💣🧨 CANCELLED! 🧨💣

Scenting our problematic faves

Mar 03, 2026

The most annoying thing about being an elder millennial—besides the fact that the economy crashed when we entered the job market and 9/11 happened during our formative years—is that pretty much every musician who shaped our taste has been irredeemably canceled. Nicki Minaj, whose verse on “Monster” felt like one of the most important things to ever happen to womankind, is now BFF with Trump. Speaking of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West went from turning up our dance floors and turning Calabasas into a beautiful gospel church to—there’s no polite way to put this—praising Hitler. Razor-tongued “212” rapper Azealia Banks has been performing shows draped in an Israeli flag. Our art pop icon M.I.A. is now an anti-vaxxer and born-again Christian. Our indie darlings Ariel Pink and John Maus were at Jan 6. And Lana Del Rey has been cancelled too many times to count. Below, we pair perfumes with the cancelled artists we can’t help but continue to stan.

M.I.A. // Dot by Comme des Garçons

“Paper Planes” is one of the best songs ever made. Kala, Matangi, and Maya are all gorgeous albums. M.I.A.’s short verse on A$AP Rocky’s “Fine Whine” makes me want to listen to it three times every time I remember it exists. And yet it’s difficult for those things to surpass how annoying M.I.A. has become on social media. I can’t offer you a comprehensive rundown of the shit she says, but it’s all like this. I choose to pretend that time froze in the 2010s when she was incredibly cool and possibly less online. She was too busy having hit songs and performing in a see-through polka dot ensemble while pregnant at the Grammys—so ahead of her time! That look and performance are burned in my brain, so I had to pair her with Dot: a loud, mossy, citrus-y Comme des Garçons fragrance worthy of the chaotic good side of her free spirit.

Hot or cold? Too cool for everyone.
Who wears it? It girls who need their cell service cut off for their own good.
Place? Basement rave.
Animal? Chic-but-reactive dalmatian.
Song? “IT TAKES A MUSCLE”
Texture? Solid gold.
Signature drink? The paper plane, duh.
Favorite word? “Oi.”
Vampire or angel? Vampire who can be killed with 5G.

—Crissy

AZEALIA BANKS // Tubéreuse Astrale by Maison Crivelli

Azealia Banks’ first single “212” remains one of the best not just rap songs but most exciting songs I’ve ever heard in my life, period. Her debut mixtape Fantasea and her sole studio album Broke With Expensive Taste are two of my favorite releases of the last 20 years. Her flow is next level, she’s incredibly witty, and she’s created a distinct 90s ballroom-rap sound that feels tailor-made for sassy gays (hi). She’s also fucking FUNNY. Remember when she called Elon Musk “apartheid Clyde” after being stranded at his house when she was scheduled to record with Grimes? She’s also a MESS. I’ve gotten tickets to see Azealia live 4 times; she’s shown up twice. She’s had public feuds with: Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, Iggy Azalea, T.I., Erykah Badu, Lil Kim, Beyonce, Kreayshawn, Pharrell, Lily Allen, Rita Ora, Action Bronson, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Remy Ma, Lana Del Rey, Doechii, and Grimes—to name a few! I sense that if she’d just gotten out of her own way, she would have been widely recognized as among the greatest musicians of our generation. Instead, she’s selling bussy soap, declaring herself a Zionist on Twitter, and popping off at every single person or thing she gets close to (she’ll turn on Israel shortly, I’m sure). Maison Crivelli’s Tubereuse Astrale is a similarly obnoxious and polarizing but also genius fragrance. The Max Martin of perfume, Quentin Bisch, takes the already extra tuberose and combines it with cinnamon and leather to make it even louder and more confrontational. The result is gorgeous and bold, sharp like Azealia’s tongue, and best appreciated in incredibly small doses. Much like Azealia’s Twitter feed, it projects aggressively and lingers for hours. When someone is wearing it, it’s nearly impossible to escape.

Hot or cold? South Florida heat.
Who wears it? “The don diva, by the everlasting diva.”
Place? Miami high-rise balcony during a thunderstorm.
Animal? King Cobra.
Song? “New Bottega.”
Texture? Red pleather.
Signature drink? Soda.
Favorite word? “Diabolical.”
Vampire or angel? Vampire with bars.

—Anna

GRIMES // The Ghost in the Shell by Etat Libre d’Orange

Azealia’s enemy Grimes is another one of my favorite musicians of the 21st century. Visions hooked me with its nocturnal synths, Art Angels hypnotized me with its glossy hyperpop, Miss Anthropocene got me through the early pandemic with its industrial urgency, and I’ve since come to adore her dreamy lo-fi second studio album Halfaxa. And despite what the average coastal elite millennial will have you believe, I don’t think Grimes has actually done anything wrong. She had babies with someone people strongly dislike. Well, a lot of women have done that, and it’s sexist to attribute her baby daddy’s political views to her. To me, Grimes’ draw to Elon was always obvious: they’re both sci-fi nerds. Azealia said Grimes “smells like a roll of nickels,” but I think she smells like Etat Libre d’Orange’s The Ghost in the Shell—named for the Japanese cyberpunk manga that inspired The Matrix and asked whether a soul could exist inside an artificial body. It’s built around biotech aroma molecules like Aqual™, Mugane™, and Orcanox™, which smell engineered—and yet, somehow, it’s genuinely pretty. The yuzu and milky skin accords make it warm and a little strange, like something just human enough to pass the Turing Test. Which is frankly exactly what Grimes’ music sounds like.

Hot or cold? Cryogenic.
Who wears it? Someone who names their children X Æ A-Xii, Exa Dark Sideræl, and Tau Techno Mechanicus.
Place? Akihabara Electric Town, Tokyo.
Animal? Bioluminescent jellyfish.
Song? “So Heavy I Fell Through the Earth - Algorithm Mix.”
Texture? Silicone.
Signature drink? Vodka Soylent.
Favorite word? “Sentient.”
Vampire or angel? Artificial Angel.

—Anna

LANA DEL REY // Jazz Club by Maison Martin Margiela

Oh, Lana. My queen. My forever problematic fave. I will likely never abandon my post on the Lana Defense Squad, but we’ll see what the future holds. She’s had several moments: her question for the culture, her mesh mask, and her use of the ‘he hit me and it felt like a kiss’ lyric, and most recently, her marrying a bayou boat captain who used to like MAGA posts on Facebook. I can feel my cancellation brewing for pairing Lana with this fragrance, but hear me out. At her core, Lana is a jazz singer! Her jazz collection’s rare...she’s a jazz singer and he’s her cult leader...I could go on quoting her lyrics that mention “jazz” but we would be here all day. And she’s also a proud basic: she loves to wear denim cutoffs and Brandy Melville tank tops, and you can find her “just talking shit at Starbucks.” Jazz Club is a basic crowdpleaser. It smells like a guy who wears a leather jacket as a personality trait—but he’s still hot enough to have sex with. It feels like sipping matcha out of a thick plastic straw while you shop at Sephora. You can accuse it of being annoying and cloying, but it will always be around. Most importantly, it was created by genius perfumer Alienor Massenet (the woman behind Lolita Lempicka, Narciso Rodriguez For Her, and Flowerbomb). And Lana is forever a genius...even if she wore a mask with holes in it that one time.

Hot or cold? Sunburnt in the bayou.
Who wears it? A woman who wears a dress from Ross on the red carpet.
Place? A dive bar in New Orleans so secluded that you’re safe from Shia Labeouf.
Animal? Two allegedly rehomed German shepherds.
Song? “White Hawk Feather Tail Deer Hunter.”
Texture? Velvet hair ribbon.
Signature drink? Espresso martini.
Favorite word? “Question…”
Vampire or angel? Mall angel.

—Crissy

📸📸📸 Camera roll 📸📸📸
💣🧨 CANCELLED! Edition 🧨💣

Sinead O’Connor tearing a photo of the Pope paired with Heresy by Chapel Factory.

Heresy by Chapel Factory » Reviews & Perfume Facts

Kanye saying “George Bush Doesn’t Care About Black People” on live TV paired with A*Men by Mugler.

Matty Healy on the Adam Friedland show paired with Roasted Coffee Cigarette Whisky Comes And Get Your Suede Honey Baby Strangers Parfumerie.

Shia LaBeouf telling Channel 5 that he doesn’t have a drinking problem, he has a “small man complex” paired with Napoleon I’s Saint Helena Eau de Cologne.