Lana Del Rey talks 'strident creative beliefs' as 'Burning Desire' video promotes Jaguar
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Your support makes all the difference.Queen of sultry pop Lana Del Rey has a new rival. It is a sleek red Jaguar F-Type which competes for attention with the singer in her new music video "Burning Desire".
It is the latest symptom of the way the musical interests of popstars have joined forces with what they can persuade us to buy. In it (another smoky and torrid love song) Del Rey sings: "I drive fast, wind in my hair,/ I push you to the limits,/ 'Cause I just don't care" and the advert, I mean music video, shows the racy car whipping by at speed.
The upshot? We're supposed to develop as burning a desire for a Jaguar as the breathlessly hip shimmying Del Rey seems to have. It comes after Del Rey signed a six-figure deal to be the face of the car manufacturer last year.
The trend follows Rihanna's shameless product placement on her 777 tour, hollering “Everybody say HTC! Say Budweiser! River Island!”; and Beyonce's recent $50m deal to be "a brand ambassador" for Pepsi.
"Burning Desire" is the only iTunes bonus track on the Paradise Edition of Del Rey's debut album Born To Die. The move to use interest in it to sell Jaguars is explained by the company's global marketing communications director Ian Armstrong, thus: "Lana Del Rey is a world-class singer songwriter. In this video, she has used her unique ability to conjure, reflect and then reinterpret an aesthetic from a different era both for herself and for the F-Type."
The company is also getting Ridley Scott to make a film with Homeland actor Damian Lewis, called Desire, with the single featuring as the title track. Speaking of the music/film/advertising tie-up Del Rey spoke of her "strident creative beliefs".
She said: "Making art means making tough decisions. I do believe you create your own life path and that you will be rewarded for following your passions - and sticking to it. It's just good to know now, with people like Jaguar and working with them, that I'm not the only one out there with such strident, creative beliefs."
The singer, 25, who was catapulted into the limelight following the success of "Video Games" on YouTube was hired to drape herself across car bonnets at the Paris Motor Show in September.
Desire, which was filmed on location in Chile last year, will be premiered free online before the Summer.
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