UV abandoned?

[Viva 3,169]

I'm sorry to say this but a lot of you are behaving like ungrateful assholes atm.

Like @@SitarHero pointed out, we have UV, Lana is touring and she's made videos for all the singles she's released sans brooklyn baby, what difference would it make to any of us if she released Old Money as a single? I'm fairly sure we've all already heard the song, and a nice music video is a bonus not something crucial to your enjoyment of the music itself. To call Lana lazy implies you've got nothing better to take up your time with than waiting for Lana to capitalise on something already pretty sufficient by itself.

 

I love how some people put themselves in a position of peasants making look like Lana is doing as a favor for making music or touring. LOL

 

Lana is a singer, she writes and sings. That's the profession she chose for herself and touring and promoting comes with it. Expectation comes with success which Lana had and has, so she's doing me no favor, she's doing herself a favor for being good at what she chose to do with her life 

[Creyk 11,699]

Somebody quick leak something!

Distract everyone from this mess

[slang 1,532]

UV sold well relative to other artists whom I like enough to buy, like St. Vincent, Blondie, and Kimbra. I'm sure these artists, who also had releases about the time of UV, would have liked to have sold as well as UV did.  Another interesting comparison is Arcade Fire's Reflektor, which sold very well, but I think UV exceeded it salewise (at this relative point). Finally, Born to Die did better than UV (at this relative point). The data for these statements are based on:

 

http://www.mediatraffic.de/previous2.htm

 

where I've been casually tracking numbers.

 

So it's all relative to who you want to compare her to as to how well she's doing, but I don't think LDR wants to become big in the Taylor sense. I think she just wants the kind of acceptance Arcade Fire has. I'm sure the label wants her to go further ($$$), and the cancellations are interesting as they seem mostly promos and not concerts proper. So they might reflect a kind of warring between LDR and her label or maybe she just changed priorities (both better scenarios than health issues, imo).

 

UV also had lots of plot twists and turns (West Coast, the lead single, was originally not going to be on it, according to one interview I remember), and lots of random factors (leaks, Auerbach, breaking up with Barrie). Despite this and minimal (but ingenious?) promotion, I think UV's worth stanning for as much as the other artists, I mentioned, at least, if you're interested in stanning for a more diversified pop. I also can't help but use the closing paragraph of the NYTimes review of Taylor's "1989" to sum up (rather eerily, imo) what I think about LDR's UV (I'll substitute LDR for TS, of course).

 

"But by making pop with almost no contemporary references, LDR is aiming somewhere even higher, a mode of timelessness that few true pop stars — aside from, say, Adele, who has a vocal gift that demands such an approach — even bother aspiring to. Everyone else striving to sound like now will have to shift gears once the now sound changes. But not LDR, who’s waging, and winning [?], a new war, one she’d never admit to fighting."

 

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/26/arts/music/taylor-swift-1989-new-album-review.html?_r=0

 

Interestingly, the LAtimes was less convinced by "1989", and look who's in LA and who's in NY? 

 

Maybe "Hit and Run" should be the next single for an extended UV?

[evilentity 13,345]

I'm sorry to say this but a lot of you are behaving like ungrateful assholes atm.

I love how some people put themselves in a position of peasants making look like Lana is doing as a favor for making music or touring. LOL

 

Lana is a singer, she writes and sings. That's the profession she chose for herself and touring and promoting comes with it. Expectation comes with success which Lana had and has, so she's doing me no favor, she's doing herself a favor for being good at what she chose to do with her life

Nobody owes Lana their gratitude, but neither does Lana owe her fans anything.* You can either like her music or not, buy her music or don't. Buying her music or paying to see her in concert or being her fan doesn't entitle you to anything other than just that. Some of you sound like spoiled little children demanding a shiny new toy to play with, which if given one, will summarily toss it aside and demand another shrubbery shiny new toy.

 

I feel stupid and contagious. Here we are now, entertain us.

 

*The one obvious major caveat to this is when she fails to live up to her actual obligations (i.e. canceling contractual obligations like concert dates for what appear to be increasingly suspect reasons).

[LiamViljoen 908]

I love how some people put themselves in a position of peasants making look like Lana is doing as a favor for making music or touring. LOL

 

Lana is a singer, she writes and sings. That's the profession she chose for herself and touring and promoting comes with it. Expectation comes with success which Lana had and has, so she's doing me no favor, she's doing herself a favor for being good at what she chose to do with her life

Yeah, maybe it is stretching it to say that her making music at all is in anyway remarkably generous of her. After all if it wasn't for all of us listening to her music she'd be nowhere near as successful, but what I take issue with is those of you acting like she owes us all a favour in the first place. I was merely pointing out that the effort Lana puts into her work is more than satisfactory. To call her lazy just months after the release of her most recent album is harsh and unnecessary.

[LiamViljoen 908]

Nobody owes Lana their gratitude, but neither does Lana owe her fans anything.* You can either like her music or not, buy her music or don't. Buying her music or paying to see her in concert or being her fan doesn't entitle you to anything other than just that. Some of you sound like spoiled little children demanding a shiny new toy to play with, which if given one, will summarily toss it aside and demand another shrubbery shiny new toy.

 

I feel stupid and contagious. Here we are now, entertain us.

 

*The one obvious major caveat to this is when she fails to live up to her actual obligations (i.e. canceling contractual obligations like concert dates for what appear to be increasingly suspect reasons).

Not sure what that nirvana quote is all about but otherwise I agree.

[VegasBaby 895]

Er, I don't think people are being ungrateful for expecting a music artist to promote her...music.

[evilentity 13,345]

Not sure what that nirvana quote is all about but otherwise I agree.

That people expect to be constantly entertained, that they feel entitled to that, that Lana somehow owes them that, and that I think that's a pretty stupid and widespread attitude around here.

 

Er, I don't think people are being ungrateful for expecting a music artist to promote her...music.

Why does it matter whether she does or doesn't? As a good but still inferior Words With Friends player a wise person once said:

Stop relying on stuff that isn't music to enjoy music

I should start an "AKA abandoned?" thread.

[slang 1,532]

 

I should start an "AKA abandoned?" thread.

Well at least there is a controversy in people's mind about UV (one I don't understand, but I see the argument, abandonment == lack of promotion). However, AKA doesn't have a controversy and remains an enigma (one I don't understand). I'm wondering if she wouldn't have had as much "authenticity" woes, if she would have just left that on iTunes and gone ahead with BTD.

[longtimeman 8,919]

Well at least there is a controversy in people's mind about UV (one I don't understand, but I see the argument, abandonment == lack of promotion). However, AKA doesn't have a controversy and remains an enigma (one I don't understand). I'm wondering if she wouldn't have had as much "authenticity" woes, if she would have just left that on iTunes and gone ahead with BTD.

The whole AKA/Lizzy Grant issue couldn't have been handled worse by Lana's 'team' (whoever that might have included), but what's most interesting about AKA (and even Sirens) is how much of what we think of as the Lana Del Rey image and persona was being developed back then. The only thing wrong with AKA is that it sounds like a (very good) demo, but there are deep, awful reasons why there is considered to be something wrong with the name 'Lizzy Grant'.

[StealingTheMoonlight 278]

To me, Ultraviolence was on a pretty wild ride from the beginning. It was completely reworked about 2 months before it was released, and had demos leak a year in advance and 6 months before an announcement, and there were the debacles of West Coast with the multiple versions (Rob Orton mix, Dan Auerbach mix etc.) AND the music video with the wrong version being posted to Vevo. After all of this, I would be fed up with this project too. Lana was so excited for this album, and I don't doubt that for one minute, but this did have a lot of mistakes in the beginning, whether it be the label's fault or not, and that would make an album quite frustrating. Also, the timing of the album release was quite awkward too. It was released while she was still touring Paradise so she hasn't had a UV tour yet, and I honestly don't see one until next summer. If she does do a tour next summer, then I don't want a new album because then she's continuing this weird schedule of releasing an album while touring for her last album. If she does do a tour next summer, then in a perfect world we would get something like Paradise where it's the same album, but added onto.

[TRENCH 15,450]

I think that Ultraviolence was released at a wrong time-frame overall.  She is just finishing the Paradise tour and is now on a last-minute cancellation spree, she's probably tired from not being settled in one place and having psychos standing on the front door of her home.  As stated, she'll probably revamp herself and give a proper welcome to UV next year.

[PrettyBaby 2,220]

Well at least there is a controversy in people's mind about UV (one I don't understand, but I see the argument, abandonment == lack of promotion). However, AKA doesn't have a controversy and remains an enigma (one I don't understand). I'm wondering if she wouldn't have had as much "authenticity" woes, if she would have just left that on iTunes and gone ahead with BTD.

 

I wonder that too... I guess there would have been even more people comparing BTD unfavorably to AKA though. (Not that it was a "sophomore slump" by any means.)

[leaked_version 10,499]

Whatever, whatever, whatever reasons there are that this album is not as beloved, promoted or milked like BTD was, I hope she does more with it. She can make videos herself with almost no budget and come up with something better than the Ultraviolence video. She can go on tour and she can still randomly perform at some places.

 

There is just too much on this album that stands out in comparison to other pop / rock releases this year and maybe she chanels a bit of visual aspect of her art fot this album.

If the label doesn't care, screw them Lana. Do it yourself! And if you don't care, people lose interest. 

 

And the Monsieur Adi remix is great. If she ever goes electronica like she has already hinted at for a new record, I hope she gets him on board. I think electronic music suits her voice perfectly. (Not a big fan of Moroder here)

[Paradise Man 29]

No need to make this be judgement day verdict about UV album. As my memory serves me, she was announcing the UV as it is elevator music project, and it turned out to be album almost in rank with BTD, aside from sales....and Lana is not about counting sold albums, I believe she leaks songs for fans even. So just those 3 videos out of it are great, and no matter how much I'd like for every song a video, it's music that counts, less she focuses on videos, more good music will be later on. Some fan made vids are very nice too, watch those and have fun.

 

Her cancellations and touring, I don't much follow it all, health reasons, they say,... if she gets better, may she sing in Serbia here, when she bypassed us with Paradise tour, thought we were hell, now if after this hellish title album she doesn't, there's no point in living.

 

And It seems to me now, worshiping Lana was just for her 'glory days', after UV lesser is number of those with her image avatars, and some even get here to hit on her, don't value enough what we have, yet.

[ilovetati 15,299]

I'll never understand the authenticity woes that surround AKA. She had basically the same name, sound, and covered the same themes in the album, but apparently she and Kahne had creative differences and her deal with the label wasn't going anywhere, so she and her management team began looking for a new deal. Yes, they should have left the album on iTunes, but why does that scream manufactured to some people?

 

The interview with the owner of 5 Points really speaks volumes with regard to this debate.

[Tropico Blogger 13]

She's so unenthusiastic about the record and it kinda saddens me. I know the media's reactions to BTD screwed her perception of being famous. She seems to just not care and that's why she simply put out the record then that's where it ends.

 

BTD she did so much promo and like she made appearences, dressed up, had professional music videos (what even is the UV video?) And stuff now? Screw the media for doing this to her.

 

I hope that maybe she'll be a bit happier with the next era.

 

So basically: UV may not be abandoned but put on hold till a change of attitude. Maybe the tour?

[BabyTonight 77]

Ultraviolence wasn't a flop sales wise. It sold 1.3 million copies. In my opinion, Born To Die is overrated by "hipsters" and non mainstream music lovers. Don't get me wrong, Born To Die is amazing and every song is A+ but it is still overrated as hell. 

 

Lana never really had much single success either way? Video Games was an instant #1 smash, but after that what else was chart-wise? Summertime Sadness remix? Young and Beautiful? Come on, Lana's music always relied on what people find interesting. Like with Off to The Races. Not a single, but EVERYONE loved it. Sure, everyone loved the other singles from Born To Die but they mostly also relied on stuff like the music videos. Everyone was gagging over National Anthem because of ASAP Rocky and the JFK references. 

 

I feel with Born To Die and the singles and videos Lana was trying to tell a story and that's what made it so interesting, because everything just clicked and worked and she planned it out already basically. With Ultraviolence I don't think there was ever any clear direction with the singles. Which I think is the problem here, lack of singles and videos. Because the album is great and did not flop. If the singles were planned out, put together well, and had great music videos like BTD this era I feel would have went better and the fans would have been happier.

[Viva 3,169]

Hummm I think people here have very short memory. As far as I'm concerned BTD only was milked when actually became a cow. In another words was not because of Interscope promo it became a success, Interscope only started doing shit for it when the songs started charting and getting lots of spins. Take Blue Jeans and Video Games, both successful with Lana's home made videos. Only after BJ was successful we got that professional video (by the way the original video is 10 times better)

 

West Coast was a middle hit tbh, got to play in the radios here and charted in many territories outside US. They didn't push the album enough, and Lana did nothing to help as well. The only 2 people immune to promo absence are Adele and Rihanna, these 2 sell while they sleep, the rest needs to promo their material a lot. Katy, Miley, Beyoncé, Gaga, even Madge promos her album. Whatever happened to Lana for her to give up so easily was a very important factor for this mess, because no promo = poor sales.

 

Interscope seems to give 2 fucks about the artist tbh, Gaga, Lana and Azealia's careers is the mirror of their lake of competence. 

[Paradise Man 29]

I just don't think Lana is competing with any other singer, that she has to make up for what she hasn't been noted for, in pop music world, following their ways, to rule by selling...maybe greater popularity would mean more concerts world wide, which is troublesome for her.

Adele probably has royal backup, so she doesn't need to promote herself, she barely has any worthy songs, while Rihanna is with occult groups, who do that for her, she was showing some potential, doubt now she can make any better music.

Lana is just doing her thing, though she must have someone who's looking after her career, if it would come up to that it's we fans, that solely give her a boost, I'd be worried.