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Lana Del Rey denies racism claims in new video after backlash to controversial Instagram post

‘I’m sorry that I didn’t add one 100 per cent caucasian person into the mix of the women that I admire’

Jacob Stolworthy
Monday 25 May 2020 13:55 BST
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Lana Del Rey discusses backlash on Instagram

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Lana Del Rey has continued to address the backlash she is facing for controversial remarks she made about other female artists on Instagram.

The original post saw the singer complain about the way her music is discussed compared to her fellow female artists, stating: “Now that Doja Cat, Ariana [Grande], Camila [Cabello], Cardi B, Kehlani and Nicki Minaj and Beyoncé have had number ones with songs about being sexy, wearing no clothes, f***ing, cheating etc – can I please go back to singing about being embodied, feeling beautiful by being in love even if the relationship is not perfect, or dancing for money – or whatever I want – without being crucified or saying that I’m glamourising abuse??????”

In this new clip, which lasts for six-minutes, the singer defended herself from accusations of racism by saying: “I’m super strong… you can call me whatever. I’m sorry that I didn’t add one 100 per cent caucasian person into the mix of the women that I admire. It really says more about you than it does about me.”

“I just want to say to all of the other women out there who are like me – good girls, good intentioned [women], who get f***ed up the a** constantly by the culture just because you say what you really mean, I am with you, I feel for you and I know you feel for me.”

She added: “I’m not the enemy, and I’m definitely not racist, so don’t get it twisted. Nobody gets to tell your story except for you.”

Del Rey continued by saying that there is “a need for fragility in the feminist movement,” adding: “When I mentioned women that look like me, I didn’t mean white like me. I mean the kind of women who other people might not believe, because they think, ‘Oh, well look at her, she f***ing deserves it’ or whatever. There are a lot of people like that.”

In an attempt to highlight in what specific she believes she is treated differently to other musicians, she said: “When I get on the pole, people call me a whore, but when [FKA] twigs gets on the pole, it’s art.

“I’m reminded constantly by my friends that, lyrically, there are complicated psychological factors that play into some of my songwriting, but I just wanna say that the culture is super sick right now, and the fact they want to turn my post, my advocacy for fragility into a race war, it’s really bad.”

She ended the clip by saying: “So God bless, and, yeah, f*** off if you don’t like the post.”

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