Weeks after a heavily-criticized performance on Saturday Night Live, Lana Del Rey returned to the show… in the form of a spot-on impersonation from Kristen Wiig.

The choice of Wiig is pretty perfect, not just for her resemblance to Del Rey, but because some critics compared the singer’s performance to an odd Wiig character- like a singing mashup of Penelope and Target Lady.

(I think 2:23 is the best summary I’ve seen of the Del Rey phenomenon.)

Somehow, Wiig brilliantly teases Del Rey for her mannerisms while strongly deflating the vicious critics who attacked her.

On changing her name “as a marketing gimmick”:

No serious musician would ever change their name, except maybe for Sting, Cher, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Jay-Z, everyone else in hip hop, and of course Bob Dylan.

On Internet criticis:

In this age of dangerous school bullying, you have sent an important message: If you think someone is weird, you should criticize them as much as possible.

On people saying her performance was weird:

I think people though I was stiff, distant, and weird. But there’s a perfectly good explanation for that. I am stiff, distant, and weird.

On not being “seasoned” enough to perform on SNL:

The music stage on Saturday Night Live is hallowed ground, and I failed to reach the high bar set by past guests like Bubba Sparxx, The Baja Men, and Shaggy.

Del Rey appeared on SNL in January, singing two songs in performances that were often described as “distant” or “cold.” Her varying vocal range and intonation also got unwanted attention, as did the fact that she once pursued a musical career under her much less exotic sounding real name, Lizzy Grant.

[Image via Just Jared]

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