Lana Del Rey Calls Out Ethel Cain in New Song Preview, Leading to Online Drama

A fresh music feud sparked when Lana Del Rey shared a clip of her latest track on August 13. The song, with production by Jack Antonoff, starts boldly: "Ethel Cain hated my Instagram post." The short preview, captioned "Track 13," lit up social media within minutes.

On Instagram, Del Rey shed light on the song's background. "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," she wrote in Pop Base's comment section.

"I was confused at what she was getting at. 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 "Summertime Sadness" singer explained in her comment.

The new track takes aim at their past social media clashes. With sharp words about a Chicago photo and a pointed mention of Waffle House, Del Rey sings in the preview: "Think it's cute reenacting my Chicago post" before adding "The most famous girl at the Waffle House," referencing the time she made headlines back in 2023 for pretending to work an Alabama Waffle House shift and possibly the 2022 New York Times profile on Cain.

The lore behind the Chicago post stems from Cain sharing a snapshot of herself with Del Rey's ex-boyfriend, Jack Donoghue. In the picture, Donoghue and Cain appear to recreate a famous 2022 photo Lana and Donoghue took outside Chicago's Cook County Jail while they were dating. 

The response came swiftly. Just a few hours after Del Rey posted the song teaser, Cain took to Instagram Stories with a brief but pointed update: "update: lana del rey has blocked ethel cain on instagram," as reported by Stereogum.

This clash stems from past tensions. Back in 2022, when fans drew parallels between the artists, Cain snapped at comments suggesting "Lana Del Rey walked so Ethel Cain could run." She fired back with "I pushed her over when I ran past" and took another swipe with "She'll never catch up to me in her Macy's dress," according to Dazed Digital.

The preview drops as Del Rey readies her tenth studio album. First titled Lasso, the project now bears the name The Right Person Will Stay. Two tracks, "Bluebird" and "Henry, Come On," already hit streaming platforms earlier in 2025.

Meanwhile, Cain's second album, Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You, made waves this year as she set off on a North American tour. She'll hit stages in Los Angeles, Phoenix, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, New York, Detroit, and Chicago until September 20.

You can find all details on her upcoming shows and buy tickets on Ethel Cain's official tour page. Neither star has made any more statements on this latest spat.