Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey is the stage name of Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, an American singer-songwriter and producer from Manhattan, New York. Born in 1985, she also performs under the name Lizzy Grant and the Phenomena. Her work is associated with alternative pop, art pop, ballad, chamber pop, dream pop, and electronic music.

Style and early career

Her music is often described as cinematic, with recurring themes of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia. It also draws on contemporary pop culture and on 1950s and 1960s American imagery. She grows up in upstate New York and moves to New York City in 2005 to pursue music.

Breakthrough and albums

After a number of projects, including a self-titled debut studio album, she breaks through in 2011 with the viral success of the single "Video Games". She then signs to Polydor and Interscope. Her second album, Born to Die (2012), brings major critical and commercial success and includes the sleeper hit "Summertime Sadness".

Her third album, Ultraviolence (2014), makes greater use of guitar-driven instrumentation and debuts at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200. Honeymoon (2015) and Lust for Life (2017) return to the stylistic approaches of her earlier releases. Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019) is widely praised and explores soft rock. She follows it with Chemtrails Over the Country Club and Blue Banisters in 2021, and with Did you know that there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd in 2023, which includes the title track, "A&W", and "The Grants".

Film, writing and collaborations

Del Rey works on soundtracks and related music for film and visual media. In 2013 she writes and stars in the musical short Tropico and records "Young and Beautiful" for The Great Gatsby. In 2014 she records "Once Upon a Dream" for Maleficent and the title song for Big Eyes. In 2019 she collaborates with Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus on "Don't Call Me Angel" for Charlie's Angels. She also publishes the poetry and photography collection Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass in 2020.

Awards and recognition

Her awards include two Brit Awards, two MTV Europe Music Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, and a Satellite Award. She receives nominations for eleven Grammy Awards and one Golden Globe Award. Variety also recognises her at the Hitmakers Awards as one of the most influential singer-songwriters of the 21st century.