Lana Del Rey: I'm Not Controversial

by UInterviewJanuary 27, 2012, 12:00 amNews >

The long-awaited debut album by Lana Del Rey, Born to Die, doesn't drop until Tuesday, leaving just a few more days to speculate how well Del Rey's polarizing internet presence — and universally ridiculed SNL performance — will translate into dollars and cents. Will the millions of fans who've been buzzing about Del Rey since last year pay up, or is the backlash surrounding her apparent inability to perform live going to cost her?

Del Rey, 25, for her part, doesn't seem too concerned about being caught in the crossfires. "I'm not a naturally controversial person," she told USA Today, adding that she's not personally fanning any flames: "I've only given about 10 interviews."

Whatever your opinions about Del Rey's talent, it's impossible to ignore that one of the main characteristics of her pop-hipster persona is a lack of strong feeling. So it's no surprise that she hasn't broken into tears over the uproar her SNL gig caused (celebs Juliette Lewis and Brian Williams both publicly criticized her). "[I was] a little nervous, but not more than usual," she admitted. "I didn't know it wouldn't be received well."

And how does she think Born to Die will be received, given that many of the songs deal with the darker sides of love and obsession? Again, she wriggles away from a strong opinion. "[T]hey're not all dark. Video Games has a melancholic feel, but the lyrics are happy."R

Watch Del Rey's Video Games video here: