MUSIC

A Brand-New Song, and All the Snippets Lana Del Rey Has Released from "Norman F**king Rockwell"

Fans are calling this the "messiest" Lana era ever. But it also could be the best, judging by the quality of the music. Here's everything we know.

Photo by M. on Unsplash

In January 2019, Lana Del Rey told the world that her sixth album, Norman F**king Rockwell, was complete.

Since then, she's teased dozens of songs and visual clips—but the album's release date remains elusive, infuriating legions of devoted fans.

It's unclear whether the album is still undergoing a prolonged period of revision, if she's decided to scrap the whole thing, or if it's all beyond her control, though it's always hard to know with Del Rey, who has never been one to follow rules. Still, she's certainly given fans a fair amount of teasers to hold them over in the interim. Here's a timeline of every quote, whispered clip, and blurry visual we have so far.

In January 2018, in an interview withPitchfork, Lana mentioned that one of her newest songs was called "Bartender," and described it as "super weird."

Then on February 25, Del Rey uploaded a video that featured her hanging out with Jack Antonoff, prompting later-confirmed suspicion that they were working together on a new project.

On February 28, Del Rey visited the Ryan Seacrest Foundation, where she began writing a song called "Starry Eyed" on ukulele, which she promised to finish and dedicate to the foundation; it's also unclear whether this song will be on the album.

Live in Seacrest Studios with Lana Del Reywww.youtube.com

On March 5, 2018, Del Rey first teased the lyrics of a song called "Happiness is a Butterfly," a lullaby-like sigh of a track that has continued to reappear throughout Norman Fucking Rockwell's forked pathway to release. On March 30, she released a snippet of the song on Instagram, which she later removed and then un-archived.

On June 12, MTV released a list of upcoming albums, which featured an obviously false March 29 release date for Norman Fucking Rockwell.

A few months later, Del Rey teased and then premiered the psychedelic, Leonard-Cohen-quoting "Mariner's Apartment Complex," which was released on September 12.


Lana Del Rey - Mariners Apartment Complexwww.youtube.com

Then on September 18, she released the equally trippy, luxurious "Venice Bitch" on an interview with Zane Lowe for Beats 1. [links] Regarding the song's length, Del Rey said, "I played it for my managers and I was like, 'Yeah, I think this is the single I want to put out.' And they were like, 'It's 10 minutes long. Are you kidding me? It's called 'Venice Bitch.' Like, Why do you do this to us? Can you make a three-minute normal pop song?' I was like, 'Well, end of summer, some people just wanna drive around for 10 minutes [and] get lost in some electric guitar.'"

Lana Del Rey - Venice Bitchwww.youtube.com

In the same Zane Lowe interview, Del Rey also said, "Working with Jack [Antonoff], I was in a little bit of a lighter mood because he was so funny. So the title track is called 'Norman Fucking Rockwell' and it's kind of about this guy who is such a genius artist but he thinks he's the shit and he knows it and he, like, won't shut up talking about it… I just like the title track so much that I was like, 'OK, I definitely want the record to also be called that."

Several music sites later reported that these singles were "fan singles" and would not be on the actual album, though Del Rey has not confirmed this speculation.

Then on October 4, Del Rey posted an extended video of "How to Disappear," which she later deleted and subsequently unarchived.

On October 12, Del Rey posted a clip of her singing a song called "Cinnamon" on Instagram, which she later deleted and then reposted as well.

In response, a fan Instagram account posted a 2017 quote from an interview withPitchforkwhere Lana stated, "I had some people in my life that made me a worse person. I was not sure if I could step out of that box of familiarity, which was having a lot of people around me who had a lot of problems and feeling like that was home base. Because it's all I know. I spent my whole life reasoning with crazy people. I felt like everyone deserved a chance, but they don't. Sometimes you just have to step away without saying anything."

Del Rey commented on the post, "the quote [from Pitchfork] is a perfect quote to go along with cinnamon [sic]. Some people don't deserve a chance."

On October 30, Del Rey performed "How to Disappear" and "Venice Bitch" at an Apple special event in Brooklyn, a show that was widely praised by fans including CEO Tim Cook.

Lana Del Rey - How to Disappear and Venice Bitch Live at Apple Event 2018www.youtube.com

She also released the full audio for "How to Disappear."

On December 5, she officially announced the album's title at Jack Antonoff's concert for the Ally Foundation and performed two country songs which she announced would not be on the new album.

Lana Del Rey - Hey Blue Baby [Live at Ally Coalition Talent Show]www.youtube.com


Lana Del Rey and Jack Antonoff - Ally Coalition Talent Show “I Must Be Stupid For Feeling So Happy"www.youtube.com

On January 1, 2019, Del Rey posted a video of her singing along to a song called "In Your Car," featuring the lyrics "In your car / I'm a star / and I'm burning through you."

The next day, she posted the audio for her song "Hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have — but I have it."

Lana Del Rey - hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have - but i have itwww.youtube.com

Producer Jack Antonoff tweeted his support, advising fans to "listen at night alone."

Then on January 11, 2019, she released an extended clip of a video for "Happiness is a Butterfly," which used the same visuals she had previously released alongside teasers for "Mariner's Apartment Complex" and "Venice Bitch." The video, relatively dreary and mellow compared to Del Rey's earlier work, featured Ashley Rodriguez and Alexandria Kaye and was directed by Lana Del Rey's sister Chuck Grant.

On March 23, 2019, Del Rey performed "Mariner's Apartment Complex" live for the first time in New Orleans, taking to an onstage swing and thanking the audience for "indulging [her] little folk sensibility" in the process.

Lana Del Rey @ Buku 2019 (Mariners Apartment Complex, Video Games, High by the Beach)www.youtube.com

Most recently, on April 3, 2019, Del Rey posted a snippet of a song that fans have named "You Don't Ever Have To." Some fans speculated that it's a part of "In Your Car," but this remains unknown.

In the midst of it all, she also released a Gucci ad with Jared Leto and has been teasing a book of her poetry, periodically releasing haikus and typewritten pages and even putting out a call for indie bookstores who might want to sell it. When asked about the price, Del Rey said that the book will cost $1, because "my words are priceless."

It's anyone's guess as to when Norman F**king Rockwell will drop, but Del Rey has always been adept at draping all of her work in auras of mystery. She's a master of contrasts, always throwing critics for a loop by combining kitsch and rawness, strength and vulnerability, apathy and passion. She's also always been great at making us wonder about the extent to which her appearance and art have been meticulously manufactured.

Maybe she's leaving a paper trail of sorts that resembles her own fractured consciousness. Maybe she's painting our schizophrenic reality, one defined by upheaval and exponential technological innovation. Or maybe she's just a free spirit whose artistic vision "gets messy" when it comes in contact with reality, as a friend once said.

Regardless, judging by the quality of the fragments that we do have, when the album finally does appear, it'll have been worth the wait.


Eden Arielle Gordon is a writer and musician from New York City. Find her on Twitter @edenarielmusic.


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Music Features

K-POP for Dummies: An Introduction to Your New Favorite Genre

From BTS to BLACKPINK, learn the ins and outs of South Korea's most popular music genre.

BTS

Photo by Jordan Strauss/AP/Shutterstock

Western awareness of K-Pop music has come a long way since Gangnam Style first went viral on YouTube, but if the 2019 Grammy Awards were your first time hearing of BTS you have some catching up to do.

No worries, though! We got you covered. Allow us to take you on a journey into the musical genre that's taking over the world.

What is K-Pop?

K-Pop stands for Korean pop, a broad genre encompassing pop, rock, hip hop, R&B, and electronic music. The genre dates back to the 90s, during which similarly styled South Korean pop music was referred to as "Gayo." The movement was largely influenced by the group Seo Taiji and Boys, formed in 1992, who began experimenting with different styles and genres within their mainstream pop music. But it wouldn't be until the 2000s that the genre now known as "K-Pop" would fully come into its own.

In the same way, the songs blend many genres into one, K-Pop is a holistic experience. In spite of massive radio play, the actual songs are inseparable from their music videos, their dance numbers, and the personalities of their various group members. In K-Pop culture, fashion, choreography, and fandom are just as important as the music, so to fully understand the genre, you need to recognize its moving parts.

And what better way to do that than by checking out K-Pop's biggest group…

BTS

BTS (also known as the Bangtan Boys) is easily the most popular K-Pop group in history. While other K-Pop groups experience wild success, none can even approach the levels of BTS, especially on an international level. Their fandom is so huge that they've broken multiple records formerly held by the likes of Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber. They also have the most Twitter engagement in history.

In many ways, BTS is the quintessential ideal of a K-Pop boy band. They're so popular they've been called the modern-day Beatles, and as such, we can use them as a case study to understand the intricacies of the genre.

The Members

While some K-Pop stars are solo artists, most major acts are groups, usually put together by one of three major agencies – YJ Entertainment, SM Entertainment, or JYP Entertainment. These agencies are essentially all-in-one management firms for their artists, serving as record labels, talent agencies, concert producers, and event managers. Most commonly, the same agency will discover young talent, train them, group them, debut them, and foster their careers.

Competition is fierce within the K-Pop industry, and the artists who ultimately make it into major groups need to be multi-talented singers and dancers. They also need to synergize well with other group members. Of course, each member has an area of expertise.

RM (Rap Monster)

The group's leader, RM, lives up to his namesake. He's a talented rapper in his own right and was the first member of the group to release his own mixtape.

Suga

Suga also got his start in the underground rap scene and is especially well known for his rhyme speed.

J-Hope

J-Hope initially focused on dancing, but since joining the group, he's begun rapping and songwriting too.

Jimin

Having formerly attended art school to focus on modern dance, Jimin is considered by many to be the best dancer in the group. He's also the lead vocalist, or the best singer in the group aside from the main vocalist.

Jin

Known by his fans as "Worldwide Handsome," Jin is a sub-vocalist (or supportive vocalist).

V

Another one of the group's sub-vocalists, V is renowned for his smooth voice.

Jungkook

The "Maknae," or youngest member of the group, Jungkook is the main vocalist (best vocalist) and a constant presence onstage.

Choreography

Dancing is a huge part of K-Pop. The groups perform stylized dance routines in both their music videos and live performances. In fact, the dance routines are so important that groups like BTS oftentimes release "dance practice" videos so fans can watch their rehearsals.

Here's BTS's dance practice video for their hit song "IDOL."

[CHOREOGRAPHY] BTS (방탄소년단) 'IDOL' Dance Practicewww.youtube.com

As you can tell, the dance routines are fast, technical, and high-energy. Unlike a lot of Western boy bands, dancing isn't a secondary or tertiary concern. To pull off routines like these, K-Pop groups like BTS need to be at the top of their physical game.

Aesthetics

K-Pop is, above all else, an aesthetic art form. Music videos tend to be incredibly colorful and, artists are known for frequently changing their styles and outfits, allowing them to popularize new looks and fashions.

For instance, in their "Blood Sweat" music video, BTS donned fancy jackets and ascots, along with platinum blonde hair.

Then in "Fake Love," they adopted an artsy street punk vibe with lots of torn denim.

Finally, "Idol" shows an entirely fresh aesthetic with loud, bright suits and full bright hair to match.

The aesthetic choices translate throughout entire music videos, making each song look and feel incredibly distinct.

The Music

We can talk about K-Pop music all day, but there's no better way to learn about it than to experience it for yourself. At this point, you're familiar with BTS, and you've seen the dance practice and aesthetics behind "Idol." So let's see how it all comes together.

BTS (방탄소년단) 'IDOL' Official MVwww.youtube.com

As we said, words can't adequately prepare you for that―all the costumes, set changes, dance sequences, and energy pulsating throughout the video. It's not just great to listen to. It's great to watch. K-Pop is a full-on sensory experience. The craziest part is that each song offers something unique.

Other Groups to Watch

As amazing as BTS is, they're not the only K-Pop band. The genre has lots of other great acts too, so let's check a few of them out.

BLACKPINK

BLACKPINK - '뚜두뚜두 (DDU-DU DDU-DU)' M/Vwww.youtube.com

The 4-woman girl group, BLACKPINK, is currently one of the biggest names in K-Pop. The music video for their hit song, "DDU-DU DDU-DU," provides a great example of elaborate set pieces, fashionable outfits, catchy music, and fun dance segments.

BIGBANG

BIGBANG - FANTASTIC BABY M/Vwww.youtube.com

One of the most influential boy bands in K-Pop, BIGBANG's 2012 hit "FANTASTIC BABY" received unprecedented international airplay and is largely responsible for the genre's international spread. Its EDM style was considered groundbreaking at the time it came out and the hook―"Fantastic baby"―is arguably the most famous line of English in a K-Pop song.

TWICE

TWICE "LIKEY" M/Vwww.youtube.com

On the more poppy side of K-pop, Twice's "Likey" is the pinnacle of the cutesy girl group aesthetic famous in Korea. The bright colors and high school setting do a great job appealing to the target demographic of teens and young adults. And the focus on fashion and makeup connect exceptionally well with female fans.

Conclusion

K-Pop has a diverse, exciting, stylish culture full of diehard fans and groundbreaking music. Now that you've been introduced, we hope you'll enjoy the multitude of great songs the genre has to offer. But even if you don't like the music, here's something everyone can appreciate.

BTS's Jungkook is the most adorable human to ever live and is basically an anthropomorphic bunny rabbit. If that's not enough to make you love K-Pop, we don't know what is.


Dan Kahan is a writer & screenwriter from Brooklyn, usually rocking a man bun. Find more at dankahanwriter.com



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