She’s the Coney Island Queen, Brooklyn Baby, Venice B*tch, Sparkle Jump Rope Queen, Lizzy Grant, a.k.a Mother—Lana Del Rey. Lana has been one of the most influential artists of our time with her lyricism, character, and angelic voice. I had the honor to see her in concert on September 29th and I would not only like to share my experience but also my perspective of Miss Lana Del Rey.
Lana’s music is so personal to me because not only did her music help me out of a rough patch of my life, but it also encouraged me tap into my divine feminine and begin my self-growth journey. I vividly remember my first time truly listening to her (not just “Summertime Sadness” or “Video Games” back in 2012). Anyways, some background, it was 2020 and at this point in life I had just recently been dumped by a guy that I believed cared for me more than he truly did. It was my first romantic rejection and let me tell you it stung, and not just for a few days but for months. Rejection isn’t fun, but that’s a topic for another time. At this moment I was ready to move past that lingering feeling that I wasn’t good enough for real love. So naturally, I was like okay, let’s try out this Lana Del Rey that people speak so highly of.
As I floated around the pool on a hot day in July, the speaker next to me filled my ears and veins with her heavenly voice. I’m not exaggerating when I say her songs and lyrics made chills run down my spine. The songs were so beautiful, melancholic yet so empowering as a young woman. And for the first time in months I felt like a queen. All feelings of rejection and hurt dissipated. I was left with confidence and excitement for who I was and who I was becoming. It may sound cheesy but this moment altered my life. I can honestly say I haven’t been the same since I started listening to Lana. Instead of acting as a child, I began to act like a woman. Since then I have learned so much about myself and have continued to push the boundaries of my comfort zone. I swear Lana’s lyrics are encoded in my DNA—she and her lyrics live within me.
Now you know why Lana is so special to me, so you can imagine that seeing her in concert was absolutely unreal. I think my soul actually flew to heaven. She was so angelic and magnetic. Listening to her songs live where I could really feel the energy was beyond words. Just a side note–her voice is most definitely as good live as it is on the recorded tracks, perhaps even better because you can feel and witness the emotion behind her lyrics. Also, shoutout to Melodye Perry, Pattie Howard, and Shikena Jones for their melodic background vocals during the concert. It was so special to hear the power they added to the songs. I have to say the entire concert was a highlight, however, I especially loved her performance of “Hope is a Dangerous Thing…” because she created a visual of the lyrics. It felt as though I were watching a play at a theater rather than a concert. So surreal, beautiful, and personal. I am so lucky to have witnessed such a lovely piece of art. I also cannot forget about the Ride monologue which brought a sense of nostalgia as it combined clips from her past music videos with a poem of hers. I hope every Lana fan has the chance to see her in concert because it is an experience to cherish.
As James Franco once stated in an interview, Lana isn’t made for this earth. She and her music are a piece of art, almost otherworldly. If your ears have yet to be blessed by Lana’s music, below I listed a handful of my personal favorite songs. In all honesty, I love just about all of her songs, these are some that stand out in my mind.
- “Happiness is a butterfly”
- “Cherry”
- “Thunder”
- “Dance Till We Die”
- “Fingertips”
- “Venice B*tch”
- “Mariners Apartment Complex”
- “Pretty When You Cry”
- “California”
- “If You Lie Down With Me”
- “Freak” (the first song by Lana that I liked!)
- “Ultraviolence”