Inside the Feud: Unraveling the Tensions Between Ethel Cain and Lana Del Rey

If you’ve been scrolling through social media lately, you’ve probably noticed Ethel Cain and Lana Del Rey’s names everywhere — and not for a new collab. Instead, fans are buzzing about what looks like a feud between the two singers. From diss-track speculation to deleted comments, the drama has taken on a life of its own. Here’s everything you need to know about how it started, what’s been said and more.

The tension began on August 13, 2025, when Lana posted a snippet of an unreleased track to Instagram, tagging Jack Antonoff and calling it “Track 13.” The song, which fans believe will appear on her upcoming country-inspired tenth studio album, immediately raised eyebrows. Not only does Lana name-drop Ethel, but the lyrics sound like pointed references.

“Ethel Cain hated my Instagram post / Think it’s cute reenacting my Chicago pose,” Lana sings.

The “Chicago pose” seems to be a nod to a 2022 photo of Lana and rumored boyfriend Jack Donoghue in front of Cook County jail. Shortly after, Ethel posted a similar photo with Jack, which fans think inspired the lyric. Lana also references “the most famous girl in the Waffle House,” a phrase tied directly to a 2022 New York Times profile of Ethel.

Adding fuel to the fire, Lana also left — and quickly deleted — a comment on Pop Base’s Instagram about the track.

“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. 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 comment seemed to reference old meme-style posts where Ethel allegedly compared Lana to cartoon characters like Family Guy’s Peter Griffin. Screenshots of these posts are circulating online, though their authenticity hasn’t been fully confirmed.

Ethel wasted no time responding. On the same day “Track 13” was teased, she posted to her Instagram Story:

“Update: Lana Del Rey has blocked Ethel Cain on Instagram.”

Her sister, Delilah Dolly, also chimed in, tagging Lana and calling the song a “diss track.” She reportedly wrote: “I can’t wait to watch your hologram perform this ‘diss track’ while you hit your vape backstage, diva. What inspired you to suddenly make a country album??”

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 27: Ethel Cain performs during her Childish Behaviour Tour at Rumsey Playfield, Central Park on June 27, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Valerie Terranova/Getty Images)

What makes this feud so layered is that Ethel once openly admired Lana. In early interviews, she credited Lana as a huge influence, even naming Born to Die as the first CD she ever bought. She also covered “Born to Die” and sang “Mariners Apartment Complex” on social media.

But as Ethel’s career grew, she began distancing herself. In a 2021 interview with Our Culture, she explained:

“As I got older, especially with the social justice movement and the unraveling of the American Dream, the unraveling of Hollywood, the unraveling of celebrity culture, it was kind of like, it’s all a sham. All that glamour and old opulence is built on the backs of hard-working people who will never get the recognition, and it’s just a facade that you start to see through.”

She echoed this in Hero Magazine, saying: “I love Lana, I love her older music. Her newer stuff doesn’t really resonate with me… But here’s the line between Lana and me. Lana is all façade; she is glamour, she is old Hollywood… And for me, I’m like, that’s just not what America is to me. I think America is the bottom line — it’s the poor people… People who are constantly spat on.”

There are also screenshots circulating online of critical posts tied to Ethel’s old accounts, though their accuracy is hard to verify since many of her past social media profiles have been deleted.