Julian Lennon pays tribute to his father through pictures

Julian Lennon has had quite a name to live up to being the only child of the late John Lennon and the now 74-year-old Cynthia Powell, John's first wife. Yet he has always viewed life differently despite, or perhaps because of, his journey being so unique and remarkable. Although he is mostly known as a singer-songwriter, musician and producer, Julian actually has many other talents and interests, including that of being a documentary film producer, philanthropist, and a fine art photographer.

As a tribute to his father and The Beatles, Julian has become the curator of an exhibit commemorating The Beatles’ 50^th anniversary of their first U.S. tour. Julian’s eye for photocomposition and aestheticism brings a unique Beatles collection to the public at the Morrison Hotel Gallery in New York displayed from February 7^th to the 28^th. What sets this exhibit apart from others featuring The Beatles goes without saying; the personal relation between Julian and John Lennon has made this exhibit something that does not occur too often.

The idea stemmed from a guy named Timothy White, a photographer and partner at the Morrison Hotel Gallery, when he came to Julian with the task of looking through a few hundred photographs of his father with The Beatles and choosing 25, or 50 because it was the 50^th anniversary. And so 25 shots are being exhibited at the Morrison Hotel Gallery in the SoHo district until the end of February and another 25 at a gallery in Los Angeles, at which Timothy White is also a partner.

Having curated and chosen the images to be displayed himself, Julian must have had quite a poignant and cathartic experience, especially with photography being his main focus recently. He chose the photographs that evoked emotion and speaks more of the back-story of what the boys of The Beatles were feeling when they were becoming legends in the music industry – and in history. Julian has also said that some of the images display the look of anxiety and fear, an element of numbness, and the reality of the popularity of The Beatles really hitting them. But if there’s one thing that the exhibition will portray clearly, it’s the hell of a ride that the members of The Beatles had.

Lana Del Rey

“The road is long, we carry on.

Try to have fun in the meantime.”

-       Lana Del Rey, Born to Die

Lana Del Rey, or Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, describes herself as a “self-styled gangsta Nancy Sinatra”. It’s a strange description but fans have come to love the 26-year-old’s husky bedroom voice with that hint of ominous melody. Better than her distinct voice though, are her poignant and haunting lyrics that speak true artistry.

Lana began singing at clubs at 18 and was signed to a record label at 20. But her real break came when she released her single Video Games on YouTube which went viral and got her album Born to Die released selling 2.8 million copies worldwide. Her music has been noted for its cinematic sound and its references to various aspects of pop culture, particularly that of the 1950s and '60s Americana.

She has endorsed clothing line H&M, serving as the model for their Fall and Winter 2012 collection. And this year, Lana became the face of the Jaguar F-Type luxury automobile. Her creativity even comes across in her cover art, as seen in Born to Die, the Paradise Edition.

Perhaps, Lana is what people have been waiting for when it comes to music – someone to write about those heartbreaking truths of life with poise and glamour.