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Illustration by moi. |
"It" girl of the moment Lana del Rey has taken the music and fashion world by storm. Hailed as a "self-styled gangsta Nancy Sinatra", she's enjoyed chart-topping success with her album, Born to Die and has already graced the cover of UK Vogue after having barely long been in the public eye.
Love or hate her, she's certainly made an impact, all doe-eyed with her tumbling auburn tresses, bee-stung pout and incredible, throaty voice. Whilst I put my hands up to enjoying Born to Die and Video Games, I ultimately found the rest of the album dull, repetitive and depressing. Don't get me wrong, I like her voice but this music doesn't do it for me. Hats off to her for writing all of her own material, though.
She was recently praised (to the dismay of her critics) by Jimmy Lovine, legendary music producer and head of Interscope Records, he controversially claimed: "Lana Del Rey's voice haunts me the way Stevie Nicks' did". I think people are getting the wrong idea, Lovine didn't in any way say her voice was as "good" as Stevie Nicks', he merely claimed that it was as "haunting", which is entirely different. If anyone is wondering who Stevie Nicks is, she was the front woman for Fleetwood Mac and has one of the greatest, most powerful voices I've ever heard in my life.
Music aside, I am absolutely taken by LDR, the character, the image. Whilst many may debate that her rise to fame is all down to daddy and his millions, buying her way to the top. I disagree. To me she appears modest, charming and intriguing, with her cryptic tweets and softly-spoken voice.
Her look combines sixties siren, california cool and nineties grunge with a contemporary twist; an unlikely combination that works only too well in her favour. Del Rey was a breath of fresh air from the moment I saw photos of her in the Mail Online, papped shopping in New York. She was clutching two handbags, loving life in her blue jeans, Ferrari bomber jacket, back-to-front cap and python pumps, yet still magically pulling it off. How does she do it?