Pop artist Lana Del Rey has had a busy year, hosting an extensive tour across the United States, in support of her most recent album release Norman Fucking Rockwell which debuted in September. Despite the singer’s prolific releases, she has no intention of slowing down, and will be releasing a spoken word album, with half of the proceeds set to go toward Native American organizations

“I had a thought for a while about how I wanted the album to be around a dollar because I just love the idea that thoughts are meant to be shared and that they were priceless in some way, and there was a second part that I’d been thinking of before releasing it which was that I wanted half of what the spoken word is going for to benefit Native American organizations around the country, whether it was for preserving their rights or trying to help keep their land intact,” the performer explained.

The singer is known for her numerous references to a nostalgic United States and its history, which she often blends with her own unique experiences. She explains this latest project, and the decision to donate the proceeds as a “reparative act,” which was done because she felt it would accurately express her experiences.

“I had wanted to do it because in doing my own work in connecting to my family lineage, I was encouraged to also try and connect with the country’s lineage—this was a while ago—and it kind of informed the next album that I’ve been working on. And I just really wanted to sort of pay homage to this country that I love so much by doing my own reparation, I guess I would say, my own reparative act,” she explained. “I know it’s an unusual choice, and I have no reasoning for it other than it just feels right to me, so as long as my spoken word album is distributed, half of it will be going to Native American organizations across North America.”

Two of the performer’s songs from Norman Fucking Rockwell, “hope is a dangerous thing for a woman like me to have – but i have it” and “Looking For America,” are on our top 50 songs of 2019 list. The album is also listed as one of our best albums of the year as well.

Photo Credit: Sharon Alagna