Over the years, Lana Del Rey has been accused of many things. Since the release of her major label debut album, Born To Die, some critics have claimed she glorifies abusive relationships, and others have accused her of cultural appropriation through her sound and fashion choices.
Many of Del Rey’s critics rehashed these criticisms back in March of 2021, upon the release of her seventh album, Chemtrails Over The Country Club, on the cover of which she is seen surrounded by mostly white women. Seven months after the release of Chemtrails, Del Rey released her eighth album, Blue Banisters, following minimal promotion.
In an interview with Rolling Stone UK, Del Rey said she released Blue Banisters as a way to explain herself amid the accusations of cultural appropriation and glorifying domestic abuse.
“I was just like, ‘Let me try and write an album that maybe could explain why, if that was true, let’s say, I could potentially identify with certain modes of operating,’” she said. “So, Blue Banisters was more of an explanatory album, more of a defensive album, which is why I didn’t promote it, period, at all. I didn’t want anyone to listen to it. I just wanted it to be there in case anyone was ever curious for any information.”
It appears Lana came as close to reaching the goal of nobody listening to the album as somebody as famous as she is could: It’s her lowest-charting major-label album, her only one to not peak within the top three spots of the Billboard 200 chart.
