Kylie Rancor
Lana Del Rey fans have been eagerly awaiting new music from the singer after her 2019 album Norman F—king Rockwell. And on Sunday, Del Rey finally revealed the cover for her next studio album, Chemtrails Over the Country Club.
“There’s always turmoil and upheaval and in the midst of it- there’s always beautiful music too introducing my new album chemtrails over the country club,” she wrote on Instagram.
But almost immediately after dropping the cover reveal, Del Rey made the confusing decision to, it seems, preemptively defend herself against potential backlash.
In a rambling comment to her own post, Del Rey appears to be anticipating criticism for going out of her way to be inclusive on the cover, as a response to previous accusations of racism.
“And no this was not intended—these are my best friends, since you are asking today,” she wrote. “And damn! As it happens when it comes to my amazing friends and this cover yes there are people of color on this records picture and that’s all I’ll say about that.”
Unfortunately, it wasn’t all the “Summertime Sadness” singer had to say about that.
“In 11 years working I have always been extremely inclusive without even trying to,” she continued.
“My best friends are rappers my boyfriends have been rappers. My dearest friends have been from all over the place, so before you make comments again about a WOC/POC issue, I’m not the one storming the capital, I’m literally changing the world by putting my life and thoughts and love out there on the table 24 seven. Respect it.”
Y-I-K-E-S.
Obviously no one is accusing Lana Del Rey of being a MAGA rioter, but a lot exists in the space between “violent insurrectionist” and “perfect, non-racist angel.”
If there’s anything people should have taken away from last year and all the Black Lives Matter protests and Karen videos, one would think it’s that unconscious bias and stereotyping have roots in, and feed into systemic racism.
Last year, Del Rey was accused of making racially insensitive comments that suggested she faced more criticism for being “anti-feminist” than a number of Black female singers like Doja Cat and Nicki Minaj. She got incredibly defensive in her responses, and, with this new post, only seems to have doubled down on that stance.
Even her biggest fans are having a hard time defending her lengthy and confusing “explanation” comment on Instagram, and not for the first time.
Despite pleas from her fans, Del Rey has not deleted her comment on Instagram — not yet, anyway.