Lana Del Rey facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lana Del Rey
Del Rey in 2024
Born	Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (1985-06-21) June 21, 1985 (age 39) New York City, U.S.
Other names	Lana Del Ray Lana Rey Del Mar Lizzy Grant May Jailer Sparkle Jump Rope Queen
Alma mater	Fordham University (BA)
Occupation	Singer songwriter
Years active	2005–present
Works	Discography songs unreleased songs videography live performances
Spouse(s)	Jeremy Dufrene ​ (m. 2024)​
Awards	Full list
Musical career
Genres	Alt-pop baroque pop rock dream pop
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	5 Points Stranger Polydor Interscope
Signature

Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer and songwriter. Her music is known for its movie-like feel. It often explores themes of romance and glamour. She also frequently uses references to pop culture and American history from the 1950s to 1970s.

Lana Del Rey's style often reminds people of old Hollywood glamour. You can see this in her music videos. She has won many awards, including an MTV Video Music Award and two Brit Awards. She has also been nominated for eleven Grammy Awards. Variety magazine called her "one of the most influential singer-songwriters of the 21st century". In 2023, Rolling Stone magazine listed her among the "200 Greatest Singers of All Time".

Lana Del Rey grew up in upstate New York. She moved to New York City in 2005 to start her music career. After working on several projects, she became famous in 2011. This happened when her song "Video Games" became very popular online. She then signed with Polydor and Interscope record labels.

Her second album, Born to Die (2012), was a big success. It included the popular song "Summertime Sadness". Born to Die was her first album to reach number one in the UK. It also topped charts in many other countries. Her third album, Ultraviolence (2014), used more guitar sounds. It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart.

Her albums Chemtrails over the Country Club and Blue Banisters came out in 2021. These albums explored Americana themes. In 2022, Del Rey worked with Taylor Swift on the song "Snow on the Beach". This song reached number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. This was Del Rey's highest spot on that chart.

Lana Del Rey's ninth album, Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, was released in 2023. It featured the song "A&W", which Rolling Stone called one of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Later in 2023, she released "Say Yes to Heaven". This song became a top-20 hit on the Billboard Global 200 chart.

Del Rey has also contributed to movie soundtracks. In 2013, she wrote and starred in the short film Tropico. She also released "Young and Beautiful" for the movie The Great Gatsby. This song was nominated for a Grammy Award. In 2014, she recorded "Once Upon a Dream" for the film Maleficent. She also sang the theme song "Big Eyes" for the movie Big Eyes, which was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Del Rey also released a poetry and photography book called Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass in 2020.

Early Life and Education

Elizabeth Woolridge Grant was born on June 21, 1985, in Manhattan, New York City. Her father, Robert England Grant Jr., was a copywriter. Her mother, Patricia Ann "Pat" (née Hill), was an account executive. She has a younger sister, Caroline "Chuck" Grant, and a younger brother, Charlie Grant. She was raised Roman Catholic and has Scottish family roots.

When she was one year old, her family moved to Lake Placid, New York. There, her father worked for a furniture company. He later became an investor in domain names. Her mother worked as a schoolteacher. Lana attended St. Agnes School for elementary years. She began singing in her church choir.

She attended the high school where her mother taught for one year. When she was 14 or 15, her parents sent her to Kent School. After graduating from Kent School, she lived on Long Island with her aunt and uncle for a year. She worked as a waitress during this time. Her uncle taught her to play guitar. She realized she "could probably write a million songs with those six chords".

Soon after, she started writing songs and performing in nightclubs. She used different names like "Sparkle Jump Rope Queen" and "Lizzy Grant and the Phenomena". She said, "I was always singing, but didn't plan on pursuing it seriously." In fall 2004, at age 19, Grant enrolled at Fordham University in The Bronx, New York City. She studied philosophy. She chose this subject because it "bridged the gap between God and science."

Music Career Beginnings (2005–2010)

Lana Turner, a film actress who inspired Del Rey's stage name

In spring 2005, while still in college, Del Rey registered a seven-track extended play (EP). It was titled Rock Me Stable, also listed as Young Like Me. She also recorded another EP called From the End. She used the stage name May Jailer for this. Between 2005 and 2006, she recorded an acoustic album, Sirens, as May Jailer. This album was later leaked online in 2012.

In 2006, Del Rey met Van Wilson, an A&R representative for 5 Points Records. This happened at her first public performance. In 2007, she sent a demo tape to 5 Points. They offered her a recording contract for $10,000. She used the money to move to a trailer park in North Bergen, New Jersey. She started working with producer David Kahne.

Del Rey graduated from Fordham University in 2008. She then released a three-track EP, Kill Kill, as Lizzy Grant. David Kahne produced this EP. Del Rey was also doing community work for homeless people. She had become interested in helping others in college.

She chose her stage name, Lana Del Rey, for her first album. She said, "I wanted a name I could shape the music towards." The name reminded her of the glamour of the seaside. It was also inspired by actress Lana Turner and the Ford Del Rey car. Her first album, Lana Del Ray, was released in January 2010. It was briefly available on iTunes.

Del Rey met her managers, Ben Mawson and Ed Millett, after her album was released. They helped her leave her contract with 5 Points Records. She felt "nothing was happening" there. She then moved to London. In September 2010, she performed with Mando Diao in Berlin. That same year, she acted in a short film called Poolside.

Breakthrough with Born to Die (2011–2013)

In 2011, Del Rey uploaded homemade music videos to YouTube. These were for her songs "Video Games" and "Blue Jeans". The "Video Games" video became very popular online. This led to her signing with Stranger Records. She released the song as her first single. She told The Observer that she just put the song online because it was her favorite.

The song won her a Q award in October 2011. It also won an Ivor Novello award in 2012. In the same month, she signed a deal with Interscope Records and Polydor. This was for her second album, Born to Die. Del Rey performed two songs from the album on Saturday Night Live in January 2012.

Del Rey attending the 2012 Cannes Film Festival

Born to Die was released on January 31, 2012. It was a big commercial success. The album reached number one in 11 countries. It debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 album chart. Born to Die sold 3.4 million copies in 2012. This made it the fifth-best-selling album of that year.

In September 2012, Del Rey introduced the Jaguar F-Type car for Jaguar. She later recorded the song "Burning Desire" for a car advertisement. In late September 2012, a music video for her cover of "Blue Velvet" was released. This was a promotional single for the H&M autumn campaign. Del Rey also modeled for H&M.

On September 25, Del Rey released the single "Ride". This promoted her upcoming EP, Paradise. She showed the music video for "Ride" at the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, California.

Paradise was released on November 12, 2012. It was also part of Born to Die: The Paradise Edition. Paradise became Del Rey's second top 10 album in the United States. It debuted at number 10 on the Billboard 200. It was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. Del Rey won the Best Alternative performer award in November 2012. In February 2013, she won the International Female Solo Artist award at the Brit Awards.

In May 2013, Del Rey released "Young and Beautiful". This song was for the soundtrack of The Great Gatsby film. It reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100. Later, a remix of her song "Summertime Sadness" became a big hit. It reached number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was her first top ten hit in America. The remix won a Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical in 2013.

In June 2013, Del Rey filmed Tropico. This was a musical short film with songs from Paradise. Del Rey showed the film on December 4, 2013. The soundtrack was released online on December 6.

Albums Ultraviolence and Honeymoon (2014–2016)

Del Rey performing at Coachella Festival in 2014

On January 26, 2014, Del Rey released a cover of "Once Upon a Dream". This was for the 2014 fantasy film Maleficent. After finishing Paradise, Del Rey started working on her next album, Ultraviolence. Dan Auerbach produced it.

Ultraviolence was released on June 13, 2014. It debuted at number one in 12 countries, including the United States and United Kingdom. The album sold 880,000 copies worldwide in its first week. It included singles like "West Coast" and "Ultraviolence". Del Rey described the album as "more stripped down but still cinematic and dark". Critics said it had a desert rock sound. Later that year, Del Rey contributed songs "Big Eyes" and "I Can Fly" to Tim Burton's 2014 film Big Eyes.

Honeymoon, Del Rey's fourth album, was released on September 18, 2015. It received good reviews from music critics. Before the album came out, Del Rey shared the song "Honeymoon" and the single "High by the Beach". Del Rey also went on The Endless Summer Tour in May 2015. Courtney Love and Grimes opened for her. Del Rey also sang on the song "Prisoner" from the Weeknd's album Beauty Behind the Madness.

In November 2015, Del Rey helped produce a short film. It was called Hi, How Are You Daniel Johnston. This film was about singer-songwriter Daniel Johnston. For the film, she covered Johnston's song "Some Things Last a Long Time". In November 2015, Del Rey received the Trailblazer Award at the Billboard Women in Music ceremony. She also won the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Alternative.

On February 9, 2016, Del Rey released a music video for "Freak" from Honeymoon. Later that year, Del Rey worked with the Weeknd again. She provided backing vocals on "Party Monster" and lead vocals on "Stargirl Interlude" for his album Starboy (2016). "Party Monster" became a Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

Recent Works (2020–Present)

In 2020, Del Rey released Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass. This was a collection of poetry and photography. She also released an audiobook version. The poem "LA Who Am I to Love You" was the first single from the audiobook. In May 2020, Del Rey announced a second book, Behind the Iron Gates – Insights from the Institution.

In November 2020, Del Rey announced she would release a digital record of "American standards and classics". She also contributed to a documentary about Liverpool F.C. called The End of the Storm. She performed the club's anthem, "You'll Never Walk Alone". Del Rey is a fan of the club.

On March 19, 2021, Del Rey released her seventh album, Chemtrails over the Country Club. It received good reviews. Jack Antonoff mostly produced this album with Del Rey. Singles from the album included "Let Me Love You like a Woman" and the title track.

Her eighth album, Blue Banisters, was released on October 22, 2021. It was preceded by three songs released on May 20, 2021: the title track, "Text Book", and "Wildflower Wildfire". The single "Arcadia" was released on September 8, 2021.

On January 21, 2022, Del Rey's song "Watercolor Eyes" was featured on an episode of Euphoria. In October 2022, Del Rey was featured on "Snow on the Beach" by Taylor Swift. This song was on Swift's album Midnights. It became Del Rey's highest-peaking song on the Billboard Hot 100.

On December 7, 2022, Del Rey released "Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd". This was the first single from her ninth album of the same name. In January 2023, Del Rey was interviewed by Billie Eilish for Interview magazine. She said the album would explore her deepest thoughts.

On February 14, 2023, "A&W" was released as the second single. The third single, "The Grants", came out on March 14, 2023. Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd was released on March 24, 2023.

On May 19, 2023, Del Rey released her popular unreleased song "Say Yes to Heaven" as a single. She had written it in 2013. On May 26, 2023, Taylor Swift released a remix of "Snow on the Beach". This version featured "more" Lana Del Rey. In 2023, Del Rey went on a tour to support her album.

On October 20, 2023, Del Rey was featured in Holly Macve's single "Suburban House". On November 10, 2023, Del Rey received 5 nominations for the 2024 Grammy Awards. She was also chosen as the face for the Skims 2024 Valentines Day Collection.

On January 31, 2024, Del Rey announced her next album. It is set to be her first country album. The album is titled The Right Person Will Stay, with a release date of May 21, 2025. "Tough", a song with rapper Quavo, was released on July 3, 2024.

On November 25, 2024, Del Rey announced her UK and Ireland Tour 2025. It will begin on June 23, 2025, and end on July 3, 2025. She will perform in cities like Cardiff, Glasgow, Liverpool, Dublin, and London.

Musical Style and Influences

Lana Del Rey's music is often called "alt-pop" or alternative pop. Her songs are also described as pop, rock, dream pop, and baroque pop. She sometimes includes elements of trip hop, hip hop, and trap. When she first started, her music was called "Hollywood sadcore" by some critics.

Her music is known for its cinematic sound. It often refers to different parts of pop culture. Both critics and Del Rey herself have noted a strong theme of 1950s and 1960s Americana. Del Rey explained her connection to the past. She told Artistdirect, "I wasn't even born in the '50s but I feel like I was there."

Before becoming famous as Lana Del Rey, she performed under other names. These included Lizzy Grant, Lana Rey Del Mar, Sparkle Jump Rope Queen, and May Jailer. As Lizzy Grant, she called her music "Hawaiian glam metal". Her May Jailer project featured acoustic songs.

Musical Influences

Artists from Frank Sinatra (left) to Amy Winehouse (right) have influenced Del Rey and her music.

Del Rey says many different artists have influenced her. These include pop, jazz, and blues singers from the mid-twentieth century. Some of them are Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, and Miles Davis. She also likes torch singers like Julie London. She told BBC radio in 2012 that she likes "the masters of every genre." She specifically named Nirvana, Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley.

Rock and pop musicians from the late-twentieth century have also inspired her. These include Bruce Springsteen, Britney Spears, Lou Reed, and the Eagles. Folk musicians like Leonard Cohen and Joan Baez are also influences. Del Rey has also mentioned modern artists. These include Cat Power, Courtney Love, Eminem, and Amy Winehouse. Del Rey has said the soundtrack to American Beauty partly inspired her album Born to Die.

Poetry has also influenced her. She says Walt Whitman and Allen Ginsberg were important for her songwriting. Del Rey has also mentioned film directors David Lynch and Federico Fellini as influences. She also admires painters Mark Ryden and Pablo Picasso, and actress Lauren Bacall.

Voice and Singing Style

Lana Del Rey has a wide contralto vocal range. This means she can sing many different notes. Her voice is described as captivating and very emotive. She can easily go from high, girlish notes to lower, jazzy sounds. After her album Ultraviolence was released, critics praised her singing. They noted her wide range and confident delivery.

When recording, Del Rey often layers her vocals. This means she records her voice multiple times to create a fuller sound. This can be hard to do live without backup singers. Some journalists noted that her live performances became more confident by 2014. Billboard called her performance of "West Coast" at Coachella a "star-making performance". Music critics have called her voice "smoky" and "gravelly". They also say it reminds them of Marilyn Monroe. In 2015, her voice was compared to Julee Cruise and Eartha Kitt.

Del Rey started using lower vocals with Born to Die. She said, "people weren't taking me very seriously, so I lowered my voice, believing that it would help me stand out." She added, "Because of the way I look, I needed something to ground the entire project. Otherwise I think people would assume I was some airhead singer."

Music Videos and Stage Presence

Del Rey performing at the Flow Festival in 2017

Del Rey's music videos are often known for their cinematic and retro feel. Early in her career, she made "homemade music videos." She recorded herself singing and mixed it with old home videos. This style helped her gain early attention. After these videos became popular, she made high-budget videos. These included "Born to Die" and "National Anthem" (both 2012). Her early videos showed her as a "bad girl" or "gangster Nancy Sinatra."

Later videos for songs like "Summer Wine" and "Summertime Sadness" had lower budgets. They kept more of her early homemade style. The Ultraviolence era had a mix of high-budget and self-made videos. The Honeymoon era mostly featured professionally shot visuals inspired by film noir.

Critics have noted Del Rey's live performances are usually simple but real. A review in The New York Times in 2017 said she was "eerily casual." She sang and smiled "with the ease of someone performing at singer-songwriter night at the local coffee shop."

Impact and Influence

Lana Del Rey has influenced many artists. These include Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and Taylor Swift. Billboard magazine said Born to Die helped change pop music. It shifted from loud EDM to a moodier, hip-hop-influenced sound in the mid-2010s. Billboard also said Del Rey is very important to pop music of that decade. She influenced alternative pop artists like Lorde and Halsey.

In 2019, Billboard included "Born to Die" in its list of 100 songs that defined the 2010s. They said it marked "a sonic shift that completely changed the pop landscape." Older artists, some of whom influenced Del Rey, have also praised her. These include Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez, and Elton John. Directors David Lynch and John Waters have also praised her.

The Washington Post listed Del Rey as the only musician on their "Decade of Influence" list. Pitchfork called her one of the greatest living songwriters in the U.S. Her YouTube and Vevo pages have over seven and a half billion views combined. In 2022, New York University started a course about Del Rey's music. Rolling Stone ranked Del Rey at number 175 on its 2023 list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time. Rolling Stone UK named her The Greatest American Songwriter of the 21st century in 2023.

Awards and Recognition

Lana Del Rey has received many awards. These include 3 MTV Europe Music Awards, 2 Brit Awards, and a Satellite Award. She has also been nominated for 11 Grammy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.

Personal Life

Lana Del Rey married Jeremy Dufrene on September 26, 2024, in Louisiana. Dufrene is a tour boat captain. Del Rey took a tour with him in 2019.

Discography

Studio albums

Written Works

• Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass (2020)

Filmography

Tours

• Born to Die Tour (2011–2012)
• Paradise Tour (2013–2014)
• The Endless Summer Tour (2015)
• LA to the Moon Tour (2018)
• 2023–2024 tour
• UK and Ireland Tour 2025

Images for kids

• 

  Del Rey performing in 2012

See also

In Spanish: Lana Del Rey para niños

• Honorific nicknames in popular music
• List of Grammy Award winners and nominees