Lana Del Rey fans rejoiced this week when the ethereal indie princess teased a new song on Instagram. However, there were two things that stood out to audiences: The lyrics directly shading singer Ethel Cain and the clues which may point to some beef with Taylor Swift. So, is it legit? Is it a bit of a stretch? Let’s find out.
On Thursday, Lana took to Instagram to share a video of herself in a car singing along to a new, unheard song supposedly included in her upcoming album, The Right Person Will Stay. In the very first line, she mentions Ethel by name
“Ethel Cain hated my Instagram post. Think it’s cute reenacting my Chicago pose,” she croons.
The song seemingly references the beef Lana has with Ethel after she allegedly dated her ex, Jack Donoghue. Specifically, hinting at Instagram pictures, they both posted with the Salem star in Chicago.
“Ethel Cain hated my Instagram post
Think it’s cute reenactin’ my Chicago pose”— donoghue (@lockyouupp) August 14, 2025
If there was any smidgen of doubt that the song was about Ethel, Lana later sings the lyrics “the most famous girl at the Waffle House”, which was the headline of an article about the Preacher’s Daughter singer in the New York Times in 2022.
Then, in July 2023, Lana was spotted working a shift at a Waffle House in Alabama. At the time, it sent the internet into a frenzy because no one knew if she was really working there or up to something creative. Now — with the new Waffle House referencing lyrics of it all — it might just make sense.
so lana del rey really started working at waffle house to spite ethel cain and become the most famous girl at waffle house… the layers to this beef LMFAOOOOOO 😭 pic.twitter.com/vo4u5gqYzB
— alex ☆ (@byeitsalex) August 14, 2025
“The most famous girl at the Waffle House. I don’t regret it,” she sings. “How could I be afraid to hide the shine? It follows me wherever I go. I’m as famous at a show as I am on the Florida-Alabama line.”
After the waitressing stint went mind-bogglingly viral, I think it’s fair to say that Lana really is the most famous girl at the Waffle House. Plus, according to Lanapedia (yes, it exists), it’s not the first time the diss track about Ethel has been leaked online. The fandom-run site claims that a snippet of the track was initially leaked in September 2023 under the name “All About Ethel” so perhaps it was all supposed to coincide a bit more.
In a comment on an Instagram post on Pop Base, Lana went into more detail about the meaning behind the song and claimed that Ethel used to body shame her.
“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, I was confused at what she was getting at,” Lana said.
“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.”
After Lana shared the snippet, Ethel took to her Stories to confirm that Lana has blocked her on Instagram.
How does Taylor Swift come into it?
Oh, the Taylor Swift of it all!!!!! In case you’ve somehow missed it, this week, the pop queen announced she was releasing a new album entitled The Life Of A Showgirl and entering a new era.
It was a pretty big deal online, and naturally, the Swifties went bananas.
However, online conspirators believe that Lana was shading her “Snow on the Beach” collaborator by sharing her song snippet the same week and with some tells that hint at Taylor.
Sounds far-fetched? Perhaps, but please stay with me!!!
Lana captioned the post: “Track 13” and tagged musician and producer Jack Antonoff. Famously, 13 is Taylor’s favourite number, and while both Taylor and Lana have worked with Jack before, fans were interested to note that Jack does not have any writing or producing credits on The Life Of A Showgirl.
Some fans think it points to a falling out between the two stars.
wait- what if taylor knew lana and jack were working on a ethel cain diss track and that’s why she decided not to work with him at all on this project? oh taylord the daughter of cain that you are 🥹 pic.twitter.com/9rGdwL0iJd
— ⸆⸉𐚁 (@kelelallah) August 14, 2025
Lana and Taylor have been close friends since 2012, and since then, both artists have said glowing things about each other publicly. Honestly, I think the theory that they’re feuding is a bit of a stretch. Especially if Lana is willing to go into absolute mess mode and straight-up name people in songs.
But hey, what do I know? I’m just a chronically online entertainment reporter with a podcast about celebrity beef.
