Lana Del Rey has doubled down on her pointed new track aimed at Ethel Cain, adding more personal detail to the tension between the two artists.
On Wednesday, Del Rey posted a snippet of an unreleased song to Instagram featuring the lyrics: “Ethel Cain hated my Instagram post / Think it’s cute reenacting my Chicago pose.” The line references a long-running comparison between photos of Del Rey and Cain with Salem’s Jack Donoghue, Del Rey’s former partner. Del Rey’s image, taken in 2022, was in front of Chicago’s Cook County Jail. Cain’s similar shot with Donoghue predates it by a year.
The song also nods to a 2022 New York Times profile on Cain with the lyric: “The most famous girl at the Waffle House.” That headline, paired with Del Rey’s own stint working at a Waffle House in 2023, adds another layer to the lyrical jabs.
On Thursday, Del Rey elaborated further in a comment on a Popbase Instagram post about the song. She said she had been unaware of Cain until friends pointed out “disturbing and graphic” side-by-side images Cain allegedly posted online — comparing Del Rey to “unflattering creatures and cartoon characters” while making comments about her weight.
“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,” she wrote.
Cain has not responded publicly. She released her acclaimed sophomore album Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love You last week to strong reviews. She also recently announced a tour of Australia set for February 2026. Meanwhile Del Rey’s tenth studio album is due later this year, following country-leaning teasers she performed at Stagecoach in April.
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