Courtney Love seems to be back in the love side of her love/hate relationship with Lana Del Rey. After calling her one of the only “true musical geniuses” she’s ever known in 2022 and then earlier this year saying “I haven’t liked Lana since she covered a John Denver song, and I think she should really take seven years off,” the former Hole frontwoman told The Standard that she’d “love to co-write a song” with the singer-songwriter.
“I’d love to co-write a song with Lana Del Rey,” she divulged. “I’d like to be ‘Paul’ and go hard on choruses while going back to ‘Norman’ and go hard on choruses, or whatever.”
“But every time some kid asks me to ‘collab’ with Lana – I mean come on! Can you stop saying ‘collab’ to someone who straddles Gen X and Boomer?” Love added. “We don’t do that! Call it ‘writing a song together’, not ‘featuring.’ It makes me lose my temper and makes it the last thing I want to do.”
During the interview, she also said she “loves” Lorde and named some other artists she’d like to work with. “I would love to work with Kendrick Lamar; I have a mad crush on him,” Love confessed. “I also love UK femme drill artists, but it has to sound organic – not forced. Additionally, I’m a fan of Stormzy and Doja Cat.”
Love is currently working on her first solo album in more than a decade. She shared some details about the project, including working with R.E.M.‘s Michael Stipe. “I have co-written songs with some people on this [new solo] album. Stipe mentioned our collaboration to The New York Times, so I can say it’s gorgeous,” she pointed out. “I fell down weeping hearing his voice – it’s better than ever! I thought I knew the outcome, but I’m still the grasshopper while Michael is the sensei. There are others I can’t mention; I didn’t intend for any collaborations.”
As for Del Rey, she just announced her 10th studio album The Right Person Will Stay, which is slated for a May 21 release.