Lana Del Rey just can't seem to catch a break.
First the singer was viciously maligned for her lackluster performance on 'SNL.' Then a Letterman performance that was average at worst was passed over in a flurry of parodies and reports that the former gig was so poor that her management had canceled her tour.
The catch? Del Rey (real name Lizzy Grant, in case that hadn't been covered enough as well) didn't even have a tour scheduled.
From indie blogs to more mainstream news sources, the predominant Del Rey narrative is that of impending catastrophe. It's not a surprising one, given the hype that surrounded her first few songs and burgeoning career, but it does seem to be snowballing rapidly.
The false reports seem to have originated in a Page Six post which cited only anonymous sources who somewhat sneeringly said Del Rey would be sequestered in a studio until she could produce a more compelling stage presence.
Her representatives have since said she will continue to perform around the country, but that no Spring tour was planned and the shows would mostly be a smattering of in-store appearances and small venues as previously planned.
The singer's publicist told Prefix that Del Rey has been "extremely active in Europe," where she's been performing in support of her freshman LP, Born To Die. The publicist said the album is enjoying "historic success," with numbers to be released soon.
Ironically, it was the show on whose stage Del Rey first fell down the media-hate rabbit hole that most ardently came to her defense. SNL had Kristen Wiig trot out a new, convincing Del Rey impression for "Weekend Update," and she mocked critics of Del Rey for their inconsistency. "The music stage on 'Saturday Night Live' is hallowed ground, and I failed to reach the high bar set by past guests like Bubba Sparxxx, The Baha Men and Shaggy," Wiig's character said.
Del Rey herself has all but agreed she wasn't ready for large scale performances, telling MTV last month that she planned to play at a series of small to moderate venues for a fall tour that would start in October.
What do you think -- does Del Rey deserve the amount of skepticism she's facing?