Her career has been unusual in many ways. In a white tank top and denim cutoff shorts, makeup-free save for her Bambi lashes, she’s a warm and friendly host, offering a cup of kombucha or a perfect red apple from a bowl on the table, spinning Joni albums to fill the space with sound. With a little downtime between appearances promoting the record, including her upcoming concert at the Hollywood Bowl, she’s been taking pleasure in doing mundane things: grocery shopping, arranging flowers, catching up on reality TV.
She may have originated in New York as Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, but Lana Del Rey has become the preeminent modern practitioner of the California sound - the dreamy, psychedelic style associated with El Lay acts like the Mamas and the Papas and Fleetwood Mac.ĭel Rey, 34, recently released her sixth album, “Norman F- Rockwell,” to nearly unanimous critical acclaim. It’s exactly the kind of idyllic spot in the cradle of L.A.’s ‘60s and ‘70s folk scene - the onetime home of her hero Joni Mitchell - where you’d expect to find one of the world’s most dedicated California music enthusiasts. Just off Laurel Canyon, up a long, rickety flight of outdoor stairs, Lana Del Rey is puttering around the kitchenette of a rented luxe cabin, while a couple of her musician friends hang out on the porch.
