At first read, Lana Del Rey’s death wish seems taken out of context. But in her latest profile, the pop star on the brink of another smash album “Ultraviolence,” told The Guardian, “I wish I were dead already.” In context, her statement followed journalist Tim Jonze’s observation that the singer’s favorite artists, Amy Winehouse and Kurt Cobain, were both dead.
The ensuing exchange elaborated on Del Rey’s morbid comments: “I do!” she said after Jonze insisted she didn’t want to die. “I don’t want to have to keep doing this. But I am.” He asked her if she was referring to making music. “Everything. That’s just how I feel. If It wasn’t that way, then I wouldn’t say it. I would be scared if I knew [death] was coming, but …”
In an interview with the New York Times, Del Rey also discussed death and dying. “I love the idea that it’ll all be over,” she told Jon Pareles when asked about her videos’ explorations of death. “It’s just a relief, really. I’m scared to die, but I want to die.”
Del Rey’s assertions come at the heels of an interview she gave to Fader in which she said she was suffering a “medical anomaly that doctors couldn’t figure out.” At the time, she said, “I just feel really sick a lot of the time and can’t figure out why.”
“Ultraviolence,” due out June 17, features tracks with titles like “Cruel World,” “Sad Girl” and “Fucked My Way To The Top.” Read more on Lana Del Rey over at The Guardian and the New York Times.
