Journalistic Writing- Lana Del Rey Interview

We have finally been given the chance to talk to music’s most secretive star Lana Del Rey. We are excited.  As soon as the interview was confirmed a million things ran through our mind, what do we ask first? At first we wanted to ask about her ‘romance’ with A$AP Rocky, then we thought it’d be more professional to ask about her album ‘Born To Die’ or her new Autumn/Winter H&M campaign. We have to say we are surprised that she agreed considering the backlash she’s been getting in the media lately, many saying they hate her because she’s been manufactured. However some say they love her because of her passionate singles ‘Video Games’ and ‘Blue Jeans.’ So, after we’ve greeted the controversial star we sit down and try to get some answers from her.

It seems your career has started over night. How have you dealt with the past few years?

When I was in Brooklyn I was going to open-mic nights, it was mostly folk nights. When I was 19 I was offered a contract with an independent record label, not much happened with them, I still wanted to sing but I decided to focus on being an active member of the community. It’s only the last six months that I’ve had all of this attention.

What did you do to try and get your career back on track?

Well there’s been a lot of speculation about me having a relationship with somebody that worked with Interscope, which is a joke as I’ve never even met anyone from Interscope. I went to a few record labels in London almost a year ago and showed them a few songs that I recorded back then and none of them liked it. I’ve only just met the people that I’ve signed with so it’s all new and exciting.

There has been a lot of speculation about your lips. Have you had any surgery?

I haven’t! I’m asked that question more than I’m asked about my music. Nope, I’m sorry I haven’t had any surgery I’m just naturally pouty.

Your album ‘Born to Die’ is about heartbreak, what made you want to relive the memories and make a whole album singing about it?

 I love that album! It was very therapeutic to write and record. It’s my favourite album that I’ve recorded,  there were moments when I thought ‘I can’t do this,’ there was tears, laughter and times when I really missed the person it was about but I went through with it and I’m so happy that I did. I feel like it helped me grow as a person, it’ll be nice to listen back to it in a few years.

Since your collaboration with A$AP Rocky on “National Anthem” there have been a lot of rumours about a secret relationship with him. Can we be the first you tell about this?

I love A$AP! It was cute that he said he had a crush on me before we did the video. The video was fun to shoot, I loved it! But as for the World exclusive (Lana smiles and stays silent until we ask her the next question.)

Okay! So we’ll have to ask A$AP for that exclusive. How did you feel when H&M asked you to be the model for their new Autumn/Winter range?  

(Lana smiles and pauses before answering the question) I am so excited for everyone to see the range! I’m honoured that I was asked to do it as I’m always looking around H&M. My favourite items from the range are the white peplum top and cosmic leggings. The range is affordable and it all looks good individually or pieced together with other items from the range!

Tell us what you think about Lana Del Rey’s photo shoot for the brand new H&M range.

NME - front cover, contents page & double page spread anaylsis

The colour scheme for NME is red, white and black. This is a typical colour scheme for a rock/pop magazine as the colours reflect the mood of the music that the magazine is about. For example, red connotes danger, black connotes death, power and mystery however white connotes purity which could represent the pop section of the magazine. The red on the NME front cover looks like the colour of blood, this reflects the interests of the demograpic, which will draw their interest into the magazine.

The main image is of Lily Allen, she is a pop star who is controversial her clothing choices show that she isn’t a typical pop star. Her make-up isn’t commercially ‘pretty’ which shows she is breaking the boundaries of the stereotypical pop artist. In the picture she sarcastic, this ties in with the anchorage beside her picture ‘I can’t keep on living like this, it’s doing my head in’ this shows that she isn’t afraid to tell the world about her problems and that she has an attitude to go with it. It also suggests that she is about to make a drastic change in her life, which would encourage her fans to buy the magazine as they would be able to read about what Lily doesn’t like about her life, and what she is going to do to change it, in her own words.  The image was taken from a photo shoot in a studio; the image was taken against a white background so there is nothing distracting the demographic from Lily, who is going to be the main article in the magazine. The image was taken from a medium-close up which allows Lily’s face and clothing to be seen in acceptable sharpness. Lily is looking directly into the camera lens which is known to encourage people to buy the product, it also makes the cover feel more intimate because it’ll make the reader feel like Lilly is talking directly to them.

The puff is useful to the front cover as without it there is limited information about what articles will be in the magazine. The puff stands out even though it is at the bottom of the magazine as the red contrasts on the white background of the main image.

The contents page has a basic layout which is easy to read due to the continuous colour scheme. The layout also makes the articles easy to find as the page numbers are easy to see due to the larger red font, this would give the reader easy access to the articles that they wish to read. The subheadings and articles are easy to distinguish because of their contrasting colours. The main article is made obvious to readers because it takes up the majority of the page, the introduction of the article is written in a larger font than the rest of the page so the readers attention will be drawn to it as soon as they turn the page, this would encourage the reader to continue reading the article as they have already read part of it.

The double page spread features many of the typical features of a double page spread, for example the large headline is eye catching and would draw the readers’ attention towards it instantly. The headline is a pull quote from the interview that Lily gave to the magazine which would appeal to the demographic and would make them want to find out more about why she said that. The image on the left of the double page spread is of Lily leaning forward towards and looking straight into the camera, this makes the interview feel intimate as if Lily is again confiding in the reader. Lily also has her hands on her hips and is looking blankly into the camera which replicates the attitude that she is known to have. The layout is basic which makes it easy to distinguish between the interview and headline. The background is white which ensures that the readers will focus on the large image and interview. The interview, image and headline also continue on with the colour scheme which is seen throughout the magazine.

NME is published by IPC Media and is the longest published and most respected music weekly in the World, reaching to over 1.1 million readers a week. NME’s demographic is 66% male and 34% female who are all between the ages of 15-34 therefore the language that they use in their magazine has to be of an acceptable level to satisfy all of their readers. IPC has more than 60 media brands, which means they have a product that will interest the majority of people. IPC engage with 26 million UK readers (almost two thirds of UK women and 42% of UK males.) IPC’s websites are viewed over 25 million times each month. 

Top Of The Pops- front cover, contents page & double page spread analysis

The colour scheme for the ‘Top of the Pops’ front cover is: red, pink, purple, white and black. The pink and purple would indicate that the magazine is aimed at young teenage girls who are interested in the pop genre and celebrity gossip. The colour black is used to highlight the bad topics in the article for example the words ‘or ditched?”, “cringe!” and “bullied” are in a black, bold font on a white background this makes it stand out this would grab the audience’s attention immediately. The colour scheme has been carried on throughout the magazine which would give the readers a sense of continuity.

The main image is taken from a photo-shoot in a studio, Justin Bieber is posing and looking straight into the lens of the camera, this makes the audience feel like he is looking directly into their eyes which could encourage the reader to buy the product. There is studio lighting which is shining directly onto his face, highlighting his bone structure and the hair framing his face this would appeal to the magazines demographic as they have a medium close up of an influential pop musician. He also has his hand on his heart which suggests that he is in love with something that he has just seen.

The writing style is formal with a few coloquial words such as ‘fitties’ ‘cringe’ ‘hitched or ditched?’ this informs the demographic that the product is for them, There is a good ratio between writing and pictures on the front cover, this makes the front cover more interesting to look at and it breaks all of the information up.The anchorage is for the secondary pictures so the audience know what they will be reading about if they decide to buy the product. The amount of writing on the front cover is suitable for the target audience of the magazine because it is short and gives an idea of what is going to be in the magazine.

There is a lot of small writing on the double page spread of the magazine, the language used is fairly simple which would appeal to the magazines demographic of 11-15 year olds. The questions that have been asked give an insight into the stars life, she explains the advantages and disadvantages of having her every move watched by the world, this would interest the readers because they would get a first hand account of living life as a celebrity, which interests many 11-15 year olds. The interviewer uses colloqiual language and uses a friendly tone towards the star this makes the demographic feel they can they can trust what the star is saying.

The double page spread is carefully designed to keep the audiences attention, the font is small so the reader will feel like they are reading a lot however the design of the page breaks up the text. The lines that surround the text ensures the readers attention will be drawn to the central secondary image on the left hand side of the double page spread which automatically makes the reader want to read all of the text on the left hand side.

The contents page has been designed to appeal to the demographic, the articles have been grouped and placed in separate boxes which look like little notice boards, this makes the information easy to locate. The articles break up the page and makes it look like there is a lot less text on the page which would keep the demographic interested. The important articles have been highlighted which makes them instantly stand out, this would give the demographic an intimate feel of the magazine, as if the editors have highlighted the articles that will interest them for them to make reading the articles quicker. The front cover has been deconstructed at the top of the contents page which tells the reader where they can find the articles that will interest them. As the reader turns the page their attention will quickly be drawn to the deconstruction of the front cover due to the brightness of the arrows.

The top of the pops magazine is published by Media Star, Media Star is a young, dynamic and progressive company. Media star was incorporated in 2001 with the sole objective of being a one-stop shop for all media-related activities wich ships its products throughout the World. Media Star created Top Of The Pops in Feburary 1995 and has an circulation of 331,000. Media Star produces many other magazines such as In Style, Elle and GQ. These magazines obviously are targeted at a wide range of audiences so they can appeal to a wide range of audiences.