Lana Del Rey Talks Headlining Coachella, Her Grammys Noms, and Why She Loves Valentine’s Day
BY CHRISTIAN ALLAIRE
January 18, 2024
Photo: Nadia Lee Cohen
There are few people worthy of an 11 p.m. phone call on a school night, but Lana Del Rey is certainly one of those folks. After all, less than a month into 2024, it’s already shaping up to be the year of Lana: The singer is set to headline Coachella in April, and she’s also nominated for five Grammy Awards this year, including an Album of the Year nod for the masterful Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. “It’s fun because I executively produced it, like I did my last two albums,” Del Rey tells Vogue of her nominations. But there's more…
Today, Del Rey becomes the newest face of Skims, fronting a Valentine’s Day collection out January 23rd. Modeling for fashion brands is nothing new for Del Rey, who has also been tapped as a Gucci muse in the past. The collaboration with Kim Kardashian (and her multi-billion dollar shapewear brand), she says, is especially personal. “I love Kim, and I love her family,” Del Rey says. “Me and my sister are huge fans of them, and have been watching them forever.” (The pair also have history: Back in 2014, Del Rey performed at Kardashian and ex husband Kanye West’s pre-wedding festivities.)
In honor of the new campaign, Vogue caught up with Del Rey to talk why she loves Skims, what she thinks about Valentine’s Day—“I'm sentimental, so of course I'm going to love Valentine's Day!”—as well as creating one of the most celebrated albums of the year. Plus, a bit on what fans can expect from her upcoming Coachella set, too.
Vogue: Hi Lana! Congrats on your new Skims campaign. To start, I’d love to hear what drew you to working with the brand.
Lana Del Rey: It was kind of a cool coincidence. I actually had asked a mutual friend [of Kim and I's], Tracey Cunningham, if there was any way we could get one of the Swarovski [Skims] dresses that had sold out; At the same time, her friend Tracy Romulus asked if I’d be interested in doing a campaign. So it all happened at the exact same minute, which I took as a serendipitous sign. And I said, ‘Yeah, absolutely.’ I didn't really hesitate. Me and my girlfriends were pretty excited, actually.
What do you love about the pieces that Kim and Skims are making?
Well, first of all, I just love how well it's doing for her. And second of all, I do wear basics on most days; I like wearing the little rompers, or onesies with a big T-shirt. I’m always curious to see what they're going to do; it’s an ever-evolving brand. It started as kind of a niche brand, and I feel like it's grown into a thing where now my sister and my best friend Margaret are wearing it. All of a sudden you’re like, ‘Oh, you’re wearing Skims too,’ and you show up in the same outfit as you’re getting a coffee. It’s really kind of sweet.
How did the concept for the shoot evolve with the photographer Nadia Lee Cohen?
It was for a Valentine’s Day drop, so it was driven by her and Kim’s concept, and I just liked it the way it was. They really wanted me to be blonde, so that it looked different from all the other photos that I've taken. I thought that was cool. I worked with [Nadia] before, and I love everything she does. I didn't know that she was the person who shot Kim in her snow bunny [campaign]. That was what drew me in the most, and I was hoping [our shoot] would have a little bit of a sixties flare, too.
You’re someone who has written a lot about love, so I’m curious what your relationship to Valentine’s Day is.
Aw, that’s cute. I'm sentimental, so of course I'm going to love Valentine's Day! It’s up there for me in terms of the holidays. I do what half of girls do, and buy themed tea towels from HomeGoods, and put a couple extra hearts in the kitchen while I’m making coffee just for fun—the way I would for Christmas or whatever. It’s the last holiday right after that triad of Thanksgiving and Christmas, and then you’ve got that little reprieve of Valentine’s Day. It’s always been a happy day for me.
Do you have any reflections on love this year, coming up on Valentine’s Day?
Well, because I reflect on love every day, I must admit it holds not much more weight than a gentle Tuesday. I’m always thinking about everything all the time, including love and how things have gone, and how they're going to go. So I mean, does Valentine’s Day magnify it at all? I think it used to. Now, I guess it depends on the year. Some years, all my friends are in town and they want to do something themed, which is cute. Some years are quiet, or some years you have a boyfriend; Some years two ex-boyfriends send you flowers, and it's funny—I’m like, why? But I also think it can be a hard day for a lot of people. But it’s not for me.
I want to ask you about the upcoming Grammys. Congratulations on Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd getting an Album of the Year nomination. Looking back on making that record, what did creating that work mean to you?
I didn't think I was going to be making this album until I met Mike Hermosa; He did not consider himself a musician at all—he was a cameraman, a DP—but he would play, and I really liked some of the stuff he was playing. I then turned that into an unexpected album for myself. I knew it was going to be an album after I sang casually to about four of his four-chord licks; I didn't expect to get four songs quickly, but once I have about four, I always feel like then I am probably going to make an album, if I think they're good enough. I wrote “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd,” “Let the Light In,” “The Grants, and “Taco Truck” within the same time period. With that little foundation, I was like, ‘Oh, okay, I'm going to go all the way with it.’ So that album kind of found me. Things did not really go the way I thought that year, we had a lot going on, so I wasn't really sure what kind of life or legs the album would take on. Another thing that I think propelled it was actually the album covers. We took almost as long with making the cover as making the album; It was a slow process. But I really, really liked our album covers, and once I saw them all, I felt like there was a different energy around it. It’s sort of like a picture’s worth a thousand words.
One of my favorite tracks on the album is “A&W,” which has a Grammy nod for Song of the Year. I think it delivers one of the best musical transitions of the year; The song takes you on a journey. What was the intention behind the track’s epic mid-song switch-up?
That song sat in Jack Antonoff’s mailbox for nine months. It was supposed to be a ballad, and when I was done making the album, I asked him to listen to it. I had already put down the instrumental, and it didn't include the “Jimmy Cocoa Puff” part that it transitions into. He felt really, really strongly that it should. And I wasn't sure, because I had written the Jimmy part 13 years ago, and I had recreated it with him two years ago. So I re-recreated that, and I did a different interpretation that was a little more bouncy. And at the time, I wasn't really sure if the transition diminished the song's point, or if distracted from it in a good way—if took it from one place into a better place. Ultimately I was like, I would prefer for this song to transition into a happier place; I don't want it to land in this sad spot. So, it’s interesting: When Jack has a really strong opinion, I've definitely learned that it's very worth trusting it. Sometimes we're so differently inclined musically, but with this one, I'm really glad that we went with our inclination. If you asked me, I would not have thought that this song would gain any traction. But I am really happy about it; I think it’s cool.
Lastly, you're heading Coachella this year! What can fans expect from the performance?
I am really excited about headlining. It’s funny, because it's going to be about 10 years to the day that I was [last] there, which is insane. I've known I was headlining for a long time, because you get booked way in advance, so I've thought about it for a while, and I already have a lot of things set into motion. If all goes well, it'll be as big and bold as I hope it will be. Architecturally, it's going to depend on the structure, and whether I can make it. . . But I'm really excited about it. I’m excited, so my fans can get excited.
https://www.vogue.com/article/lana-del-rey-skims-campaign-grammys-coachella
anyone else miss the eh eh ex c ex tag from N1A/Pop2 era that was in almost every song? it was always the funnest part of the song finding out where it would come up and it kinda felt like a little shoutout to the angels... we be the ones screaming it the loudest at the shows
Charli’s whole purpose in PCM is to bridge the gap between Regular pop and the more experimental stuff. It’s why I believe she samples so many “iconic” PCM beats, and often transforms them into something even more iconic, al a Track 10… Lipgloss… Next Level Charli… STAPLES!!!
As long as this album rollout (lead single release to album release) isn't drawn out over four months then I'm fine. I need the album to come no later than three months after she drops the lead single
As long as this album rollout (lead single release to album release) isn't drawn out over four months then I'm fine. I need the album to come no later than three months after she drops the lead single
As long as this album rollout (lead single release to album release) isn't drawn out over four months then I'm fine. I need the album to come no later than three months after she drops the lead single
As long as this album rollout (lead single release to album release) isn't drawn out over four months then I'm fine. I need the album to come no later than three months after she drops the lead single
"My father's love was always strong
My mother's glamour lives on and on
Yet still inside, I felt alone
For reasons unknown to me"
in my first two years of college, my anxiety/depression got to its worst before i finally saw a psychiatrist. these lines will always make me think of those years. i'm doing a lot better now, thankfully, but these lines will always be close to my heart
As long as this album rollout (lead single release to album release) isn't drawn out over four months then I'm fine. I need the album to come no later than three months after she drops the lead single
As long as this album rollout (lead single release to album release) isn't drawn out over four months then I'm fine. I need the album to come no later than three months after she drops the lead single
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