Lana Del Rey

Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, born June 21, 1985, and known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer-songwriter. Her music is noted for its melancholic exploration of romance and glamour, incorporating frequent references to pop culture and 1950s–1970s Americana. Over her career, she has received an MTV Video Music Award, three MTV Europe Music Awards, two Brit Awards, two Billboard Women in Music awards, and a Satellite Award. She has also earned nominations for 11 Grammy Awards and a Golden Globe Award.

Del Rey was born in Manhattan to Robert England Grant Jr., a copywriter, and Patricia Ann Grant, an account executive. She grew up Catholic alongside a younger sister and a younger brother. When she was a year old, her family relocated to Lake Placid, New York, where she attended St. Agnes School and sang in her church choir. During her adolescence, she struggled with severe alcoholism and was sent at age 14 to Kent School in Connecticut to get sober, remaining sober since 2003. After high school, she lived on Long Island, worked as a waitress, briefly modeled for Ford, and learned guitar from her uncle. She later earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy from Fordham University in 2008.

While in college, Del Rey began performing in New York clubs and recorded early extended plays under names such as May Jailer and Lizzy Grant. She signed a recording contract with 5 Points Records and released her self-titled debut album as Lana Del Ray in 2010 before buying back the rights. Her breakthrough occurred in 2011 when her self-made music video for the single "Video Games" became a viral internet sensation. This success led to a joint recording contract with Interscope and Polydor and the release of her major-label debut album, Born to Die, in 2012.

Born to Die achieved major commercial success, topping charts in 11 countries and featuring the sleeper hit "Summertime Sadness". It went on to spend 520 weeks on the US Billboard 200, making Del Rey the second woman in history to reach that milestone. She followed this with her 2012 EP Paradise and subsequently topped the US album charts with Ultraviolence in 2014 and Lust for Life in 2017. Her 2019 release, Norman Fucking Rockwell!, received widespread critical praise, earning a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year and a placement on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list.

In 2023, Del Rey released her ninth studio album, Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, featuring the acclaimed single "A&W", and launched the hit single "Say Yes to Heaven". Beyond her studio albums, she has contributed songs to numerous film soundtracks, including "Young and Beautiful" for The Great Gatsby, "Once Upon a Dream" for Maleficent, and the Golden Globe-nominated title track for Big Eyes. Her additional projects include the 2020 poetry and photography collection Violet Bent Backwards over the Grass and a 2026 title soundtrack collaboration for the video game 007: First Light.