Lana Del Rey: The Most Influential Artist Of The 2010s

[surfnoirswing 2,483]

Ok, the title is extra but I've been thinking about this a lot so here's my thought:

 

Lana Del Rey burst onto the pop scene in late 2011, time when music was dominated by electronic, dance pop music by astists such as Lady Gaga, Kesha, Katy Perry, etc. However the music industry needed a change, but it wasn't easy for Lana Del Rey to prove it. As she stated in a T Magazine interview back in 2012:

“I would play my songs, explain what I was trying to do, and I’d get, ‘You know who’s No. 1 in 13 countries right now? Kesha.’ ”

(source: https://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/09/a-star-is-born-and-scorned/?_r=0)

After years of trying, finally it was time for Lana Del Rey to get the recognition she deserved, and after the release of Video Games she became a the topic of every music blog around the world, causing controversy and all kinds of talk without really doing anything.

In an era when you HAD to appear in every tv show possible, had to have every radio station playing your song, had to wear the most outrageous costumes and had to get hit after hit, Lana Del Rey was able to sell over 5 million copies of Born to Die with minimal promo, no US hits (except for a remix) and almost no radio play. How is that possible ?

I'm not sure, but however she brought to the table a new sound, a new aesthetic and a whole new idea about what being a pop star really meant.

She took the music and fashion industry by storm, even being called the "anti-gaga" and was the most searched female of 2012 on google.

A big part of her popularity came for sure from all the controvesies she caused, her looks, SNL, glamourizing prostitution and death. But yet again she never really seeked for the attention of the masses, yet everybody was so interested in her and what she did, even when she wasn't doing anything

 

Her impact can still be seen today. Every new alternative/indie singer has cited her as an inspitation (Halsey, Melanie Martinez, Kali Uchis, Ryn Weaver, Troye Sivan, Dua Lipa, MØ etc.), her peers appreciate her music and draw inspitation from it (*cough* Taylor Swift's 1989 *cough* Selena Gomez's Revival *cough) and even some legends admire her work. She's really a trailblazer and if she hadn't been so criticized at the beginning of her career causing her to retire from the public eye to concentrate only on music, she would be one of the biggest artists out there right now.

 

That's all for now, sorry if it's quite a mess but i really just wanted to put this out there.. I'm gonna edit it later

[Trash Magic 27,286]

facts only 

[annedauphine 34,697]

All my favs stan her or have mentioned her as an inspiration in her interviews. And we can cite Adele too, probably as much as a fan as I am. And Lauren Jauregui as well, just to cite them! Basically Lana is the lowkey star that everyone listens to and is inspired by, whether they admit it or not

[overtheboarder 15]

She betta influence those nobodies 

[surfnoirswing 2,483]

All my favs stan her or have mentioned her as an inspiration in her interviews. And we can cite Adele too, probably as much as a fan as I am. And Lauren Jauregui as well, just to cite them! Basically Lana is the lowkey star that everyone listens to and is inspired by, whether they admit it or not

btw i know you're a MØ fan and I know she's a fan of Lana too. She dm'd me a few times on twitter and told me she loves her and her fav song is BTD <3

[annedauphine 34,697]

btw i know you're a MØ fan and I know she's a fan of Lana too. She dm'd me a few times on twitter and told me she loves her and her fav song is BTD <3

...You literally lived one of my biggest dreams ever. I can't even hide the fact that I'm jealous asf but this HOE will never notice me I am as we're speaking finishing up my Gone And Found video for uni! I love her so much, the two times I saw her there was Lana playing before and after the concerts... Hearing Cruel World and Ultraviolence right after No Mythologies To Follow was an experience I'll never forget

[Masochism 15,400]

why is this so true? lana is so legendary

[Thunder Revenant 20,719]

Cringeworthy Graham-post in 3 .... 2 ... 1 ....

[Wynwood 19,967]

i remember hearing that music videos were dying and now it wasn't only about performances and then bam lana got popular and then suddenly everyone became hipsters and artists are now all about imagery and cinematic crap

[Say Yes to Heaven 27,084]

Wow there's been so much tea spilled that it filled up my room!!

[surfnoirswing 2,483]

Obviusly I wanted to add that other big artists such as Adele, Birdy, Florence Welch also helped bring back to mainstream the more "toned-down" pop star image but Lana was for sure one of the biggest influencers.

[Ultra Violet 18,480]

So freakin true about every other indie newcomer using Lana as inspiration (NOT that thats bad, except for Halsey totally ripping of National Anthem with New Americana)

 

I kinda feel like Lana has united a lot of people with their music taste though,

like 2 main scenarios with Lana fans are either you listened to mainstream pop before and turned indie because of Lana, 

 or you listened to extreme alternative before (rock, metal, etc) and Lana then made you indie as well :'D

 

idk, without having listened to Lana first, i would not be listening to Marina and the Diamonds, Florence + The Machine, Halsey, and plenty of other indie/pop people. 

I would still be only listening to Evanescence, Linkin Park and Paramore. 

[evilentity 13,310]

LOL. Most people don't even know who she is.

[Melania 2,386]

not only made she alternative music popular again, she gave a complete new perspective on it.

She basically started it again.

 

She also heavily influenced fashion, for example 'Boho'. Everyone suddenly started to wear flowers and white flowy dresses.. i could go on and on.

Also the Lip thing, before it was kylie, it was lana.

 

 

her impact can even be seen on snapchat today with the flower crown.. who started it? exactly.

 

whether people know her or not, she's been giving not enough credit for everything she has done tbh.

[surfnoirswing 2,483]

not only made she alternative music popular again, she gave a complete new perspective on it.

She basically started it again.

 

She also heavily influenced fashion, for example 'Boho'. Everyone suddenly started to wear flowers and white flowy dresses.. i could go on and on.

Also the Lip thing, before it was kylie, it was lana.

 

 

her impact can even be seen on snapchat today with the flower crown.. who started it? exactly.

 

whether people know her or not, she's been giving not enough credit for everything she has done tbh.

lmao the snapchat thing is kinda extra but preach- and I've always thought the same about Kylie. She had kind of an obsession with Lana back in 2012/2013 and was even spotted wearing shirts with random pics of Lana on them. She obviusly idolized that kind of beauty and wanted to recreate it on herself with the pouty lips and long lashes

[Melania 2,386]

lmao the snapchat thing is kinda extra but preach- and I've always thought the same about Kylie. She had kind of an obsession with Lana back in 2012/2013 and was even spotted wearing shirts with random pics of Lana on them. She obviusly idolized that kind of beauty and wanted to recreate it on herself with the pouty lips and long lashes

yeah that snapchat thing was a reach

 

ah you're right i totally forgot that kylie had a lana phase.. interesting.

[graham4anything 2,859]

Yes, without question, it goes without saying.
 
The single most influential artist of the 2000-present (and beyond)
 
(whereas someone like Adele is the modern day Celine/Mariah/Whitney/ etc. (nothing wrong with that but not influencial in trailblazing, but following).
And Adele herself wished she was Lana...
Most interesting is, how most new artists name drop her, then attempt to make people forget they did
Taylor Swift is the single most influential country singer since Garth Brooks, changing the way Billoard charted the market, but she confiscates other artists then forgets to give them credit. (Other artists just seem to let her, and in their mind, are satisfied knowing her music is coming from them not her
 
The only other artist comparable to Lana is Gaga.
(and nothing wrong with liking both, or all of the women artists of the 2000-2017 and beyond. It is women that are leading the way.
Though by making her name in the dance field, Madonna directly led that way, so trailblazing wise, ah, no.
 
The males, by the way, Weeknd directly was influenced by Lana, ain't nobody can say otherwise.
 
Lana is the one and only female who transcends women/men and is one of the "boys".
So like I always say, Simon/Dylan/Leonard/Grateful Dead/ in the rock era, unique and influential, doing it her own way like they did it
 
completely unique
 
and record company people say "Get me someone Lana like, but someone we can control"
 

20 years from now, upon entry into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock Hall of Fame, credit will be given.

(and root for Weeknd next year at Grammy's, if wins the Album of year Grammy next year, she gets a Grammy too).

 
 
 
"SOMEWHERE BETWEEN SUNSET BLVD AND MULHOLLAND DR LIES HONEYMOON"
©g4a graham4anything
"LANA DEL REY WITH STRINGS ATTACHED"
©g4a graham4anything

[FredRed 4,542]

As the most famous person you've never heard of she really has established herself for the long term. Many times I Google Lana's name to see what may be happening currently. Often there is some review of a new or local artist somewhere and they will say this new singer has shades of Lana Del Rey or enters the same world inhabited by Lana Del Rey. It is now meant as a compliment, something to aspire too. It wasn't always that way.

[Constantine 4,072]

The way Taylor so shamelessly ripped off her sound and got away with it while also capitalised on the song to sell her album. My snake fave

[missdelreyxo 3,783]

in order for that style to appeal to the masses they needed a token snake like taylor to do so