Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey (born Elizabeth Grant 21.6.1986)

Lana Del Rey is an American singer songwriter who became widely known with the release of her single 'Video Games' in 2011

Lana Del Rey: Biography

Since the release of 'Video Games,' Lana Del Rey's offstage identity has been the subject of much discussion and intrigue.

Lana Del Rey (or rather, Elizabeth Grant) was born in New York City. Her father, Rob Grant, is a domain investor and a millionaire. She then grew up around Lake Placid and at the age of 15, left to go to boarding school in Connecticut.

Lana Del Rey: Music

Lana Del Rey released an EP in 2008 entitled 'Kill Kill' and in January 2010, released a full length album. The album was entitled Lana Del Rey but at the time, she was recording under her own name, Lizzy Grant. The album was released on an independent label and produced by David Kahne. According to Lizzy, "David asked to work with me only a day after he got my demo. She chose Kahne to produce the record on account of his pedigree - he has worked with a huge range of successful artists in the past, including The Strokes, The Bangles, Regina Spektor and Paul Mccartney.

Robert Grant is said to have helped with the marketing of the album. When Lana Del Rey began releasing music under that name, her album was withdrawn from iTunes, to avoid any confusion.

In June 2011, Lana Del Rey signed to Stranger Records, who are also home to Thomas Tantrum and Penguin Prison. However, when her debut single, 'Video Games' was released, she then signed to Interscope Records. She said at the time (in an interview for The Observer in the UK) that 'Video Games' was her favourite track, hence posting it online but it was not originally intended to be the lead single. Media attention surrounding Del Rey began to snowball and by the end of October 2011, Q magazine announced that she would be the recipient of their 'Next Big Thing' award.

The track 'Video Games' was also selected to feature in the TV series Ringer. She promoted the single with a number of live performances, including playing the Bowery Ballroom in New York and on MTV Push. A performance on Later. With Jools Holland also raised her profile in the UK.

To accompany some of her tracks, Lana Del Rey also directed some of her own music videos. The video to 'Video Games' was filmed in a retro, Super-8 style.

Born to Die, the debut album recorded under the name Lana Del Rey was released in January 2012, after the title track became the second single. On 14th January, she made her debut live US TV appearance on Saturday Night Live. Her performance was not well received, though, with many commenting on her lack of confidence onstage.

At the start of 2012, Lana Del Rey had already been nominated for a MTV Brand New award and the International Breakthrough Act at the 2012 BRIT Awards.