What Lana Del Rey's Exes Have Said About Her
With her knack for writing and singing love songs, it is hardly a surprise that Lana Del Rey sometimes looks to her wealth of experience in the romance department for inspiration. In a 2014 interview with Complex, Del Rey opened up about the inspiration behind her 2014 song "F**king My Way Up To The Top," admitting that it was partly from personal experience. "It's commentary, like, 'I know what you think of me,' and I'm alluding to that. You know, I have slept with a lot of guys in the industry, but none of them helped me get my record deals. Which is annoying," Del Rey explained.
But while Del Rey has mostly been in short-lived relationships through the years, the "Born to Die" singer once admitted to being attracted to mostly confident men. "I sort of have an affinity for really good, strong, self-assured people," she told Rolling Stone in a 2014 interview. "I would say I haven't met them as much in people who are in their 20s. So for me, I have nothing in common necessarily with somebody who's in their 20s — yet. That I know of, thus far. I'm really looking for an equal."
In the years since then, Del Rey has been linked to a number of men — a few of whom have had something to say about their time together!
Barrie-James O'Neill said he found out about the breakup on the internet
In 2010, Lana Del Rey started dating Barrie-James O'Neill, a Scottish singer-songwriter and member of the music band Kassidy. Given their musical prowess, the pair soon started collaborating by writing songs and touring together. "I'm going to tour with my boyfriend, he's coming with me! We're touring together for 70 days in Europe. I'm excited for that," Del Rey told Just Jared of her 2013 plans back in 2012.
By November 2012, the couple had made their red carpet debut, appearing together at the MTV Europe Music Awards. Sadly, the pair's love story was short-lived as Del Rey soon confirmed she had broken up with O'Neill. "We are currently not together," she told German-language Swiss newspaper 20 Minuten in 2014 (via Us Weekly). "He is a wonderful person. But there are some things he has to deal with. I will not explain it in detail."
Speaking on the breakup, O'Neill told New Musical Express he found out Del Rey had broken up with him in an interview. "She couldn't say it to my face but there's no bad blood between us," he explained to The Scottish Sun (via NME). "Looking back, it probably wasn't easy living with me — I'm an insomniac and I have depression. I understand why she did it."
G-Eazy implied Lana tried to get back with him
In April 2017, Lana Del Rey and G-Eazy sparked relationship rumors after they were spotted attending Coachella together. The following month, the couple was spotted affectionately leaving a Hollywood nightclub, further sparking romance rumors. By the summer of 2017, however, the "Good Life" rapper was linked to "Bad at Love" singer Halsey, with whom he collaborated on the 2017 track "Him & I."
But while neither Del Rey nor G-Eazy confirmed their alleged fling, the rapper hinted at it in his 2020 song "Moana." In the track, G-Eazy alluded to the "Sad Girl" singer initiating a reconciliation after their breakup. "I know a Keisha and I know Lana / They try to get me back, but I'm like, 'No, nah, nah' / I'm sorry, I don't want no drama, nah / That's a hard no, pass" the lyrics read, per Genius.
The alleged diss sparked outrage among the singer's fans, many of whom called out the rapper for allegedly dissing Lana. "YALL G-Eazy just dissed Lana Del Rey (they're exes) in his new song... everyone grab your pitch forks cause NO MA'AM!!!! Imagine thinking THE! LANA! DEL! REY! Wants your as* back.. plz," one user wrote. "Someone gonna tell G Eazy that it doesn't sound like Lana wants him back," a second person tweeted.
Sean Larkin says they remained friends after the breakup
In an October 2019 interview with the Los Angeles Times, Lana Del Rey confirmed her relationship with "Live PD" star Sean Larkin. "He's a good cop. He gets it. He sees both sides of things," Del Rey said of Larkin, who also worked as a real-life cop at the time. A few months later, Del Rey made their relationship Instagram official with a loved-up photo of the couple. By January 2020, Del Rey and Larkin took their relationship to the next step after walking the pre-Grammys gala red carpet together. Sadly, despite what seemed like a match made in heaven, Del Rey and Larkin's love story was short-lived, with the cop confirming their split in March 2020. "Right now, we're just friends. We still talk and whatnot, we just have busy schedules right now," he told The New York Times of his relationship with the singer.
But while it was a seemingly amicable split, Del Rey fueled rumors of a feud in December 2022 when she announced her "Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd" album on Larkin's birthday. The singer also announced a billboard placement promoting the album in Tulsa, Oklahoma — Larkin's hometown. "There's only one and it's in Tulsa. It's. Personal," she wrote on her Instagram, according to People.
In more recent times, Del Rey has been linked to Evan Winiker, whom she was reportedly engaged to for a few months before their split.