Lana Del Rey wants the world to know she's in control of her own story.
On Friday night, the singer-songwriter shared a lengthy message in which she continued to defend her controversial comments about stifled self-expression and double standards within music. The original was deemed tone-deaf and racist, as Del Rey compared her struggle to other female artists like Beyoncé, Doja Cat, Nicki Minaj, and Kehlani—all of whom are women of color. However, Del Rey has maintained nothing about her message was racist and said she was simply "advocating for a more delicate personality" like her own.
Though she admits she could've provided more context, the artist tripled down on her defense Friday night, insisting anyone who was making her comments into a race issue were either "super Trump/Pence supporters or hyper-liberals or flip-flopping, headline-grabbing critics (who) can’t read and want to make it a race war." She said her issue was actually "with *female critics and *female alternative artists who are dissociated from their own fragility and sexuality and berate more sexually liberated artists like myself and the women I mentioned."
Del Rey refused to walk back her comments about self-advocacy "for the more delicate and often dismissed, softer female personality," and said such women would finally be heard and recognized "in what will inevitably become a new wave/3rd wave of feminism that is rapidly approaching."
"But in truth, making it about race says so much more about you than it does about me — you want the drama, you don't want to believe that a woman could be beautiful, strong and fragile at the same time, loving and all inclusive by making personal reparations or simply for the joy of doing it," she continued. "My aim and my message are clear. That I have control of my own story. If women I mention don't wanna be associated with me that's absolutely fine by me."
You can read her full message below.
According to Pop Crave, Lana Del Rey also unfollowed Ariana Grande.
Lana Del Rey unfollows Ariana Grande on IG after revealing she received “feedback” from “several people” she mentioned in her controversial post:
“Despite the feedback I’ve heard...whether it be Ariana or Doja Cat - I want to say that I remain firm in my clarity and stance...” pic.twitter.com/PEYr2psXHb
