Lana Del Rey was all smiles in-studio with Kevin Manno today to talk about her upcoming album 'Norman F*cking Rockwell,' working with Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande and more!
"Norman F*cking Rockwell," Del Rey's sixth studio album, was produced in heavy collaboration with Bleachers musician Jack Antonoff and is set to drop this Friday (August 30th). Antonoff sought out Lana to work together after connecting at a party, but at the time Lana was on a break from writing music. It didn't take long after meeting up for them to make a creative connection...and the rest is history!
Jack and I met nine years ago in an elevator on our way in and out of Emile Haynie's little studio in New York. But I guess he was with FUN, but we didn't really say anything. We just waved at each other in and out of the elevator. But I hadn't seen him until maybe a year and a half ago when I met him. I met him at a party and he was like 'I know you have a day off tomorrow if you just come down to my home studio I feel like we would really...cook up something super cool.' I told him that I wasn't writing - it was one of the few times I wasn't doing anything. I hadn't even been down there for an hour and I was like, 'Wow, this guy.'
The album cover features Lana on standing on a boat with a man, reaching out towards the viewer with open hands. The man happens to be actor Jack Nicholson's grandson - Duke Nicholson. He's friends with "Summertime Sadness" singer's younger sister Chuck Grant and Lana felt he was someone who'd make her feel comfortable while shooting at sea.
We're very good friends...he's my younger sister's best friend. So we're with Duke a lot. He's just such a cutie and the reason why Ioved him because like, well he's younger. He's a super like safe, cool, funny personality...he's like a brother kind of. He was someone I just knew I would feel comfortable on the boat with.
One place that Lana Del Rey clearly feels comfortable going solo is on stage. She opened up to Kevin that sometimes her mind will wander during a performance, saying "I think about groceries. I think about, if I've left the house clean. Sometimes I'm really worried about hitting that highest note. I'm always a few steps ahead of myself."
Perhaps one day she'll share the stage with "Charlie's Angel" sound track collaborators Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus. The trio reportedly have recorded a track for the film, set to debut in a few weeks time. Originally having been asked to help write, she eventually laid down some vocals and even filmed a video together with the girls. They didn't get to watch the entire movie to pull inspiration, but film producers did allow Lana to watch three scenes.
The song's really cute. It's really cool. When I first heard it obviously I wasn't on it, it was just Ariana's parts. They wanted me to write something so...I kind of cut her verse into a halftime bridge and just sang some stuff over her choruses as well and then Miley jumped on. It's just really very spicy - a spicy little track.
Fans that follow Lana closely would remember that a few years back actor James Franco revealed that he was writing a book on her. If you're wondering when you might be able to give it a read - don't hold your breath. It appears that Lana wasn't the biggest fan of Franco's literary interpretation, mostly due to the fact it was filled with "fake conversations."
I thought it was cool that like...someone I really like was writing a book about me. But then I had read an excerpt of it. I wanna say the title was like 'Real And Imagined Conversations With Lana.' So having read it, we haven't really spoken all that much. I wasn't thrilled with the presentation. It was definitely a projection. So I had said to him maybe you should just write 'Fake Conversations With Lana Del Rey.'
She says that originally they were working on a collaborative book of poetry, but it changed somewhere along the way.
He had sent it to me and I was like...wait a minute, I don't think we talked about that. And he was like 'Well...I think we did.' And I was like 'I'm pretty sure we didn't.' If it ever comes out I mean...I will help people decipher what was really said. It was just kind of like an interesting twist. I think at the time we were talking about a more collaborative poetry book or something...and then it was like a weird story about me being like a freak.
Don't forget to download and stream 'Norman F*cking Rockwell' when it drops on Friday August 30th and keep in touch with MYfm on Instagram / Twitter / Facebook!