Wren Hess ’23
Lana Del Rey, a popular alternative artist, won artist of the decade this past December. The artist of the decade award only comes around once a decade and recognizes musicians from every category of music. Ranging from pop to country to rap, its diverse audience makes the competition high, and a lot can be at stake for the artists that are competing.
On December 4th, 2021, popular pop and alternative artist Lana Del Rey won the award, officially being named artist of the decade. Personally, Lana is one of my favorite artists and it’s been so inspiring to see her work finally get the credit it deserves. Starting with her very first album that was released, “Born to Die,” (2011), was her claim to fame. The music video for her song “Video Games” kickstarted this fame, which spilled into the rest of her career. I view Lana as more of a poet rather than a singer because her music is highly poetic and artistic. She does an amazing job at making music not only sound good but also something many people can relate to across all genres of music. Although her music is technically alternative, I think that everyone who listens to it can benefit, even if they don’t necessarily like alternative music.
Overall, Lana Del Rey’s hard work throughout the decade paid off this past December. Such as working with popular artists within the industry like Miley Cyrus, The Weeknd, and Ariana Grande. However, nothing compares to the title of Artist of the Decade. It is a good life lesson to keep working hard even if your effort doesn’t get recognized right away.