3 Artists Who Were Icons of Tumblr in the 2010s (and How They’ve Endured Today)

While many people think Tumblr died out in the late 2010s, there are still niches of fandom that endure on the website today. Being on Tumblr in that era was a singular experience that I won’t even try to explain (you really had to be there), but you can get a sense for the time by the musicians who were popular then. Here are three artists who made it big on Tumblr, and how they’ve endured today.

Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey debuted in 2012 with Born to Die. While it wasn’t much of a critical success at the time, it had a huge following on Tumblr. Dashboards were flooded with photos of Del Rey in her flower crown and edits of her lyrics over Americana-inspired backgrounds. She was essentially the Queen of Tumblr.

Her internet fame was not short-lived, as we know. Lana Del Rey’s popularity lasted well beyond that first album, which even earned a retrospectively positive review from Pitchfork years later. Her music and celebrity endure today; she’s gearing up to release a new country-inspired album this year, and dropped the first single, “Henry, Come On,” on April 11.

Arctic Monkeys

2013 was a big year for Arctic Monkeys. After building their following around the U.K. with a boots-on-the-ground approach to playing gigs, they broke further into the U.S. mainstream with the album AM. This was a slick, sexy offering that came with a bold new persona for frontman Alex Turner. The new identity took the world—and Tumblr—by storm. It seemed like everyone was reblogging photos from the 2014 tour, commenting in the tags on how scathingly hot Turner had become.

Since then, Arctic Monkeys have continued, releasing their most recent album, The Car, in 2022. They’ve definitely grown and matured into a new sound. This was partially inspired by Turner’s time in his other band, The Last Shadow Puppets, alongside Miles Kane. They now possess a lounge-lizard type of style, backed by strings and scaffolded by Turner’s slower, more sensual vocals. They’re definitely not the fast-paced, wild lads that captured Tumblr from the get-go. Still, there’s a new maturity to them that speaks to the two decades they’ve been in the business.

Marina and the Diamonds

Marina and the Diamonds, stage name for Marina Diamandis, broke out in 2010 with her first album The Family Jewels. Her unique vocals and snide, often sarcastic delivery on singles like “Oh No!” captured the attention of teens on Tumblr. She catapulted to cult fame through the platform. There, similar to Lana Del Rey, users loved to edit photos of her wearing flower crowns (that was a thing in 2010s Tumblr days, don’t ask.)

Now going simply by Marina, she’s released a series of incredible albums over the years. She endures today with her newest offering, which comes out on June 6, Princess of Power. The newest single, “Cuntissimo,” paints a lavish picture of Marina’s ideal bisexual Italian lifestyle. She’s well and truly living the dream at this point.

Featured Image by Michael Kovac/WireImage