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Lana Del Rey is crossing genres for her next studio album.
Del Rey revealed “we’re going country,” during the Billboard and National Music Publishers Association (NMPA) Songwriter Awards on Wednesday evening (January 31) in Los Angeles, California, Billboard noted in a report on Thursday (February 1). Del Rey said in a clip shared by a fan on TikTok, when she honored Jack Antonoff on stage: “We’re going country. I knew it, I said it, it’s happening. That’s what’s happening. And that’s why Jack has followed me to Muscle Shoals [Alabama], Nashville [Tennessee], Mississippi over the last four year”s to write our album coming out in September called Lasso.”
Lasso will be Del Rey’s 10th studio album. Her latest full-length project, the 16-track Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd, released last year. It adds to career-spanning hits like “Summertime Sadness,” “Say Yes To Heaven,” “Doin’ Time,” and others. The alternative-pop icon might have dropped a hint that she’d cross into the country genre when she debuted a stunning rendition of John Denver’s early 1970s classic, “Take Me Home, Country Roads.”
“What a good year,” Del Rey wrote in a caption on Instagram in December, announcing she’s “got a cover of Country Roads for ya. I think we’ve about covered all of those back roads in the last seven months and its really been somethin. But there’s so much more to see. And in the meantime. Thank you so much 🖤 Also Zach Dawes… Amazing production and recording as always. We love ya buddy.”
Around that time, Del Rey also posted photos from Memphis, Tennessee, where she took part in the Christmas at Graceland holiday special honoring music legend Elvis Presley at his home. The lineup also included Alanis Morissette, John Legend, and Post Malone, in addition to country artists .Kacey Musgraves, Kane Brown, Lainey Wilson and The War and Treaty (husband and wife duo Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter).
Del Rey, who was recently announced as a 2024 Coachella headliner, is nominated in several categories at the upcoming 66th Annual Grammy Awards, set for Sunday evening (February 4) in Los Angeles, California. She’s up for Album of the Year (Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd), Song of the Year (“A&W”), Best Pop Duo/Group Performance (“Candy Necklace” with Jon Batiste), Best Alternative Music Performance (“A&W”), and Best Alternative Music Album (Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd). See the full list of nominees here. The Grammy Awards, hosted by Trevor Noah, will air live from Crypto.com Arena from 8:00 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. PT.
Listen to Del Rey’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” here: