In a new, periodically mind-blowing interview with Pitchfork, Lana Del Rey opened up a lot more than she has in other recent dicussions. Among other topics, she candidly discusses her critics, writing protest music in the Trump era, working with Stevie Nicks and Sean Lennon, and how “on the nose” she knows the cultural references in her songs are (“Yeah, I’m a hipster. I know it. Got it.”)
She also offered her assessment of her influence on pop music of the moment. The likenesses she hears to her mournful, emotionally open, noir-chic stylings on contemporary radio goes beyond the kind of acts one might expect to hear cited–the likes of Lorde, Tove Lo, and Halsey, perhaps. Responding to a question about Lil Uzi Vert, she seemed certain that the Philly street-rap star is a Born to Die fan as well:
Q: Have you noticed that all songs on the radio are bummers now? That Lil Uzi Vert lyric—“All my friends are dead”—sounds almost like a Lana lyric.
A: There’s been a major sonic shift culturally. I think I had a lot to do with that. I do. I hear a lot of music that sounds like those early records. It would be weird to say that it didn’t. I remember seven years ago I was trying to get a record deal, and people were like, “Are you kidding? These tunes? There’s zero market for this.” There was just such a long time where people had to fit into that pop box.
It’s worth noting that Lil Uzi, whose associate Playboi Carti appears on Lust for Life, did once release a song called “Monee Del Rey,” which may or may not be a reference to the name of the singer, in 2014. Del Rey’s fourth major-label LP, Lust for Life, is officially out Friday, but–to Lana’s chagrin–it’s already leaked.
