Lana Del Rey gave cash to a woman who said she was trying to escape an abusive relationship, just as Tate McRae's break-up song 'Rubberband' played in the singer's car. The encounter took place in Los Angeles, but what caught fans' attention was the song's reference to Highland, the very area where Del Rey was driving.
The timing made the moment feel almost unreal, with a song about letting go playing as Del Rey met someone trying to leave a harmful relationship. Although McRae's track has a different meaning from the woman's situation, the unexpected overlap between its lyrics and the encounter has given the video another layer of significance.
Lana Del Rey's Highland Encounter
Del Rey shared the encounter on her Instagram Stories, showing herself stopped at a traffic light on Highland Avenue in Los Angeles while listening to McRae's 2021 song 'Rubberband'. A woman then approached her car holding a sign that says she was trying to get out of an abusive relationship.
The singer appeared to hand the woman a $100 bill (£75) through her open car window. She said to the woman: 'Try to stay away... Be careful'. The video quickly attracted attention because of the circumstances surrounding the interaction and the song playing in the background.
Lana Del Rey gives $100 to woman trying to escape an abusive relationship while “rubberband” by Tate McRae plays in the background. pic.twitter.com/PwWVaALx27
— Buzzing Pop (@BuzzingPop) October 26, 2026
How 'Rubberband' Connects to the Video
The coincidence becomes even more striking given the lyrics of 'Rubberband', which include the line: 'Midnight driving, running through highland'. Del Rey was driving in the Highland area when she encountered the woman, creating an unexpected connection between the song and the real-life moment.
Released in 2021 as part of McRae's EP Too Young to Be Sad, 'Rubberband' explores the complicated feelings that can follow a breakup. The song touches on the struggle to move on from someone and the emotional conflict that can remain even after a relationship ends. Although the woman was trying to escape an abusive relationship rather than a breakup, both situations involve leaving someone behind.
Another Viral Moment
The Highland encounter is not the first time Del Rey has gone viral for an unexpected moment outside her music career. In July 2023, videos of the singer wearing a Waffle House uniform and serving customers at a restaurant in Florence, Alabama, spread across social media. It left fans wondering why the Grammy-nominated star was behind the counter.
Del Rey later explained that she had been spending time at the restaurant with her siblings when staff offered them Waffle House shirts and name tags. After they accepted, she joined in and helped serve a regular customer, turning an ordinary visit into an unexpected viral moment.
The singer even joked that she wished her album had gone as viral as the Waffle House photos, revealing how widely the images had travelled online. The episode became another widely shared moment involving Del Rey outside her music career.
Lana Del Rey working at Waffle House pic.twitter.com/7V5av4OFrs
— honeymoun (@honeymounz) July 20, 2023
The Music Behind Her Fame
From serving customers at Waffle House to helping a stranger in need, Del Rey keeps surprising fans beyond the stage. Yet, her music is what made her a household name. Del Rey has built a distinctive career blending cinematic pop, nostalgic imagery and complicated love stories. She rose to prominence with 'Video Games' in 2011 before releasing Born to Die in 2012, the album that helped establish her signature sound.
Her later albums, including Ultraviolence (2014), Norman F**ing Rockwell!* (2019) and Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (2023), continued to explore heartbreak, vulnerability and troubled relationships. She has also achieved major commercial success in the UK, with six number-one albums listed by the Official Charts Company.
