Lana Del Rey, the Alt Empress: 3 Ways She Influenced Pop Music
Listen to the audio version of this essay on the podcast.Where Lana Del Rey stands in the pop music scene is an interesting one because it’s chockfull of juxtapositions. She’s a pioneer of 2010s alternative pop, but isn’t necessarily a household name. Other musicians have named her as one of the greatest songwriters, yet she’s been snubbed by the Recording Academy for over a decade. Though her catalogue has received much critical acclaim, she still approaches the creative process with the excitement of an artist in bloom. She has achieved a sweet spot in her songwriting — namely one where she knows how to change things up while retaining her signature style. Lana Del Rey is one of the greats, but she’s been that way for at least 10 years now. Her influence is insidious because no one ever sees her coming or going, but her fingerprints are left everywhere. Here are a few examples:
1. Her Vocal Stylings
Lana’s voice is whispery and wispy, melodic and melancholic. She eschews belting for susurration, and enunciation for emotion. Her modus operandi is usually to sing in a comfortable midrange key, using her head voice or lower register when she needs to drive home a point, but rarely using it to carry a song in full. Early in Lana’s career, this vocal technique was especially appropriate for the alternative pop music she was releasing which already had overpowering arrangements or dense beats. (Well before she helped pioneer the Laurel Canyon singer-songwriter renaissance, her genre blending ranged from trip-hop, indie pop and even baroque pop). Listen to Lana’s vocals on Born to Die (2012) and compare it to Lorde’s “Tennis Courts,” Olivia Rodrigo’s “driver’s license,” or literally any song by Billie Eilish, and you’ll see Lana’s impact on alt-pop is undeniable.
2. Her DIY Aesthetic
Though internet memes poke fun at Lana Del Rey’s love for creating her own artwork for digital singles (i.e. selfies dyed in sepia tone, adorned with Picsart-like vignettes and borders), Lana’s DIY touch to her marketing was always a novelty in the industry, but also a game-changer. In 2011, just before signing her first major label record deal with Interscope, Lana dropped the music video for her baroque pop hit “Video Games.” Not only did Lana personally upload the video onto YouTube, she also recorded the video herself via webcam and edited the video on her personal computer, splicing various clips of archival footage, cartoons, and scenes from old movies. A few months later, she made a similar independent video for “Blue Jeans.”
It’s important to note, these music videos predate the coming social media era of celebrities filming live concerts via their Instagram stories or creating their own YouTube channels and TikTok accounts for reaching a younger demographic. They were also made during a time when big budget music videos were the standard for a pop star (e.g. this was the same year of Lady Gaga’s cinematic “Born This Way” and Katy Perry’s star-studded “Last Friday Night” videos). Beyoncé would later shoot her 2014 video “711” completely on iPhone and go to win an MTV Award for “Best Editing.”
3. Her Doleful Lyrics and Moody Music
Lana’s lyrics have been criticized for its perspective of a lovelorn, languished, or languidly submissive woman in love affairs, which some have interpreted as being innately anti-feminist. Despite these critiques, her lyrical stylings have been emulated by other pop singers. Aside from detailing trysts from an honest, biographical perspective, Lana’s ability to encapsulate the emotions of a moment in time, like a still capture from a movie scene, is unique and effective. The things she holds dear have become obvious as they are recurring motifs in her songs. (For example, her red/party dress, her red lipstick, her daddy, and the entire state of California, to name a few.)
Taylor Swift has designated Lana Del Rey as one of her two favorite songwriters. (Lana’s influence on Swift’s music can best be noted in “Wildest Dreams.”) And Bruce Springsteen, one of the most decorated musicians of all time, called Lana “one of the best songwriters in the country.” Billboard credited Lana, specifically Born to Die, as one of the major catalysts for the shift that happened in pop music in the mid-2010s, when mainstream radio went from brazen EDM to “a moodier, hip-hop-inflected palette.” Lana Del Rey’s rich yet glum music and lyrics has influenced the likes of Halsey, Sky Ferreria, and even XXXTentacion, who expressed his love for Lana’s music while he was still alive. All things considered, no one can deny that Lana played and continues to play a vital role in the story of pop music.
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