Lana Del Rey
Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its cinematic quality and exploration of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia, with frequent references to contemporary pop culture and 1950s–1970s Americana.[1] Her vintage Hollywood glamour aesthetic is presented not only in her music, but also in her music videos. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an MTV Video Music Award, three MTV Europe Music Awards, two Brit Awards, two Billboard Women in Music, and a Satellite Award, in addition to nominations for eleven Grammy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.[2] Variety honored her at their Hitmakers Awards for being "one of the most influential singer-songwriters of the 21st century". Rolling Stone placed Del Rey on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time (2023), and Rolling Stone UK named her The Greatest American Songwriter of the 21st century (2023).[3][4]
For other uses, see Lana Del Rey (disambiguation).
Lana Del Rey
- Lana Del Ray
- Lana Rey Del Mar
- Lizzy Grant
- May Jailer
- Sparkle Jump Rope Queen
- Singer
- songwriter
2005–present
Vocals
- 5 Points
- Stranger
- Polydor
- Interscope
Raised in upstate New York, Del Rey moved to New York City in 2005 to pursue a music career. After numerous projects, including her self-titled debut studio album, Del Rey's breakthrough came in 2011 with the viral success of her single "Video Games"; she subsequently signed a recording contract with Polydor and Interscope.[5] She achieved critical and commercial success with her major label debut album, Born to Die (2012), which contained the sleeper hit "Summertime Sadness". Born To Die became her first of six number-one albums in the UK, and also topped various national charts around the world. Del Rey's third album, Ultraviolence (2014), featured greater use of guitar-driven instrumentation and debuted atop the U.S. Billboard 200.
Her fourth and fifth albums, Honeymoon (2015) and Lust for Life (2017), saw a return to the stylistic traditions of her earlier releases, while her critically acclaimed sixth album, Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019) explored soft rock, was nominated for Album of the Year at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, and was also named one of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time by Rolling Stone.[6][7] Her next studio albums, Chemtrails over the Country Club and Blue Banisters, followed in 2021 and explored Americana. Del Rey collaborated with Taylor Swift on "Snow on the Beach", from Swift's tenth studio album Midnights (2022);[8] it debuted at number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, marking Del Rey's highest peak on the chart. Del Rey's ninth studio album, Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, was later released in 2023, supported by its title track[9] and the critically acclaimed single "A&W", with the latter being named one of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time by Rolling Stone.[10] Later that year, she released the Billboard Global 200 top-20 hit "Say Yes To Heaven".
Del Rey has collaborated on soundtracks for visual media; in 2013, she wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed musical short Tropico[11] and released "Young and Beautiful" for the romantic drama The Great Gatsby, which was highly praised by critics and received Grammy Award and Critics' Choice Award nominations. In 2014, she recorded "Once Upon a Dream" for the dark fantasy adventure film Maleficent and the titular theme song for the biopic Big Eyes, which was nominated for a Golden Globe Award.[12][13] Del Rey also recorded the collaboration "Don't Call Me Angel" for the action comedy Charlie's Angels (2019). Del Rey published the poetry and photography collection Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass (2020).
Artistry
Musical style
Del Rey has been labeled an "alt-pop"[209]
or alternative pop artist.[210] Her works have been variously categorized as pop,[211] rock,[212] dream pop,[213] baroque pop,[214] indie pop, psychedelic rock,[215] while incorporating trip hop,[216] hip hop,[217] lo-fi,[218] and trap elements.[219] Upon her debut release, Del Rey's music was described as "Hollywood sadcore" by some music critics.[220] It has been repeatedly noted for its cinematic sound and its references to various aspects of pop culture; both critics and Del Rey herself have noted a persistent theme of 1950s and 1960s Americana.[221] The strong elements of American nostalgia brought Idolator to classify her firmly as alternative pop.[222] Del Rey elaborated on her connection to the past in an interview with Artistdirect, saying "I wasn't even born in the '50s but I feel like I was there."[223]
Of Born to Die, AllMusic stated that its "sultry, overstated orchestral pop recast her as some sort of vaguely imagined chanteuse for a generation raised on Adderall and the Internet, with heavy doses of Twin Peaks atmosphere".[224] Del Rey's subsequent releases would introduce variant styles, particularly Ultraviolence, which employed a guitar-based sound akin to psychedelic and desert rock.[225] Kenneth Partridge of Billboard noted this shift in style, writing: "She sings about drugs, cars, money, and the bad boys she's always falling for, and while there remains a sepia-toned mid-century flavor to many of these songs, [Del Rey] is no longer fronting like a thugged-out Bette Davis."[226] Upon the release of Honeymoon, one reviewer characterized Del Rey's body of work as being "about music as a time warp, with her languorous croons over molasses-like arrangements meant to make clock hands seem to move so slowly that it feels possible, at times, they might go backwards".[227]
Prior to coming to prominence under the stage name Lana Del Rey, she performed under the names Lizzy Grant, Lana Rey Del Mar,[228] Sparkle Jump Rope Queen,[229] and May Jailer.[230] Under the stage name Lizzy Grant, she referred to her music as "Hawaiian glam metal",[231] while the work of her May Jailer project was acoustic.[232]
Public image
Early reception
Prior to the release of her debut major label album Born to Die in 2012, Del Rey was the subject of several articles discussing her image and career trajectory.[265][266][267] One article by Paul Harris published by The Guardian a week before the album's release noted the differences between Del Rey's perceived persona in 2008, when she performed as Lizzy Grant and posted music videos on YouTube, and in the present, as Lana Del Rey.[266] Harris wrote: