Friends often ask me: “Why do you love Lana Del Rey so much?”

For some fans, their answer might be about her music.

For me, there’s a story. 

Let me set the scene. It’s a cold day in 2013, and I am alone in the backseat of my mom’s car. I’m six, and my sister is almost 14, in her freshman year of high school.

Back then, I was a boisterous kid who liked messing with my sister. She was a quiet, study-oriented student who would rather read than go out.

In the car on the way to pick up my sister that day, nobody spoke. My mom and I drove in silence, with light jazz on the car radio, from a default station my mom never got around to changing. 

Then, we pulled into a traffic circle to pick up my sister, Kimaya. She hopped into the front seat.

“Listen to this song!” she said.

I always envied that she got a front row seat to my mom’s driving.

Then, my sister began playing the song which would lead me into my high school years, the song that is already set to be my wedding song: Lana Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful.” 

When it was over, my sister looked at me with glowing eyes, and asked what I thought of it.

I told her I loved it. While I didn’t understand the true meaning of the song, I loved the background vocals and the little drum beat that played throughout the song.  

Over the years, my sister grew older and busier. She made friends who she would go out with after school, so sometimes that car ride home would be our main time together.

Even though we were both growing older, one thing that never changed between the two of us was our song. We always listened to Lana Del Rey on the way home. When we got inside, we would continue to play it in the stairwell of our house. 

So, when people ask me why I love Lana Del Rey, my answer will always be: because of my sister, who introduced me to the artist I hold near and dear.