In what seems to be a pure money grab, Lana Del Rey is expected to release her first “country” album, titled “Lasso,” this September.
At a pre-Grammy event hosted by Billboard last night in Los Angeles, Lana Del Rey informed the crowd that her tenth studio album is officially on the way. However, what came next probably shocked fans (or maybe it didn’t, at this point… I don’t really know).
“If you can’t already tell by our award winners and our performers, the music business is going country. We’re going country. It’s happening.
That’s why Jack has followed me to Muscle Shoals, Nashville, Mississippi, over the last four years.”
The Jack person Lana is referring to is Jack Antonoff, lead singer of the rock band, Bleachers, and a massive record producer who has previously worked with Lana in the past, as well as with Taylor Swift.
In Lana’s defense, yes, country music is just about as popular as it’s ever been, with artists such as Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs and Zach Bryan leading charge. We’ve also seen plenty of crossover hits and collaborations over recent years. Does that mean anyone can just sing country? The answer is typically no but I guess we’ll find out…
This won’t be the first time Lana has dabbled in the genre, however. She released a cover of John Denver’s “Country Roads, Take Me Home,” back in December and also sang alongside Lukas Nelson at The Ryman in November. While that’s not enough to warrant a full-blown country record in my opinion, she’s not a complete stranger to the scene.
Lana is currently nominated for five Grammy awards, set to air this Sunday, February 4th, at 8pm EST on CBS and Paramount+. Check out her cover of Country Roads here: