(Image source: When The Gramophone Rings)
BY BRICE SANDER
It’s been a rough week for singer Lana Del Rey. The virtually unknown 22-year-old performed on Saturday Night Live a week ago Saturday and got a ton of blogosphere backlash for the less-than-stellar performance. Here’s a clip.
LANA DEL REY (SINGING): “And I know that love is mean, love hurts. I still remember that day we met in December. But I will love you ‘til the end of time.”
Everyone from NBC’s Brian Williams to actress Juliette Lewis lambasted Lana online. Web personalities like Michael Buckley wrote the singer off.
“Is having no stage presence the new stage presence? She has since replied to her critics- maybe she’ll become a big star and we can all suck it?”
But the UK’s Guardian says that’s exactly what’s going to happen -- noting Del Rey’s yet-to-be released album is now a top-seller on Amazon.
“…Lana Del Rey’s rise says much about the nature of modern fame in the US … the huge backlash to Del Rey is happening before her first album has even been released. This reveals a cultural obsession with the ‘authenticity’ that fans, artists and corporations all prize above all else.”
A Technorati blogger suggests her sudden fame reinforces the old notion “all press is good press.”
“…her status as a pariah of the music industry has granted her the support of scores of sympathetic teenagers, which is precisely the demographic Del Rey and her label are marketing to.”
But after Del Rey gave an interview saying she’ll never be a good live performer, Idolator isn’t so sure the singer can come back from her SNL stint.
“Why would someone – a ‘professional’ performer- ever, ever say this? To be self-deprecating? To be humble? Humble doesn’t work on a pop star, sweetie. You’re making it incredibly easy for South By Southwest-goers to skip over your show for someone/anyone else’s set.”
But if it’s any consolation, there’s always Ashlee Simpson’s SNL performance to make you feel better, Lana.
