Any time I feel like I’m going to manically spiral into utter madness – which is pretty much every day as a high school student –  I put my Lana Del Rey records on and get blissfully lost in her lush, lilting delivery…the femininity of her aesthetic…the white bows, laces, and elegant look that make me want to levitate.

I may be biased, but she might be the most important artist of our time. She’s been releasing music since all she had was her computer and a vision. 

Quite often, we – and especially me – gravitate towards music we can relate to. It makes us feel seen. LDR is like that. When listening to all of her music, it fully immerses you in the story she is narrating through her lyrics. In her storytelling, she explores falling in love, heartbreak, and nostalgia; heck, she even dabbles in patriotism. Her music is utterly, absolutely gorgeous. 

One time I listened to “Video Games” 27 times straight while taking off for a flight to Baltimore until I ultimately had to shut it off since I wasn’t about to pay for the wifi (sorry Lana, blame Southwest). 

Back in September, I had the privilege to see her live in concert. Since that enchanting night, I haven’t been able to properly wrap my head around the fact that I got to be in the same space as Lana Del Rey for an entire two hours. She brought the crowd together to feel the most overwhelming and beautiful emotions all at the same time. I felt like the people behind me were some of my best friends, and we were all experiencing one of the most exhilarating nights of our lives.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, has the ability to make me feel what Lana Del Rey does. The feelings I go through when listening to her music are indescribable, but I want to keep feeling them over and over again until my body is physically unable. I am so grateful that I get to experience girlhood with Lana’s music holding my hand the entire way through.