Before what will hopefully be a very celebratory Coachella headline set this weekend, Lana Del Rey is dialling things back to a thornier time in her career.
The star, who tops the bill at the Californian festival tomorrow (April 12) and next Friday (19), has joined the plethora of artists decorating the road to Coachella with billboards advertising their sets and songs. Where other acts, like Sabrina Carpenter, have opted for flirty, funny advertising boards, Del Rey is playing things a little differently.
Instead, the musician is sardonically nodding back to the start of her relationship with fans, critics, and the mainstream. “Has anyone else died for you?” reads the billboard, the image of a blood-red cross layered beneath its query. In the bottom right-hand corner, it offers a big clue as to what it’s referring to: “Lana Del Rey SNL Jan 14 2012.”
🎡| Lana Del Rey’s Coachella Billboard can now be spotted on the road to the festival 👀 pic.twitter.com/l54rfBja2y
— Season Of Lana (@SeasonOfLana) April 11, 2024
When Lana first appeared on SNL in 2012, the star was heavily criticised for her vocals. A few weeks later, SNL parodied the performance, with Kristen Wiig playing Del Rey. The backlash continued to follow her, and last year, she hinted that the feedback had prevented her from doing more live TV performances.
She has long since redeemed herself from that moment over a decade ago, but her Coachella 2024 headline performance should be another reminder of Lana’s talent and power.
If this tongue-in-cheek send-up of a less positive moment in her career hasn’t got you excited about Del Rey’s performance, maybe this will. The star has reportedly confirmed on Instagram that she will have multiple guests join her during her set.
Lana confirms that there will be MULTIPLE guests this friday during her Coachella set. Who do you guys think she will bring out? 👀 pic.twitter.com/0oK9wTc1EM
— Reda (@redadelreyy) April 11, 2024
There’s a wealth of possibilities for who they might include – The Weeknd, A$AP Rocky, Father John Misty, Jon Batiste, Jack Antonoff, Stevie Nicks, Tommy Genesis, and more. But the big one fans are speculating about is Taylor Swift, who is rumoured to be making an appearance somewhere at the desert festival this weekend.
READ MORE: Lana Del Rey’s 10 most underrated songs
