Lana Del Rey / Born to Die / Polydor / Dh74
Lana Del Rey / Born to Die / Polydor / Dh74

Has Lana Del Rey earned her 'gangster Nancy Sinatra' reputation?



Lana Del Rey is the most-talked-about new artist of 2012. But where most pop starlets court controversy – think of Katy Perry and her cheeky lyrics, Rihanna and her risqué stage attire, Lady Gaga and just about everything she does – it seems to stalk this 25-year-old singer. In fact, she’s battling a backlash before she’s even released an album.

She became a hip name to drop back in June, when she uploaded her track Video Games to YouTube. Apparently self-produced, its low-key video mixes webcam footage of the singer with archive clips of familiar American scenes: kids skateboarding, teenagers sunbathing, paparazzi snapping. Combined with the song itself – a tear-stained retro-pop ballad about a neglectful lover – the effect is mesmerising. "It's you, it's you, it's all for you," Del Rey sings, sounding sad and hopelessly obsessed.

Video Games became an online sensation – one that's now been viewed 20 million times – and then it became an old-fashioned hit.  Released as a single in October, it cracked the top 10 in France, the UK and Ireland and rocketed all the way to the top in Germany.

Del Rey has since professed surprise at its success. “I just put that song online because it was my favourite,” she explained in a recent interview. “To be honest, it wasn’t going to be the single but people have really responded to it. I get very sad when I play that song. I still cry sometimes when I sing it.”

However, the artist hasn’t been allowed to bask in her song’s popularity. The problem? Some pop commentators have claimed that she’s a phoney. One prominent blog even suggested that her plump, pouting lips may have been cosmetically enhanced.

To understand these accusations, it’s helpful to explore her background. The exotic-sounding Lana Del Rey actually spent her formative years as plain old Lizzy Grant. She was born in New York City on June 21, 1986, but grew up a five-hour drive away from the metropolis, in a remote town that she calls “the coldest place on earth”.

Her childhood was comfortable but solitary. “Growing up I was always prone to obsession, partly because of the way I am, but partly because I felt lonely for such a long time,” she admitted. “So when I found someone or something that I liked, I felt hopelessly drawn to it.”

This pattern, she conceded, probably “accounts for some of the creepiness in my music”.

After a spell at a Connecticut boarding school, ambition lured the teenaged Lizzy Grant to the city. Success initially proved elusive. “I’ve been singing in Brooklyn since I was 17 and no one cared at all,” she complained to one journalist. Indeed, it wasn’t until 2008 that she actually released any music.

By this point, Lizzy Grant was morphing into the eminently more marketable Lana Del Rey – whence stem those accusations of phoniness. Exactly whose creation was “Lana Del Rey”?

The answer to that question isn’t entirely clear. The singer is reluctant to discuss her stage name and persona – except to describe herself as a “gangster Nancy Sinatra”. But here’s what she said in a 2010 interview: “Lana Del Rey came from a series of managers and lawyers over the last five years who wanted a name that they thought better fitted the sound of the music. My music was always kind of cinematic, so they wanted a name that reflected the glamour of the sound.”

However, she also insisted that Lana and Lizzy are “the same person. I wish I could escape into some alter ego, just so I could feel more comfortable on stage, but I feel the same as Lana as I do Lizzy.”

What is certain is that her early recordings are no longer available to purchase. In 2008, the fledgling singer recorded an album with David Kahne, an experienced producer whose CV includes work by Paul McCartney and The Strokes. The record eventually received a digital release in 2010 – under the telling title of Lana Del Ray (sic) aka Lizzy Grant. However, two months later, it was deleted from the US iTunes store. Team Del Rey insist the decision wasn't driven by embarrassment. The singer was just anxious not to confuse her fans. The album may even re-emerge in the future as a compilation of B-sides.

But whether or not she was "created" – and by whom – there's no denying Lana Del Rey's appeal. Her new album, Born to Die, is an evocative collection of film-noir pop songs. Fresh yet retro, and as luscious as her lips, it's both melodically rich and lyrically nifty. "God you're handsome, take me to the Hamptons," she winks on a track called National Anthem.

If this is ear candy, though, it's the aural equivalent of dark chocolate. Its 12 tracks may have been culled from more than 70 written with a palette of collaborators, but Born to Die isn't disparate. The veil of American glamour rarely slips and there's a recurring theme of doomed, destructive love. For Lana Del Rey has a weakness for the bad boys. "My old man is a tough man, but he got a soul as sweet as blood red jam," she swoons on a song called Off to the Races. The subject of Million Dollar Man is hardly meet-the-parents material either. Her three-word assessment of his character: "Dangerous, tainted, flawed".

Naturally, when our heroine falls for her bad boy, she falls hard. Remember that doleful pledge from Video Games: "It's you, it's you, it's all for you"? That was just a surface scratch. On the album's closing song, This Is What Makes Us Girls, Del Rey reveals precisely how far she's prepared to go for love. "Don't you know we'd die for it? It's a curse," she sings.

In an early interview, the singer admitted that she’d experienced “a dark side to love”. “After I was sent away to school when I was 15, I had to start life on my own, so I began to look for that someone to hang on to,” she recalled. “And if it so happened that I found him, then there have been occasions in the past where I’ve been overtaken by my feelings.”

Even without this provocative subject matter, the controversy surrounding Lana Del Rey is escalating. Earlier this month she became the first artist in 13 years to perform on Saturday Night Live in the US before releasing a major label album. It was a peach of a promotional opportunity, but one that she squandered. Muddling through Video Games and Blue Jeans, the singer looked nervous and sounded under-rehearsed.

Twitter was bewildered. "Wow, watching this 'singer' on SNL is like watching a 12-year-old in their bedroom when they're pretending to sing and perform," wrote actress/singer Juliette Lewis.

Of course, the contrast between her shakiness onstage and confidence on record has only fuelled her critics' fire. Expect a full-on inferno when they dissect the self-mythologising lyrics on Born to Die. And then spot the names of several well-known professional songwriters in the album's credits.

But whatever help she’s had along the way, Lizzy Grant has certainly managed to amplify and glamorise her personal experience into the compelling music of Lana Del Rey. Is that being a phoney or being an artist?

Nick Levine is a freelance music journalist based in London.

Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

If you go
Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.
Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
Stree

Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Movies
Director: Amar Kaushik
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Shraddha Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Aparshakti Khurana, Abhishek Banerjee
Rating: 3.5

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
MATCH INFO

Euro 2020 qualifier

Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')

Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)

NYBL PROFILE

Company name: Nybl 

Date started: November 2018

Founder: Noor Alnahhas, Michael LeTan, Hafsa Yazdni, Sufyaan Abdul Haseeb, Waleed Rifaat, Mohammed Shono

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Software Technology / Artificial Intelligence

Initial investment: $500,000

Funding round: Series B (raising $5m)

Partners/Incubators: Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 4, Dubai Future Accelerators Cohort 6, AI Venture Labs Cohort 1, Microsoft Scale-up 

How to avoid crypto fraud
  • Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
  • Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
  • Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
  • Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
  • Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
  • Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
  • Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
The Sand Castle

Director: Matty Brown

Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea

Rating: 2.5/5

If you go...

Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.

Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50

German intelligence warnings
  • 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
  • 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
  • 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250 

Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution

Wicked
Director: Jon M Chu
Stars: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey
Rating: 4/5
Emergency

Director: Kangana Ranaut

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry 

Rating: 2/5

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%3Cp%3EDirectors%3A%20John%20Francis%20Daley%20and%20Jonathan%20Goldstein%3Cbr%3EStars%3A%20Chris%20Pine%2C%20Michelle%20Rodriguez%2C%20Rege-Jean%20Page%2C%20Justice%20Smith%2C%20Sophia%20Lillis%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
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%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog

Name: Younis Al Balooshi

Nationality: Emirati

Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn

Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Revibe%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Hamza%20Iraqui%20and%20Abdessamad%20Ben%20Zakour%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Refurbished%20electronics%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2410m%20%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFlat6Labs%2C%20Resonance%20and%20various%20others%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What is the FNC?

The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning. 
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval. 
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.