Does Lana regret becoming famous?

[Spac3gypsy 72]

Hey guys,

 

Just something I've been thinking about recently. I think Lana is so over being as famous as she is. She barely gets any privacy anymore and she obviously hates the criticism.

 

Also, out of the three concerts of Lana's I went to this year, something seemed off about her at Hollywood Forever. At the concert in Philly I went to, she really talked to the audience and seemed like she was really enjoying it. But last Saturday she just kind of seemed over it. I guess it may have something to do with it being the last show of the tour, but still.

 

I'm wondering how long of a break she will take before the ultraviolence tour.

[Mind Melt 10,090]

She has been touring for a very long time, she deserves time off. Plus if I remember correctly, she hates touring. I assume the Ultraviolence tour will start when she released her 5th studio album.

[evilentity 13,303]

I'm surprised to find myself quoting cliché Pussycat Dolls lyrics, but it's a classic case of "Be careful what you wish for 'cause you just might get it. [imitation Lil Jon voice 'Hey!']"

 

Lana clearly desperately wanted to be famous, but isn't so sure about it now that she is. Her statements to the contrary-- that she never wanted to be famous-- are frankly revisionist bullshit belied by her past statements and actions. They instead reflect her newfound realization that fame isn't all it's cracked up to be and her projection of that feeling onto her past rather than an accurate representation of her disposition towards fame in the past.

 

There was a good discussion about Lana's love/hate relationship with fame (loving the positive aspects of fame, hating the negative aspects) in another thread beginning around this post.

 

[Honeymooner 336]

Personally, I think there are parts she likes and parts she doesn't.

 

Recall that earlier this year, she talked about how she was (is?) suffering from a mystery illness that plagues her when she's on tour. Some have speculated that it's a stomach ulcer, a la Kurt Cobain, but nothing has been confirmed. (She's been pretty tight-lipped on the specifics.) It's not even certain whether that same illness is what made her cancel her European appearances last month.

 

There may be days that she feels great, and others where she doesn't, and I'm sure that affects her mood on stage. Perhaps when she's not feeling well, it reflects in the mood on stage and she appears to be over the whole concept of touring. But she has also said on many occasions that she loves her fans and their support, and I can't imagine her not wanting to continue that interaction.

 

I can imagine, though, that she's probably tired of the paparazzi following her around everywhere, though, especially in New York. I've seen older videos from 2012 and 2013 where they talk to her and she talks to them and is friendly and cordial with them. But in more recent videos, her air is more of a "leave me the f--- alone!" So perhaps she's just tired of being in the media spotlight so much? Especially since they seem to love to delve into her personal life, i.e. her relation ship with Francesco Carrozzini and how they were making it seem like he was cheating on her, etc. etc. That kind of stuff would grow tiresome for anyone after a while. Perhaps she regrets that part of stardom, but the rest? Nah, I doubt it.

[PARADIXO 31,607]

I don't think she hates touring. I mean, she obviously likes to perform but it all depends in her mood. When I'm sad and I have to go to school, I'm angry and lazy, but when I'm happy, everything is different. She hates the media, TV shows, and all that stuff but she obviously loves to make music and her fans.

[Honeymooner 336]

She has been touring for a very long time, she deserves time off.

Definitely! Everyone does.

 

Plus if I remember correctly, she hates touring.

I don't think she hates touring. I don't think she'd do anything she didn't enjoy. I suppose some touring may be part of her record label contract, but knowing her, I don't think she'd be touring if she hated it. As Paradixo pointed out, she doesn't like the media and doesn't seem to like doing TV interviews. That's probably why we haven't seen more of that lately, which corroborates my theory of her not doing things she doesn't want to. She likes to be in control.

 

I assume the Ultraviolence tour will start when she released her 5th studio album.

5th album? What about the 4th? Or are you being sarcastic?

[Mind Melt 10,090]

Definitely! Everyone does.

I don't think she hates touring. I don't think she'd do anything she didn't enjoy. I suppose some touring may be part of her record label contract, but knowing her, I don't think she'd be touring if she hated it. As Paradixo pointed out, she doesn't like the media and doesn't seem to like doing TV interviews. That's probably why we haven't seen more of that lately, which corroborates my theory of her not doing things she doesn't want to. She likes to be in control.

5th album? What about the 4th? Or are you being sarcastic?

 

I'm not sure, I just know she's said she really only enjoyed the whole creating process, working in the studio etc, so I just inferred that she hated touring.

 

And yes, that was sarcasm lol

[VegasBaby 895]

I doubt she does. She's always wanted to be rich and have prestige; you can't have one without the other I guess.

[kik 1,563]

I think she likes studio recording the best because she can put all the puzzle pieces together and finalize her creation. I noticed introverted musicians prefer studio work and extroverted ones crave to be on stage. I think she feels good when she's surrounded by people who understand the person that she is and "ordinary people" don't comprehend her multidimensional, unusual and unpredictable personality. I also think she appreciates being in control and in her comfort zone. She's emotionally-driven and easy to destabilize. Expressing emotions (singing) in front of thousands of people must be hard sometimes, specially when she is not in the mood or if something wrong is happening in her life. Sometimes, it seems she can't put her problems/worries aside for that 75 minute performance and it looks like she can't connect with her emotions, she seems distracted and not 100% there. If she has stomach ulcer, it must be extremely uncomfortable to sing. I have severe heartburn and I wouldn't say it's soooo painful, but I can't pretend I'm alright when it happens. I figure an ulcer must be worse. Stress aggravates the situation.

 

I don't think she regrets being famous now, but she might have been disappointed with what celebrity really is. She's still on a quest for happiness and realizing she's on top and yet not fulfilled as a person must have been quite a disappointment. It comes with many negative aspects (no privacy, harsh critics etc). The price to pay for success is sometimes very high. And touring can be draining. Artists are often disorganized by nature (day-by-day living) and having that kind of planning might be too demanding for her. Being on tight schedule, flights, trains, roads, packing, unpacking, get her hair and makeup done, sound check blah blah blah every day and probably more tasks we don't know about. It's not like a fun unplanned road trip.

 

Being away from home in that context could make her lose her points of reference. She said she feels lonely when she tours. At the beginning I though it was a bit strange (not negatively) that her father followed her in her tour, but now I understand why. I wouldn't have though one can feel lonely while touring. She gets tons of applause, she's not alone, but those people, who are they?

 

Funny how I repeat myself over and over, but I so much like analyzing her.

[TRASHBABY 346]

i dont think she hates touring, she described herself as a road dog in one interview AND SHE JUST RIDES

 

 At the beginning I though it was a bit strange (not negatively) that her father followed her in her tour, but now I understand why. I wouldn't have though one can feel lonely while touring. 

 

 

i guess she seemed happier on the paradise tour because barrie etc. accompanied her on it now maybe she feels lonely

[TRENCH 15,353]

I think she likes studio recording the best because she can put all the puzzle pieces together and finalize her creation. I noticed introverted musicians prefer studio work and extroverted ones crave to be on stage. I think she feels good when she's surrounded by people who understand the person that she is and "ordinary people" don't comprehend her multidimensional, unusual and unpredictable personality. I also think she appreciates being in control and in her comfort zone. She's emotionally-driven and easy to destabilize. Expressing emotions (singing) in front of thousands of people must be hard sometimes, specially when she is not in the mood or if something wrong is happening in her life. Sometimes, it seems she can't put her problems/worries aside for that 75 minute performance and it looks like she can't connect with her emotions, she seems distracted and not 100% there. If she has stomach ulcer, it must be extremely uncomfortable to sing. I have severe heartburn and I wouldn't say it's soooo painful, but I can't pretend I'm alright when it happens. I figure an ulcer must be worse. Stress aggravates the situation.

 

I don't think she regrets being famous now, but she might have been disappointed with what celebrity really is. She's still on a quest for happiness and realizing she's on top and yet not fulfilled as a person must have been quite a disappointment. It comes with many negative aspects (no privacy, harsh critics etc). The price to pay for success is sometimes very high. And touring can be draining. Artists are often disorganized by nature (day-by-day living) and having that kind of planning might be too demanding for her. Being on tight schedule, flights, trains, roads, packing, unpacking, get her hair and makeup done, sound check blah blah blah every day and probably more tasks we don't know about. It's not like a fun unplanned road trip.

 

Being away from home in that context could make her lose her points of reference. She said she feels lonely when she tours. At the beginning I though it was a bit strange (not negatively) that her father followed her in her tour, but now I understand why. I wouldn't have though one can feel lonely while touring. She gets tons of applause, she's not alone, but those people, who are they?

 

Funny how I repeat myself over and over, but I so much like analyzing her.

you summarized it all tbh

[Chris Cuomo 3,315]

She's always wanted to be rich

She's always had funds

[Sitar 22,172]

I struggle with how famous she wanted to be. There's no doubt she was chasing recognition for years ("I don't have a backup plan"), and certain songs suggest that it got in the way of relationships, but did she want to be this worldwide popstar or just moderately known? Certainly if she were less popular she'd meet less criticism.

 

To answer the question, I'm sure she does regret it because it differed from her expectations.

[hcmm91 2]

I think that she's an introvert and she's stressed out. Also, as SitarHero said, her reality is probably different from her expectations.

 

And if she does have a stomach ulcer, stress really does make it worse.

[kik 1,563]

One other thing... I don't think she knows who she really is and that's why it's hard for us her fan and for other people (I include haters) to understand her. That's why she incites so many feelings and passion. A lot of people say she's not authentic. There's no full integrity, that's bullshit. Often we are not so true to ourselves and we say what people want to hear. Personally I find her pretty authentic, in a sense that she is very transparent about her feelings. They are mixed and she has dualities, but she has the courage to expose it and that makes her a wonderful artist. A whole artist.

 

Like when she feels bad during a show, you know it. She might say "I'm so happy to be here", but pay attention to her tone and her face and you'll know the truth. Or she might be "happy to be here", but still annoyed by other things in her life and she's not gonna pretend all smile that everything is perfect. She exposes her weaknesses, her vulnerability in her lyrics, in her voice, in her interviews. She might seem fucked up for some people, but to me she's simply an authentic confused and scared little girl, but very strong woman at the same time. I love her with all my heart.

[kik 1,563]

I struggle with how famous she wanted to be. There's no doubt she was chasing recognition for years ("I don't have a backup plan"), and certain songs suggest that it got in the way of relationships, but did she want to be this worldwide popstar or just moderately known? Certainly if she were less popular she'd meet less criticism.

 

To answer the question, I'm sure she does regret it because it differed from her expectations.

 

Do you think she's trapped in the mainstream (or semimainstream)? Nothing is forcing her to keep going. Personally, I would have regretted NOT trying it, even if it happened to be a disappointment at the end. Some artists couldn't manage the stardom and decided to become more low profile. I wonder how it would be if she'd take that path.

[longtimeman 8,069]

 

Like when she feels bad during a show, you know it. She might say "I'm so happy to be here", but pay attention to her tone and her face and you'll know the truth. Or she might be "happy to be here", but still annoyed by other things in her life and she's not gonna pretend all smile that everything is perfect. She exposes her weaknesses, her vulnerability in her lyrics, in her voice, in her interviews. She might seem fucked up for some people, but to me she's simply an authentic confused and scared little girl, but very strong woman at the same time. I love her with all my heart.

 

I agree with this so much. I feel like that if I've been having a generally shitty day at work, but somebody I like comes up and asks how I'm going. The truth is, I'm not going great, but the fact that I'm talking with someone cool has brightened me up, so I'm not lying when I say 'good'. That's how she feels to me in some of the live videos - where she's feeling a bunch of different emotions at once. You're not expected to do that, though, as a celebrity - you're meant to be either party girl, or sassy, or downbeat, or thoughtful, but not more than one of those at once. 

 

 

 

Do you think she's trapped in the mainstream (or semimainstream)? Nothing is forcing her to keep going. Personally, I would have regretted NOT trying it, even if it happened to be a disappointment at the end. Some artists couldn't manage the stardom and decided to become more low profile. I wonder how it would be if she'd take that path.

There are lots of artists in the past who have had major success, and then pulled back completely from fame and made the transition. I think that's what Lana wants to do, and that's her strategy with UV sounding how it does and being presented as it is. There's also an element of 'will you love me if I do this? How about this?' She wants to push the public as far as she can to see how much control she can have over her own creative world, so we might be in for a bumpy ride, but in ten years, I think she'll be doing what she wants to do, at her own pace, and for people who care about her.

[kik 1,563]

There are lots of artists in the past who have had major success, and then pulled back completely from fame and made the transition. I think that's what Lana wants to do, and that's her strategy with UV sounding how it does and being presented as it is. There's also an element of 'will you love me if I do this? How about this?' She wants to push the public as far as she can to see how much control she can have over her own creative world, so we might be in for a bumpy ride, but in ten years, I think she'll be doing what she wants to do, at her own pace, and for people who care about her.

 

Amen  

[Honeymooner 336]

i guess she seemed happier on the paradise tour because barrie etc. accompanied her on it now maybe she feels lonely

Could be... I suppose Francesco could go with her, but maybe he's got too busy a schedule and can't do it. Barrie's band was her opening act at one point. I think Lana's dad and sister accompanied her on this last tour... at least they were in LA, because Rob was posting pictures on Twitter, and Chuck was taking pictures of the crowd.

And if she does have a stomach ulcer, stress really does make it worse.

There's no confirmation that that's what she has. It was just some people's speculation. If she does, though, all the coffee she drinks isn't helping it, either. But again, no confirmation, just speculation.

[slang 1,509]

One of my favorite interviews talks a little about why she wanted fame early on. Fame seems to be providing her the kinds of things she expected it could, so I would think she'd be happy about that overall. As for the negative aspects, I think she's pretty resilient about them. 

 

http://www.indexmagazine.com/interviews/Lizzy_grant2.shtml

 

[she's asking about the AKA EP, which if I believe the chronology came out 2 years before AKA LP]

Brea: How do you feel about how it came out? 

Lizzy: I am pleased.  The funny thing is, if it was exactly the way I wanted, then I would say that I am completely pleased, but because it's different than I expected, I'll be pleased if many other people like it too.  I feel like a shithead saying that...but I hope it gets some kind of recognition just so that I can move on and do some different things. 

 

Brea: What type of things would you move on to?  

Lizzy: I always expect that once I do something, I'm going be able to transition into this better life, like maybe move somewhere else or get to know more people.  Ideally, I would like to move back to a little part of New Jersey or Coney Island and have people to work with on little projects like music videos, because I do much better in a box.  Performing is really, really hard for me, so I would just like to have more people and more money to do more sexy projects.

 

Brea: Sexy projects! 

Lizzy: Yes, I just want to have something to do all the time-- and it's easier to do when people think you're great.