FLORENCE, Ala. (WHNT) — A number of people have spotted singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey ‘seeing some friends of hers down in Florence, Alabama.’
The Manhattan, New York-born artist is in the Alabama town visiting friends, reportedly recording and… working at a Waffle House?
Known for numerous hits, the six-time Grammy-nominated artist has more than 14 million YouTube subscribers, over 11 million Facebook followers and over 5 million Instagram followers. Some of her hit songs include “Summertime Sadness” which has nearly 1 billion Spotify streams, “Video Games” with over 700 million streams and “West Coast” with about 500 million streams.
In her song “Paris, Texas,” on her latest album, Del Rey says:
Then I went to see some friends of mine
“Paris, Texas” Lana Del Rey
Down in Florence, Alabama
And that’s exactly what it seems she’s been doing. Fans spotted Del Rey at numerous sites in the Shoals, including downtown Florence, local boutiques and even serving at the southern staple.
The ‘Ala-Lana’ sightings began on Monday afternoon in Birmingham, when a 21-year-old Alabama student sat next to her at a nail salon. In an interview with our sister station, CBS42, Jordan Suttles described his experience with the Summertime Sadness singer.
“I saw her sitting [in one of the chairs] and I basically did a double take and I thought, ‘Oh, this must be like a look-alike’ because I knew she just did a concert in Canada,” he said. “But I immediately put my hand over my mouth in utter shock and she just smiled at me, waved and laughed a little.”
That night, it appears she made it up to downtown Florence where fan Savana Vinson got the chance to take a photo with Del Rey and got her autograph.
“She was super sweet and down to earth. I have been a huge fan for years so it was a surreal moment to actually meet her in person. I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity to meet and speak with her!” Vinson told News 19.
Vinson even got Lana to sign her arm, to which the singer jokingly replied “Don’t go get this tattooed.”
A few days later, Del Rey was spotted at the diner well-known for its scattered, smothered and covered hash browns and all-star special. But she wasn’t just stopping by as a customer – employees at the Waffle House gave her a uniform and name tag.
“She said she knows many people want Oscars, but she wants to be in a Waffle House serving coffee,” Macy Ladner, another fan who got the chance to meet Lana said.
Lander said Lana was incredibly kind and spoke to her, and her friend, for about 10-15 minutes about life, where they’d grown up and their jobs. She added that Del Rey did say she was recording and visiting with friends, but Lana did say she’d try to come to see their local production of ‘Into the Woods.’
“I loved meeting her because it really put into perspective that although she is famous, she is just a really kind, down-to-earth, human being at the end of the day who took the time to talk to some fans,” said Ladner.
Still in uniform, Del Rey made her way on a shopping trip Thursday night in the Seven Points area, according to Brianna Cook, an Impulse Boutique employee.
She said that Del Rey, her brother and her sister all shopped in several of the stores in that area. Cook added that she was also friendly and very kind, buying some sterling silver jewelry from Impulse.
The Alabama adventures of the American singer-songwriter may be continuing, especially if she is spending some time in the Shoals to record. Time will only tell where she will venture to next, but if you want to report a Lana Del Rey sighting, you can contact us here.
