New York University (NYU) students can study Lana Del Rey in a new course starting next month.
- READ MORE: Lana Del Rey’s ‘Blue Banisters’ review: a defiant and tender return
The Grammy winner is the subject of a new course at the university, titled “Topics in Recorded Music: Lana Del Rey,” scheduled to run Oct. 20-Dec. 8 at the Clive Davis Institute, and will be taught by journalist and author Kathy iandoli.
A course description (via diversity) states: “Over the course of eight critically acclaimed albums, the six-time Grammy-nominated artist has introduced a sad, melancholic and baroque version of dream pop, which in turn has helped push the sound (and vibe) of the mainstream change and reinvent music beyond the 2010s.
“Through her compelling imagery and her thematic attention to mental health and stories of toxic, damaged love, Del Rey provided a new platform for artists of all genders to create substantive ‘anti-pop’ work that could live in a mainstream once categorized as chewing gum .”
Earlier this year, the Clive Davis Institute also launched a new course on Taylor Swift.
The course began January 26 at the Davis Institute, part of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and lasted until March 9.
Taught by Rolling Stone‘s Brittany Spanos course covered “Swift’s development as a creative music entrepreneur, the legacy of pop and country songwriters, discourses on adolescence and girlhood, and the racial politics in contemporary popular music” (via diversity).
“This course proposes deconstructing both attraction and dislike to Taylor Swift through close reading of her music and public discourse in relation to her own growth as an artist and celebrity,” adds one description.
“Through readings, lectures and more, the class will delve into analyzes of teenage girlhood culture and politics in popular music, fandom, media studies, whiteness and power in relation to their image and the images of those who both preceded and succeeded them. We will also consider issues such as copyright and ownership, American nationalism, and the ongoing impact of social media on the popular music industry.”
Elsewhere, Lana Del Rey’s successor to last year’s Blue Banisters is “coming soon,” according to her manager Ben Mawson. The star released “Blue Banisters” in October 2021 and has only shared one new track since then – the euphoria Soundtrack contribution ‘Watercolor Eyes’.
Earlier this year, the singer was granted a restraining order against a man who allegedly stole one of her cars.
