Image Source: Tips Make, UAE News, The New Zealand Times, Variety
Variety’s fifth annual Hitmakers Brunch was held on Saturday, i.e., December 4, 2021, at the open-air City Market Social venue in downtown Los Angeles. Peacock and "Girls5eva" presented the event, and 300 people who attended the event were supposed to provide proof of vaccination and a negative COVID test within 72 hours.
During the ceremony of the 2021 Variety Hitmakers Brunch, singer Lana Del Rey was presented with the "Decade Award" by her "Wildflower Wildfire" collaborator Mike Dean.
On accepting the honor, Lana said, "My managers helped me up the stairs. I still haven’t mastered the art of walking in heels. I’m super grateful to Ben Mawson and Ed Millett for this award. I’m really glad that they’re here with me. They picked me out of the bar scenes and lounge singer scenes that I had been singing in for about eight years before I met them. They got me out of a deal I made for 11 records for nine grand while I was working at a restaurant and living in a trailer park. Ben did that in one hour, and then the next day he flew me to London and let me live with him. I wrote "Video Games" in a year and was ready to make good records. I was ready to make a lot of records. Thank you, Variety. I’m really always grateful for any acknowledgment, and also super grateful for all the criticism—I get a lot. What’s good about it is that I believe what’s reflected in you is in some way a mirror of what’s going on in your inner life. It’s given me a huge opportunity to look inward and to look at my family of origin, my lineage, and see what’s going on up there. I want to take a minute and think about my grandma, who fell ill two days ago. Any of the lightness and funniness and goodness in me, I pretty much specifically got from her, so I’m hoping she takes a turn for the better back in the North Country before I get there. I’ve been very lucky to follow my muse for the last 18 years since I was 18. That has sometimes led me away from music and into other mediums and job opportunities that have nothing to do with the arts at all. I’m very flexible, and what I’ve come to understand is that if you follow what you’re interested in, you’ll end up being the most creative in that field. Even if you get a 9-5 after you get the decade award, you need to do what feels right. I always like to say that the way I live my life is my poetry, my lovemaking is my legacy, and I get to make music in between".
During an interview with Variety, the singer reflected on her career and said that she cannot comment on what extent she has influenced anything or anyone, but she mentioned that she can say that her creative cosplay (notes from her life) has helped her to widen the sound of popular music for people to depart from a pure pop sound to something more diarist. Lana concluded the interview by stating, "My proudest achievement is continuing to uphold my personal truth in a time when truth is often questioned and rarely valued."
On the red carpet of Variety’s fifth annual Hitmakers Brunch, Lana Del Rey expressed her desire to work with the Migos, out of all her favorite artists. Lana said, "I love them. Everything they do. There was kind of a new revolution in sound 11 years ago in the singer-songwriter community, which I loved seeing. And then with Migos, I think they kicked off a new, super fun, super autobiographical, completely different style of rap. I love them. "
Lana Del Rey’s eighth album, "Blue Banisters," was released in October. Image Source: Wonderland Magazine
Lana Del Rey’s eighth album, "Blue Banisters," was released in October and received a positive response from the critics as well as the audience. She took a break from social media to focus on her music. The A.V Club's Tatiana Tenreyo stated that "Blue Banisters is a reminder that when the singer-songwriter is in charge of her vision and fully taps into her emotions, she's still capable of crafting breathtaking beauty."
Variety's senior culture and event editor, Marc Malkin, and senior entertainment writer Angelique Jackson hosted the red carpet event, while senior correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister and awards editor Clayton Davis reported from the Variety Studio. The 2021 Variety Hitmakers Brunch in Los Angeles was streamed on Amazon Music's Twitch Page. The Variety Hitmakers Brunch event is held in honor of the writers, producers, publishers, managers, and executives who helped in making and breaking the 25 most consumed songs of the year.
