disagree with you on this one, improvement without medication is possible in some cases. Not saying she shouldn’t find a good therapist (see my reply above), I think that’s crucial.
I admit that I only know of her through this site, and I’ve never heard a single song of hers, BUT…her gloom & doom persona gets a major eye roll from me. Maybe she does suffer from depression and anxiety, maybe not. But the way she talks about it, like its cool or something, just rubs me the wrong way. My sister suffers from bipolar depression (with a suicide attempt and psych hold under her belt), so I just can’t with this chick.
I have mixed feelings about her. I identify with some of her depressed sentiments, but I also think she glamorizes depression in a way not all depressed people do. More than anything else, I wish the media would stop encouraging her.
Also, WTF at the question about children “chilling her out?” Yes, people with ongoing mental health issues can have goods and be great parents. I don’t think I’ve ever known anyone whose life became easier and more chill after having a baby, though. Even women whose mental health was in great shape struggle, and it’s weird to me that having a baby is something the interviewer would suggest to this troubled woman. Thankfully, Lana has more sense than the interviewer does – she was at her most likable in the interview when she was talking about her coping strategies, which are common and probably effective ones.
“Also, WTF at the question about children “chilling her out?””
That part annoyed me. Seeing how my sister suffered from post-partum depression after each kid she had, I don’t think having children will always chill people out.
So agree about the children thing. What an idiotic question. You ask a woman who says things that suggest she’s suicidal or close to it if she thinks having a baby would help?!? Really? Oh yes, getting no sleep and having a helpless infant would definitely be the thing I would suggest. How dumb can you be?
Exhausting. And boring.I can’t believe she hasn’t been cast on American Horror Story yet.
And dating Marilyn Manson.
I feel for this woman. I had a similar childhood experience that I asked my mother about dying. She said yes we all die but it won’t happen for a long time. Is that what you tell a child? Being raised Catholic I believe the proper response would have been yes but you go to heaven and get to be with Jesus who loves you! Aside from that, I’m 50, never had children and also suffer from anxiety and depression. I think about death a lot. I think it goes with the territory. I just never realized it may have started at that very young age being worried about death.
I’m a little older than you are, but that’s what my mother told me – yes, we all die but it won’t happen for a long, long time and you don’t need to worry about it. I think that’s was the go-to explanation in those days. It’s not your mother’s fault that you have anxiety about death. I think most human beings do, to some degree. If yours interferes with your life, you might want to see a professional about it. I’m sorry you’re suffering.
My parents (Catholic, incidentally) told me the same thing and I was somewhat comforted by it. They never tried to go the Jesus/heaven route, I think they left that up to school and church.
When my kids were little I used the same tact. I added that they should know that even if I’m gone I’ll always be with them in their hearts. It seemed to do the trick as they don’t seem to get overly upset when death occurs.
Count me in the club of thinking about death a lot. I also suffer from anxiety and depression. It’s recently gotten under better control again but I agree that thinking about death is part of the whole package with this type of brain.
I don’t know much about her personal history, just avoided her stuff the same way I do everytime something/someone is branded a must see/watch/buy etc…
But when two of my favorite artists Bobby Womack and Damon Albarn picked her for a feat for Womack’s last album I decided to give her a try. I’ve always found Albarn’ choices interesting and not driven by the “flavor of the moment” syndrome.
I must admit that the title Dayglo refelction was really good and on stage, Womack seemed to really enjoy her presence. So not a fan but she gets points in my book for bringing joy to an icon for one of his latest gigs.
Any talk involving having kids as therapy for an adult’s emotional well being is always a bad thing. Get a dog instead…
On the “get a dog” note, I wouldn’t really endorse someone who’s in the depths of depression adopting a pet as demanding as a dog. That being said, I already had a cat at my worst points, and she kind of saved my life a couple of times. I had smaller animals (a fish and some hermit crabs) during an early period of depression, and I think they helped too.
My recommendation for someone who’s depressed and who likes animals would be to consider volunteering at an animal rescue or, if they feel pretty up to things, fostering the sort of animal they like best. It’s sort of the best of all worlds. You get the affection and the feeling that someone – even a very small someone – cares if you continue existing, but you don’t have quite as much of the burden that comes with being a forever owner. Plus, for most foster situations, you get the option of saying, “Yeah, I’ll just keep this one…” if things work out wonderfully.
I remember when I was little the first time my parents explained death to me and how we would all die I cried all night, but I got over it quick and try not to give it much thought. Man up woman
personality disorder definately
I always see her refer to as Lizzie Grant. So I finally did a Google search. I read her Wikki page and even that made me raise an eyebrow. According to the page, she was an alcoholic at 17 so her parents decided to ship her off to a private school in Connecticut (What?!). Then I went to the image tag and she use to model for Hollister (?) and be a bubbly-blonde? The way I am starting to understand her is this: she blows off college so mom and dad tell her she won’t get any inheritance money if she doesn’t figure out a career so after spending one summer with her aunt and uncle, she picks music. Interesting.
My gay besty told me when I asked him who her audience was “people who are really depressed. And the gays”. Lol he’s both gay and on medication so he should know. But I do listen to her first album all of the time and a few off the other one. Pretty When I Cry anyone? Her entire album reminds me of my ex because I listened to it all the time when I met him. She might be manufactured but she’s pretty good.
As someone who’s struggled with depression their entire lives, I can safely say this: this person is a fraud. Her contributions, such as they are, were unwanted, unasked for. I wish she’d go away, for once *chose* not to contribute, knowing what it does.
I can’t believe I used to defend this fraud.
Honestly, I suffer from depression and Lana is my favorite artist – I don’t read her interviews often… I just listen to her albums. That’s what I like most, her music has a very dark, atmospheric tone to it. The recurring themes and characters and moods are relatable to me and I enjoy it very much.
Last time this dummy opened her mouth she got verbally bitchslapped (rightfully so!!!) by Frances Bean Cobain for talking about how she envied Kurt for being dead, saying “I wish I was dead already.” She tries so damn hard to be something she isn’t. She has no real talent and her performance on SNL was laughable. I’ve never understood how her career has managed to go on after that. Juliette Lewis summed it up best when she said it was like watching a little girl sing into her hairbrush in her room.
Likely not a popular opinion, but I don’t like Lana. I don’t respect her desperate need to portray herself as something she isn’t. She has this obsession with romanticizing a lifestyle she knows nothing about. All of her music is her trying to claim she’s lived a life that she hasn’t. Poor Lizzie Grant, the spoiled rich girl with problems. She is obsessed with acting like “the tortured artist.” She thinks nothing of trying to use issues like depression, suicide or anxiety in an effort to create an image of herself. She just seems like a painfully immature person to me. And I’ll pass on anyone who writes songs with the lyrics “my p-ssy tastes like cherry cola.” Maybe she should see a doctor.
It’s just so tough being young, famous, rich, and white!! So relatable!
depression has nothing to do with what you’re saying. it’s a disease. if you’re sane then you can appreciate youth,richness, etc. but if you’re depressed, you can’t control it. even if you were bill gates rich and elizabeth taylor beautiful it wouldn’t make any difference.
Lol alright Dr
Mono no aware.
Ideal music for a narcoleptic would not be sleep inducing!
Last time this dummy opened her mouth she got verbally bitchslapped (rightfully so!!!) by Frances Bean Cobain for talking about how she envied Kurt for being dead, saying “I wish I was dead already.” This. I remember that interview, all too well. Don’t talk to me about your depression when you go around with that crap. Go away, please. For good. Because, again, your contributions are unwanted and unasked for.
If she’s truly suffering, then she needs to take time off and get help to get better. If it’s all an act for her persona, then that’s just cruel to the people truly afflicted by depression.
If she does have depression, I hope she find a way to stay strong and keep making music. Everyone is different and each has their own way of overcoming depression. Talking about it publicly or privately doesn’t mean they don’t suffer. I don’t think anyone has a place to speak of someone else depression other than their own. It’s difficult enough just having to admit to oneself that they have depression let alone to be judged for having it.
I actually hate Nick Cave for the same reasons that a lot of you resent Lana. He’s a private school boy from a privileged background who tries to pass himself off as a brooding street poet. Ugh.
“Hate.”
Right after he lost his son, too. Classy.
She always seems so contrived, but I’m also willing to believe she’s very depressed and serious about it. It’s just that it’s so much a part of her image (and therefore marketing strategy) that you can’t help but think she should get help and stop complaining in public. Confide in friends, get help from therapists and perhaps meds, and stop capitalising on it, whether intentionally or not. Probably intentional.
Lana, It’s been done. It’s all been done.
Woah. Psychiatrists have to study years to get their titles, and have to spend months investigating a subject to make a diagnosis of what they’re suffering. Ya’ll got Lana’s psyche figured out in a couple of minutes, by just reading an interview she did for an entertainment magazine! You’re all incredible.
It’s not like I really believe she’s autentic, but this “death will happen anyway so enjoy NOW” talk is f**ing crappy and annoying. For some people, the inevitability of death is paralizing, it sums up many scaring fears. Also, it’s irrational, like a phobia. You don’t use logic to destroy it, or no one would have it.
She has an entire song about her fixation with death called Born to Die so I fully believe her when she says she fears it. It may be a little bewildering to hear her talk about death so much–you would think she enjoyed life more! But she is a very good singer and her music is very ethereal sounding. I discovered Lana way before this site started covering her or her morbid interviews so I’ll just listen to her music. I don’t really care that her image is manufactured, many pop singers are. Hello Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Beyonce etcetera.
I’ve suffered from depression, triggered by a few traumatic events in my life. And I can tell you this I don’t feel she is sincere at all. I know each person feels any illness in their own individual way, we all don’t have cookie cutter experiences, I respect that, but there is some similarities so that professionals can diagnose you. she is manufacturing her so called depression and using an illness to manipulate her image. Like that kirsten Stewart.
I second Highland Fashionista, it has been all done.
Lana is not some tortured artist she is fake. And it’s sad that some celebrities genuinely have suffered or continue to suffer from illnesses and advocate for sufferers to get help and here she is faking her way to getting attention. I detest her. How about taking a page out of Adele’s book let the talent speak for itself stop using bells and whistles.
Therapy is expensive. I’ve only been once although I have tried to go a few times but either I get anxiety just being there sitting in the lobby and seeing everyone from all paths of life some with many serious drug addictions, homelessness etc or that the free counselling just postpones your appointment all the time or there is a wait list. When I finally got a session ($150/hour) I found it didn’t really work and I could have asked myself the same questions. I didn’t find any resolution to my past or present problems. It didn’t bring me any new awareness. I have also been to the drs many times for anti anxiety medicine and they simply tell me work less or sleep more. So I don’t like any of this judging on Lana when no one knows her situation. Stop judging. She makes beautiful music and is very talented. She has a ethereal quality to her where her voice matches her personality.
Blah, blah.. grow up.
One another note; she looks like a young Bruce Jenner
Is that an insult?
Lana Del Rey is a ‘character’, and is accurately described in this blog entry as a ‘retro dream girl’. I thought a lot of her ultraviolence albumn sounded as though it took inspiration from 60s girl groups like the Shangri-Las. Listen to their song ‘Leader of the Pack’. Lana talks about depression, death and suicide in her music but it’s nothing new. We don’t villify authors and movie makers who do the same so why do so to Lana, a story teller and a work of fiction herself.
Authors and movie makers make a clear delineation between fiction and reality and aren’t a walking product 24 hours a day.
I don’t get it. I have bipolar disorder and this interview doesn’t make me upset. What are we getting upset over?
Depression and anxiety suck- it runs through both my husband’s and my family – and our kids suffer from it. It’s not easy, but I consider them incredibly lucky that we could apply interventions early, and I hope their lives are better/easier for it. I often wondered what my life would have been like had I been able to access the same. That all said-
This woman, oh my god. She is so full of it. Total fraud.
I’ve posted on this thread before, but I got one more thing. A few hours ago my half-sister, who is roughly half my age, came to me to seek support. We aren’t close, but she came to me because I talk about my depression so openly over and over again. She’s depressed, as is my cousin, who approached me this summer about her own situation. Please don’t ever say it’s bad when someone opens up about their feelings, because that’s exactly what causes stigma (correct english?). Show love, for goodness’ sake.