My New Obsession With.... Lana Del Rey!

Here at the University of Texas at Austin, the colleges offer a variety of interesting classes to make learning a bit more fun; however we still do not have a course dedicated to Lady Gaga.... Yet! Anyway, I am currently enrolled in a Rhetoric of Music Blogs course as I have mentioned before and my professor introduced us to an up and coming artist that every huge blog is talking about, their comments have ranged from high praise to insults about her looks. I must say that this girl has a new fan in me because I have become obsessed with her and her sound since the moment her first single was played for me. Lana Del Rey, which is in fact a stage name, has only released two songs up to this point, but I must say that they are on par with the releases of some huge names on the scene right now. I cannot really describe her sound or genre, I think a new genre should be created just for her, but her vocals remind me of those from Adele, which is a huge compliment for an unknown.
     Del Rey is stunning, and her videos focus on her appearance, as well as many different images and scenes that do not seem like they would go together at all. There is always a meaning behind everything and this is no exception. Maybe the artist is trying to tell the world exactly who she is and what she is all about with music videos that she actually edited herself. Even though I feel that may be the reason for the confusing videos that accompany her soulful, almost pop singles, they are not really telling the audience anything of importance. Her ethos is trying to be explained, but it is not coming through in the way that I think she would want. Del Rey is a very unique and rare find in the music industry: a beautiful woman that can actually sing without the use of Auto-Tune or synthesizers! Her label is going to have to come up with different and new ways to market her to a solid audience because many may not be looking for what she has to offer at this point in time, which is really disappointing.
     "Video Games", the artist's first single, was a great introduction to the raw talent that Del Rey possesses, but it was not until I heard the second single, simply titled "Blue Jeans", where I found myself in this hypnotic trance as I watched her sing straight into the camera during the music video. Her vocals are so powerful, she does not need to showboat, and even though emotion may not come through, it works for her. The lyrics are haunting and beautiful, describing a broken love, and I feel the will attract many new fans for her. This is only the beginning of her career and I feel we are only going to hear more about this wonderful artist. She has her first live performance ever in a few weeks, and her EP featuring both singles will be up on iTunes in the first weeks of October. It did not take me long to grow an attraction for Lana Del Rey and I am sure you won't either. Check out the music video for her second official single, "Blue Jeans", below and tell me if you agree with my rave review for the artists or not.





Listen to her first single, "Video Games", also & keep a look out for her EP dropping in October!

Read what other publications have to say about Lana Del Rey:
Pitchfork
Hipster Runoff
MTV