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Lana Del Rey Ethel

The Viral Feud Between Lana Del Rey, Ethel Cain and Nicki Minaj — Explained

Some fans think the tension might have to do with musician Jack Donoghue

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Lola Rabal—On August 14th, Lana Del Rey surprised her fans by sharing a preview of a new track that will be part of her upcoming studio album.
In the short clip, the singer makes a direct reference to Ethel Cain, a 27-year-old artist known for her melancholic and atmospheric style.

The snippet of ‘track 13’— which for now might be titled ‘All About Ethel’ — includes lines like: “Ethel Cain hated my Instagram post / Thinks it’s cute reenacting my Chicago pose.”
Another verse goes: “The most famous girl at the Waffle House.”

This seems to reference a 2022 New York Times article about Ethel Cain’s rise, titled The Most Famous Girl at the Waffle House. It’s also worth noting that Lana herself was seen ‘working’ (in uniform) at a Waffle House in 2023.

Just a few hours after the snippet started circulating, Ethel Cain revealed on Instagram that Lana Del Rey has her blocked on that platform.

Lana later explained her side in a comment: “I didn’t know who Ethel was until a few years ago. When someone brought to my attention the disturbing and graphic side-by-side images she would often put up of me next to unflattering creatures and cartoon characters making constant comments about my weight, I was confused at what she was getting at.”

She added: “Then when I heard what she was saying behind closed doors from mutual friends and started inserting herself into my personal life I was definitely disturbed.”
These statements seem to connect to previous comments Ethel made about people comparing her music to Lana’s, although there’s no public evidence of the alleged remarks about Del Rey’s personal life or appearance.

The Controversy Escalates

The situation escalated even more after an ironic message from Ethel Cain’s sister. She posted on Instagram:
“I can’t wait to watch your hologram perform this ‘diss track’ while you hit your vape backstage, diva. What inspired you to suddenly make a country album??”

Some fans think the tension might have to do with musician Jack Donoghue. The lines about Instagram and the “Chicago pose” could be referring to a photo Lana took with Donoghue in 2022. While Ethel had posted a picture with him back in 2021 (although she denied they were romantically involved).

To make things even messier, Clairo got dragged into the situation after she liked Lana’s video. Which reportedly led Ethel to block every artist who interacted with the post.

Nicki Minaj Joins the Conversation

Nicki Minaj didn’t take long to show her excitement about Lana’s song and replied to several tweets about it:
“And there ya have it. Lana has me singing about a person named Ethel Cain due to this DOPE melody, vocal & instrumentation. It just made me think how many times ppl were probably PROUDLY rapping someone’s name in one of my songs & had no clue who or what I was talking about.”

The situation got even more attention when a viral photo resurfaced of Ethel Cain at one of her shows, holding an American flag with Nicki Minaj’s face on it. Nicki reacted with humor and surprise: “What the hell? Is this real? Thank you, Ethel.”

The ‘All About Ethel’ preview has clearly sparked a new round of debate among fans. This it’s shaping up to be the start of a whole new chapter in the complicated relationship between these artists. All while the public waits for the full album to drop.

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