If you were looking for Lana Del Rey on a festival stage in 2022, you probably missed her. She wasn't there. After the breakneck speed of 2021—where she dumped two full-length albums, Chemtrails Over the Country Club and Blue Banisters, onto the world within seven months—2022 felt like a collective deep breath.
It was a year of shadows.
But here’s the thing: Lana Del Rey in 2022 was arguably more influential than when she’s actually touring. You couldn’t escape her aesthetic. It was the year of "Coquette-core" on TikTok, a digital explosion of lace, ribbons, and vintage Americana that basically used her entire 2012-era discography as a mood board. While she was reportedly driving around in her truck or hanging out in random strip malls, the rest of the world was finally catching up to the "Hollywood Sadcore" vibe she’d been perfecting for a decade.
The Taylor Swift Collab That Broke (and Confused) the Internet
The biggest spike in the Lana Del Rey 2022 timeline happened on October 21. That’s when Taylor Swift dropped Midnights.
Everyone saw the tracklist. Track four: "Snow on the Beach" feat. Lana Del Rey. People lost their minds. It was the "Avengers" moment for girls who grew up on Tumblr. But when the clock struck midnight and the song actually played?
Silence. Sorta.
Lana’s voice was there, sure, but it was tucked away in the background. It was more of a texture than a feature. Fans were… well, they were annoyed. They wanted a bridge. They wanted a verse. They wanted the full Lizzy Grant experience.
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Honestly, even Lana seemed a bit surprised by the reaction. She later told Billboard that she had "no idea" she was the only feature on the song. She said she was so focused on the production side—helping Jack Antonoff dial in that specific, hazy atmosphere—that she didn't realize she should have pushed for a bigger vocal part.
"Had I known, I would have sung the entire second verse like she wanted," Lana admitted.
It’s kind of a classic Lana move. Being one of the most famous women in music and showing up to a massive collab just to hum in the background because she liked the "vibe" of the production is peak 2022 Lana.
The Lost Manuscript and the Car Break-In
Not everything was "vines and roses." In October 2022, Lana hopped on a since-deleted Instagram Live to tell a pretty heartbreaking story. Someone had smashed her car window in Los Angeles.
They didn't just take her bag. They took her laptop, three camcorders, and several hard drives.
Inside that laptop was a 200-page manuscript for a book she’d been writing for Simon & Schuster. She hadn’t backed it up to the cloud. Just like that, years of work vanished. She also lost raw footage of her family and unfinished song demos.
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It was a messy, human moment. She begged fans not to listen to any leaks if they popped up on the internet. "Please don’t listen to the music if you hear it, because it’s not coming out yet," she said, looking visibly shaken. It reminded everyone that despite the glamorous "Born to Die" imagery, her life in 2022 was often just dealing with the same annoying, violating stuff everyone else deals with.
Why 2022 Was the Year of the "Lana Cover"
While she didn't release a solo album, she was still working. She stayed busy with these very specific, curated projects that kept her name in the conversation.
First, there was "Watercolor Eyes." It dropped in January for the Euphoria Season 2 soundtrack. It was quintessential Lana—dreamy, sad, and perfectly fitted for a show about messy teenagers.
Then came the Father John Misty cover.
In June, she released her version of "Buddy’s Rendezvous." If you haven't heard it, it’s basically a masterclass in vocal control. She took Josh Tillman’s grizzled folk-rock track and turned it into something that sounded like it was playing on a jukebox in a 1950s diner at 3:00 AM.
She also spent a good chunk of 2022 in the studio with Jack Antonoff and Drew Erickson. These sessions weren't for a secret EP or a quick single. They were the foundation for what would eventually become her magnum opus, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.
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She finished the bulk of that record in September 2022. She even wrote a song called "Margaret" for Jack’s then-fiancée (now wife) Margaret Qualley during that time.
The December Surprise
Just when it looked like 2022 would end without a major announcement, Lana did what she does best: she dropped a bombshell right before the holidays.
On December 7, the title track "Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd" appeared on streaming services.
It was a total pivot. No more "Chemtrails" folk. This was sprawling, orchestral, and deeply personal. The announcement of the album—and the billboard she famously put up only in her ex’s hometown of Tulsa—capped off a year that started quietly but ended with her reclaiming her crown as the queen of alternative pop.
What 2022 Taught Us About Lana
- She’s a producer now. Her work on "Snow on the Beach" and "Buddy's Rendezvous" showed she cares more about the sound of a record than her own ego.
- The "Lana Aesthetic" is untouchable. Even without an album, she dominated fashion and social media trends (Coquette, Americana, etc.).
- She’s moving toward long-form storytelling. Losing that 200-page manuscript was a tragedy, but it proved she’s thinking way beyond 3-minute pop songs.
If you’re looking to dive back into this specific era, start by listening to "Watercolor Eyes" and then go straight to the title track of Ocean Blvd. It’s the perfect bridge between her quietest year and her most critically acclaimed one.
Check out the 7-inch vinyl releases from 2022 if you can find them—they usually have the best hidden gems from those Father John Misty sessions.