Plus, it feels like a kick in the face to an artist I love so much by continuing to circulate her content without her blessing and without any benefit. Looking back, I feel a sort of guilty about doing this consuming art without the consent of the artist feels like a sort of breach of trust. I know there are many who can say the same. Last year, in the midst of the pandemic, I downloaded a Google Drive folder of Del ReyРІР‚в„ўs unreleased songs and imported them as external files to my Spotify account so I could listen to them all the time. I have been an avid consumer of this media myself. TikToks, Instagram videos, and SoundCloud playlists filled with the songs are constantly circulated through subreddits and fan accounts. This arena, coupled with the ravenous tendencies of Del ReyРІР‚в„ўs fan base, means that the unofficial tracks pop up as the soundtrack to every kind of media. Or perhaps it is the fundamental desire of her fans to grasp, even loosely, the strings of a mystical musical being whose authentic self is so often obscured by the complicated world of pop culture in the 21st century.Р”Р„s the internet grows, the stage onto which leaked songs can take hold is ever-expanding. Why are Lana Del ReyРІР‚в„ўs unreleased tracks so coveted and so played? Perhaps due to her mysterious stage presence, or perhaps the way that her sound has evolved so much since her beginnings in the early 2000s. Others are simply not available in traditional places on the internet, like del ReyРІР‚в„ўs early album, РІР‚СљLana Del RayРІР‚Сњ from one of her original stage names, Lizzy Grant, which was released on CD and not converted to streaming when Grant became Del Rey. Most of them, according to a rumor, were released after a leak from an external hard drive taken when del Rey was staying in a hotel. Along with these songs, there are many-over 100-unreleased songs that continue to make her the giant she is without the recognition, money, or streams that traditionally released tracks garner.Р’В These tracks have amassed millions of streams on Soundcloud, despite lack of promotion or availability on traditional music streaming platforms. As an artist with eight studio albums, dozens of singles and several EPs, her music has left and will continue to leave an indelible impact on music and pop culture. Why would a cultural giant like herself quit social media?Р”Вespite her recent announcement, it is clear that Lana will never disappear. Like any announcement of a pop star with LanaРІР‚в„ўs fame, the announcement was met with anger and sorrow, along with confusion.

While she will continue to release music, and possibly poetry, her presence as a social media icon will cease. On an Instagram video last week, Lana Del Rey announced that she was deactivating all of her social media accounts to pursue other interests.

Lana del rey unreleased demos