Lana Del Rey Says the 'Ongoing Criticism' She Faced Pushed Her to 'Dig Deep' Ahead of New Album

"I've never felt the need to promote myself or tell my story, but if you're interested this album does tell it- and does pretty much nothing more," Del Rey wrote

Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey. Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

She's got that summertime reflection.

Ahead of the Wednesday release of her new single "Arcadia," Lana Del Rey shared a lengthy post about her upcoming album and how the "criticism" she's faced has led her to explore her family lineage and "dig deep."

"I guess you could say this album is about what it was like, what happened, and what it's like now. If you're interested go back and listen to the first three songs I put out earlier," she wrote, referring to tracks "Wildflower Wildfire," "Text Book" and "Blue Banisters." "They chronicle the beginning. This song hits somewhere in the middle and by the time the record drops you will hear where we're at today."

"As much as the ongoing criticism has been trying, it at least has pushed me to explore my own family tree, to dig deep, and to continue to exhibit the fact that God only cares about how I move through the world," she continued, referring to criticism she faced about a viral rant about feminism that many believed to be about race. "And for all of the skepticism about feigning fragility and unreasonable explanations of not showing general accountability- I must say I've enjoyed moving through the world beautifully- as a woman with grace and dignity."

Del Rey ended her post by thanking her friends who've stood by her side.

"Thank you to my friends over the last 18 years who have been an example of attraction not promotion," she wrote. "I've never felt the need to promote myself or tell my story, but if you're interested this album does tell it- and does pretty much nothing more."

In late May 2020, Del Rey was criticized for name-dropping female artists in a post where she said she was "fed up" with critics who say she "glamorizes abuse" in her music," adding that "there has to be kind of a place in feminism for women who look and act like me."

The Grammy nominee (born Elizabeth Grant) left one "last and final note on everything" in the comments, writing that when she said "people who look like me" in the context of feminism, she "meant the people who don't look strong or necessarily smart, or like they're in control etc."

And after she was criticized for saying that Donald Trump's presidency "needed to happen" in an interview, Del Rey clarified that the former President was "significantly impaired" and that he had a "lack of empathy."

"I'll say it again I don't appreciate the larger magazines taking my well-intentioned and believe it or not liberal comments out of context," she tweeted at the time. "It's actually what I sing about quite often. It's what I've been condemned for saying. You can listen to the entire interview."

Del Rey's upcoming album Blue Banisters follows the release of her record Chemtrails Over the Country Club in March and her Grammy-nominated LP Norman F—ing Rockwell! in 2019.

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