Lana Del Rey explains viral Waffle House shift photos

20 September, 2023

Lana Del Rey performs at BST Hyde Park on July 09, 2023 in London, England. Credit: Samir Hussein via Getty

Lana Del Rey has addressed her viral Waffle House work shift photos that made their rounds earlier this summer.

The singer-songwriter was spotted serving coffee at a branch of the US restaurant chain in Birmingham, AL back in July. Video clips and photographs of Del Rey in her unexpected new role were subsequently shared online.

In one video, the star is seen handing a customer their beverage from behind the counter while wearing a blue Waffle House uniform and yellow name badge. She was also pictured posing with a fan and using a coffee machine.

In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Del Rey explained what was actually going on. She revealed that she and her siblings were hanging out and had frequented that specific Waffle House a few times prior to when the viral video was captured.

“We were on our third hour [that day], and the servers asked, ‘Do you guys want shirts?’” she said. “Hell yeah! We were thrilled.” The singer went on to share that she was serving “this guy, a regular, [who] comes in every day and orders two things, so they were like, ‘Just go get it for him!’ I brought him a Coke. No ice. And an empty cup … For dip. I didn’t see anyone take a video of me.”

Del Rey went on to reflect and share: “I wish my album had gone as viral. I woke up to, like, 10,000 texts the next morning — some from folks I had not heard from for 10 years. ‘Saw your picture at the Waffle House!’ [Laughing.] I was like, ‘Did you hear the new album?’”

Lana Del Rey performs on stage at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre on October 11, 2019 in San Diego, California. Credit: Daniel Knighton via Getty
Lana Del Rey performs on stage at Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre on October 11, 2019 in San Diego, California. Credit: Daniel Knighton via Getty

Elsewhere in the interview, the ‘Say Yes To Heaven’ singer went on to reflect on pop singers such as Olivia Rodrigo and Billie Eilish calling her an inspiration to their music.“Because Billie and Olivia are such good people, it’s fucking awesome,” she said.

She continued: “I love them and their music. It’s not like you have to be nice to be good [in music]. But, if you happen to be nice and a great singer, it makes me happy for the culture. I always had girls telling me [things like] that. Maybe not the critics or anybody else — but singers I knew, no matter how big or small, would write me letters. I always felt like the older sister to pretty much everyone I ever met.”

In other news, the ‘Say Yes To Heaven’ singer is set to headline this year’s All Things Go Festival in Washington D.C.

Earlier this month, she performed Tammy Wynette’s ‘Stand By Your Man’ at an intimate bar in Nashville. The singer-songwriter put a country spin on the cover for a small crowd at Robert’s Western World on Sunday (September 3).

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