Lana Del Rey shocked sad Americana teenage girls all around the world on Aug. 13 when she casually dropped a snippet of her upcoming track with the caption “track 13” — which is rumored to be titled “All About Ethel.”

The lyrics consisted of direct jabs at Hayden Silas Anhedönia, who goes by the stage name Ethel Cain. “Ethel Cain hated my Instagram post/ Think it’s cute re-enacting my Chicago pose.” Later in the snippet Del Rey refers to the New York Times article written about Cain: “the most famous girl at the Waffle House/ I don’t regret it.”

The Lead-Up

In 2022, Del Rey posted a photo with then-boyfriend Jack Donoghue, a musician from the band Salem. The picture was taken outside Chicago’s Cook County Jail. Shortly after, Anhedönia posted a similar photo with Donoghue near a dam, captioned “ok wait my turn,” before deleting it. This incident is referenced in the snippet: “Think it’s cute re-enacting my Chicago pose.”

Previous to this, Hayden received many comparisons to Lana concerning her music. To which she responded in a 2022 tweet: “for the millionth time, i love and respect lana. i just think it’s lazy and a disservice to both of us to compare us and completely erase the nuance that we both put into our work. i have nothing bad to say abt her. she’s a legend. pls leave me alone!!” Anhedönia also stated she believes Lana’s music highlights the glamorous aspects of America, whereas Ethel Cain highlights the rural parts.

The aftermath

Within hours of the snippet going live, Ethel Cain posted on her Instagram story revealing Lana had blocked her.

When Pop Base reported on the incident, Del Rey commented under the post: “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 followed with: “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.”

The singer is referring to a post Cain uploaded depicting cartoon character Peter Griffin dancing to a song made by Lana.

Celebrities such as Nicki Minaj and Azealia Banks weighed in on the ongoing feud.

“I’ve been singing ‘Ethel cain hated my instagram post’ all morning. Help!!!!!

And something about the Waffle House & a picture w/some boy? But how can a melody & instruments & background vocals & the mixing be so good that I’m walking around all day talking about a person named Ethel who I do not know hating an instagram post I never even posted? HELP MEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!! I’m sure Ethel is a nice person. hums the melody again & drifts off into this somber state whilst looking off into the horizon”

Minaj posted this tweet on Aug. 15. The female rapper does not claim sides in this internet feud but certainly gathers more attention.

Shortly afterward, controversial rapper Azealia Banks weighed in. She posted “Everyone ganging up on Ethel Cain is transphobic” on Aug. 16.

Indie singer-songwriter Claire Cottrill, known professionally as Clairo, even got involved when she liked the leak Del Rey uploaded, which resulted in Cain unfollowing her. However, Cottrill unliked the post shortly after and Cain refollowed her.

Opinions

While both singers are highly controversial, it seems as if Lana is spewing this one-sided “beef” to divert attention from Ethel’s new album release.

Lana’s fan base is known to be one of the fiercest in modern-day pop culture, and they have not backed down since the posts were made. Her “stans” have come to attack Hayden’s gender identity, looks, music and more. Not to mention the fact Cain is a much newer artist and has far fewer fans than Del Rey.

While both singers seem to attract the same audience, the debate over who performs their niche better does not work. This is because they are two completely different types of musicians.

While they both sing about the Americana aesthetic, Lana sings about her experiences growing up on the East Coast and Hayden sings about growing up in the South. Not to mention the fact that Lana lived in a trailer park by choice, but Anhedönia did out of necessity.

Ultimately, the so-called feud between Lana Del Rey and Ethel Cain highlights quickly online narratives can escalate, how internet fandoms can weaponize others for celebrities they idolize, and how women in music are often pitted against each other despite occupying different creative spaces. Whether Del Rey’s track is a direct jab, or a publicity move, the controversy has drawn new attention to both artists, proving, a single leaked snippet can spark a viral spotlight overnight.