Internet music sensation, and now it seems fully fledged pop star what with her EP debuting high on Itunes charts around the world, Lana Del Ray gave her first live television performance yesterday.
Taking to the stage on British music show Jools Hollland, Lana gave an emotive, if slightly fragile performance of the song responsible for the majority of her buzz, Video Games. It was a mesmerising rendition that though contained notes that sounded slightly off- whether this was due to artistic expression or nerves we'll have to wait for future performances to judge- it thankfully demonstrated that Lana Del Ray is capable of singing live, and that her voice really sounds as beautiful and unique as her recordings suggested it did.
With even veteran performers shying away from simple arrangements that leave no place for a voice to hide, Lana Del Ray took a real and gusty risk opting for such a simple and exposing arrangement at such a crucial performance. It's one that could have caused her train to mainstream success to derail if it had been bad, but that wasn't the case with Lana bringing the requisite goods, and as such it should only add to the growing hype and intrigue around the singer.
Whether Lana Del Ray is all smoke and mirrors, as people like those at Hipster Runoff are suggesting, we'll have to wait and see, but the truth is I don't really care either way. Its not her image or her authenticity that I'm buying into, but the quality of the songs she's put out so far. As long as she keeps releasing quality music I'm going to keep liking Lana.
