Photo: Kevin Winter / Getty Images
Lana Del Rey may just have released her sixth studio album, Norman Fucking Rockwell!, but she's already thinking about new music. In a feature-length interview with the Los Angeles Times, published this morning, the singer says that she's been plotting out a "concept covers album" called Pacific Blue in the back of her mind. "It would be a very low-key thing, like acoustic Beach Boys stuff, Elvis, Chris Isaak," she tells the Times' Molly Lambert. "People usually think your career is over when you record a covers album or a Christmas album. But my musician friends and I are always playing covers. We could probably do that album in a week."
Del Rey is also forthcoming about her mini post-NFR! Twitter controversy, in which she replied defensively to a (mostly glowing) review from revered music critic Ann Powers. ("There’s nothing uncooked about me," Del Rey wrote at the time. "To write about me is nothing like it is to be with me. Never had a persona. Never needed one.") Del Rey now says she took particular issue with what she saw as an insinuation that she'd been abused as a child.
"[Powers] said that I’d overcome something," Del Rey tells Lambert, "and the way she said it one can only assume she meant I’d overcome child abuse. I’m like, 'Don’t bring kids into it. Even if it’s me.' And I’ve never said anything about that.
Asked if she thought about contacting Powers personally rather than replying on Twitter, Del Rey says that she did not: "By the way, I didn’t know she was a big journalist. It probably would have been a good time to exercise some restraint. But I felt that she wasn’t taking me seriously. My album’s not good because I overcame things from my childhood. It’s good because the melodies are great, and because I have a natural-born ability to put words together."
Elsewhere, Del Rey talks about her rumored relationship with reality TV personality and real-life police officer Sean “Sticks” Larkin. "Well, the thing is, he’s a good cop," Del Rey says. "He gets it. He sees both sides of things."
It's really worth reading the interview in full over at the L.A. Times.
After “Norman” came out to glowing reviews, you took to Twitter to criticize a piece written by NPR Music critic Ann Powers, a longtime champion of female artists. Your fans then trolled her. Why did you choose to go that route?
First of all, and this is very me, there were a million beautiful reviews that I didn’t read. And then I randomly see this one thing. In the piece, she said that I’d overcome something, and the way she said it one can only assume she meant I’d overcome child abuse. I’m like, “Don’t bring kids into it. Even if it’s me.” And I’ve never said anything about that.
Was she writing about your use of Lolita imagery?
One can only assume. I’ve put a lot of stuff out there on the table. But I’ve been very appropriate in other ways. I’m not throwing everything out there on the table for a reason. Mostly because my family is big and they’re here. I don’t go there. So it’s like, “Why do you think that you’re going to be the one to put that out there?”
Did you think about reaching out to Powers instead of clapping back on social media?
No. By the way, I didn’t know she was a big journalist. It probably would have been a good time to exercise some restraint. But I felt that she wasn’t taking me seriously. My album’s not good because I overcame things from my childhood. It’s good because the melodies are great, and because I have a natural-born ability to put words together.