Lana Del Rey has dropped some new details about her upcoming album Lasso, which is due out in September.
"If you can’t already tell by our award winners and our performers, the music business is going country," the star said during a pre-Grammy event in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Jan. 31.
She was flanked by acclaimed producer Jack Antonoff, who's been working with her on the new record.
"We’re going country. It’s happening," Del Rey said. "That’s why Jack has followed me to Muscle Shoals, Nashville, Mississippi, over the last four years."
'The music business is going country,' the singer said in a speech announcing the new record.
The stylistic shift wasn't totally unexpected for Del Rey's biggest fans. She's long been a fan of mid-20th century Americana.
The singer also released a pensive cover of John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads" last year. It came after she wrapped up a brief tour of the American South with a stop in Charleston, West Virginia. The original track was named the state's official anthem in 2014 and was inducted into the Library of Congress last year.
One fan posted a video of Del Rey and Antonoff performing her unreleased 2018 acoustic track "Hey Blue Baby" to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. In the lyrics, the singer name-dropped Hank Williams and spoke about pickup trucks, dirt bikes and playing live at a local bar.
Excited fans also shared their thoughts in the comment section of Del Rey's most recent Instagram post.
"So pumped for lasso," one person said. "We won y’all country album will COMPLETE everything."
Last year was a big one for country, with artists like Zach Bryan, Luke Combs and Jelly Roll popularizing the genre outside of its traditional fan base and increasing its influence on other corners of the music world.
The album due out in September will be produced by Jack Antonoff.
Del Rey's speech at the pre-Grammy event also included many kind words about Antonoff, who's also worked with stars like Taylor Swift, Lorde and Carly Rae Jepsen.
"There's really no place to start with Jack," she said. "It's anything but like to be nominated for Producer of the Year five years in a row."
The upcoming LP will come less than two years after the singer's most recent album Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, which Antonoff also produced.
Del Rey released a cover of John Denver's 'Take Me Home, Country Roads' late last year.
The Americana-heavy record made it to No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the album charts in the U.K., Ireland, New Zealand and Australia.
It was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Alternative Music Album ahead of the 2024 Grammys, which are set to air at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 4. Her single "A&W" is up for Song Of The Year and Best Alternative Music Performance. Another track off the album, "Candy Necklace," a collaboration with Jon Batiste, has been nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
Del Rey has been nominated for 11 Grammys over the course of her career but has never taken one home.
She first became a household with the release of her 2012 album Born to Die, which made it to No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Her 2014 follow-up made it to No. 1 on the chart. So did her the singer's 2017 record Lust for Life.
