Lana Del Rey

Biography of Lana del Rey

Lana Del Rey is an American singer who won the love of millions of listeners all over the world due to her autobiographic songs with gloomy aesthetics. Captivating sincerity combines with obscene lyrics in her songs, and light energy meets here bold sexuality.

Authentic singer Lana Del Rey

Her cinematographic music is difficult to be defined by one genre – everyone finds here something special. Reviewers compared her voice with vocals of China Forbes, Nancy Sinatra, and Ambrosia Presley. Due to such compliments, the singer started calling her musical style as «Hollywood sadcore», representing herself as a gangster version of Nancy Sinatra.

Childhood and Family

Elizabeth Woolridge Grant was born on 21 June 1985, in the middle-class family from New York. Her father Robert Grande-Jr. earned his fortune due to profitable investments in the real estate, and then in the developing Internet-infrastructure in 90s. In 1982, being yet just a regular employee at the advertisement agency Grey Group, he made a proposal to an assistant of a book-keeper, Patricia Hill. They met at the shooting of one of the company’s commercials.

Lana Del Rey in her childhood (pictured left with her brother and sister)

Soon after the birth of Lizzy, her family moved to a homeland of Patricia, a village Lake Placid, where the 1980 Winter Olympics were held. There Lizzy’s siblings were born – a sister Carolyn and brother Charlie.

Lana Del Rey (Elizabeth Grande yet) in her school years

Elizabeth attended the primary Catholic school of St. Agnes and was singing in the chorus of the church which was placed nearby. Later she had admitted in the interview that although now she doesn’t support the traditional Catholic concept of God, she finds something meaningful for her in the ideas of the Supreme mind and predestination.

She wrote her first song at the age of 11. «The song was called «China Palace» and it tells the story about how to be a princess», – the singer has recalled later.

In the school years, a girl was dreaming of being carried away to somewhere else most of the time. It was going for a long until 15 years old Elizabeth started attending the philosophy classes according to the school schedule. She could have found soulmates there who were puzzled by the question «For what reason are we all here?» as much as she was. The same period she got used to alcohol, being immersed in that new kind of «entertainment». Later she had written the song «Born to Die», which dedicated to this dark period of her life. Fortunately, her parents were seriously concerned about the daughter’s behavior and decided to ship her off to be in safe that became the boarding school in Connecticut. And it was a truly wise solution – Elizabeth hadn’t drunk a drop of alcohol till her 18.

The First Steps to Fame

After graduation from that school, Lizzy came back to New York and became one of the students of the Metaphysics and Comparative Theology Department at Fordham University. She spent her spare time volunteering – she helped homeless and alcohol or drug-addicted people, visited Indian reservations, where she was building and repairing houses with other young enthusiasts. While doing this, Elizabeth has also got time to the concerts – she performed on night clubs’ stages, such as Laila Lounge, Galapagos, The Living Room.

Lana Del Rey in her youth

Her first alias was the name «May Jailer» by which she recorded the album «Young Like Me» and acoustic disc «Sirens». The aspiring singer found her main source of inspiration in the music of the 60s. Songs of that time were full of light and were executed in the best traditions of folk music.

The cover of «Sirens»

At the age of 20, Elizabeth moved from her parents’ house – during some period she even had to live in a trailer. That time she started sending her demos to producers and eventually had succeeded. She signed the contract with 5 Point Records when producer David Cain paid attention to her songs. Shortly thereafter her first mini-album Kill Kill came out, it consisted 3 songs. At that moment the singer took the artistic alias «Lizzy Grant». There were rumors in the media that her father financially assisted her promotion at that period, but representatives of the music label refuted these statements.

Finally, Elizabeth became Lana Del Rey as so many of us love and admire (by the way, the third word was written as «Ray» at first, but has later transformed to Rey).

The heyday of the career

The album «Lana Del Ray a.k.a. Lizzy Grant» came out in January 2010. Its release didn’t attract listeners’ attention as much as it was expected, therefore Lana decided to break the contract with the label and to try to promote on her own. In 2011, she released a self-made video to the song «Video Games» which was executed like a video-collage. The music was written by Justin Parker, and Lana has told the story about her routine and unhappy relationship with a boyfriend in the lyrics.

Lana Del Rey – Video Games

Unexpectedly the video received more than 100 thousand views. The presenter of the Live Lounge radio-program included the song in her playlist, and subsequently, Elizabeth has attracted the attention of the label Interscope.

At the end of 2011, the singer presented the single «Born to Die», soon after which the album of the same name was released. The disc has taken 5th place among the best-selling music albums of the year, and Lana was ranked in the top 3 of the most popular American female singers. Critics called her music a connecting link between modern hip-hop culture and classic pop-music enriched with jazz elements.

Lana Del Rey – Born To Die

But the release of the album was accompanied by a scandal on Saturday Night Live Show, where Lana couldn’t have handled the excitement and failed in the beginning of «Blue Jeans» performing. The audience reacted very aggressively, and the girl has even been cyberbullied later. Nevertheless, the hype has just attracted public attention to the new album’s release.

The album «Born to Die» was released in 2011

Lana had time to compose not for herself only. Thus, Sheryl Cowl, one of the pop-stars of Great Britain, claimed in the interview, that her album «A Million Lights» included a few songs written by Lana.

In 2012, the singer started working on the next album and recorded the cover-version of the popular song of 50s era, «Blue Velvet». The music video, made in the style of David Lynch’s «Mulholland Drive», was a bombshell among YouTube users and music TV-channels’ spectators.

Lana Del Rey – Blue Velvet cover

In 2013, Lana Del Rey started her first world tour. The fact that tickets to her concert in Paris were sold out in a 1,5 minute illustrates the level of the singer’s popularity like anything else.

Lana Del Rey in a swimsuit

That same year her song «Young and Beautiful» became a part of a soundtrack to «The Great Gatsby» with Leonardo DiCapri in the lead. This composition became her second trademark after «Born to Die». That period Lana has also premiered her short film «Tropico», which became the true pleasure to all who appreciate stylish and smart videos.

Lana Del Rey – Tropico

In 2014, her album «Ultraviolence» was released, which genre Lana referred to the psychedelic rock and called its contents very conceptual. It is obvious, that the title of the album quotes the word from the novel by Anthony Burgess, «The Clockwork Orange». It is also known that the girl was inspired to compose all of these songs by her traveling along the West coast. The album was a success, and it has started at 1st position in national charts of 12 countries. Gloomy and fairytale composition «Once Upon a Dream» was included in the soundtrack of the «Maleficent» Disney movie with Angelina Jolie in the lead.

A year later the singer presented the new album «Honeymoon», which reminded them of her first releases. It was an exceptional mix of the noir atmosphere of the 60s, blues motives, and mesmerizing female voice as well. The songs «High by the Beach» and «Music to Watch Boys To» were released as the singles.

Lana Del Rey is often called as «Nancy Sinatra’s gangster version»

In 2017, the album «Lust For Life» was released. The Weeknd, ASAP Rocky, a John Lennon’s son, and other famous musicians took part in the recording. The disc received the Grammy nomination but didn’t win the award. That same year the singer went on the world tour in support of the album.

In the spring of 2018, she presented the new song «Happiness is a Butterfly», which is supposed to be included in her forthcoming album.

In 2018, Lana organized the world tour in support of her new album

In 2019, the singer also released several tracks, including “Don’t Call Me Angel”, performed with Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus. Soon, the singer released her new album "Norman Fucking Roswell", which was liked by both fans and critics, and then went on a world tour with him.

Personal Life of Lana Del Rey

While studying at the Fordham University, Elizabeth dated Stephen Martens, the icon of the local rock-stage. He started producing her debut album, but subsequently, the disc was rerecorded by David Cain after their breakup. Soon after, Lana had an affair with a musician Jimmy Gnecco.

Lana Del Rey without makeup

She was in relationships with the Scottish musician from Kassidy band, Barry James O’Neil, for three years – from 2011 till 2014. They often performed together and even considered each other as the new Sher and Sonny. But, nevertheless, Barry has known that Lana left him from his cousin. Later she confessed that she can’t be happy with him anymore. However, she even admitted that Barry was like a twin for her.

Pictured: Lana Del Rey and Barry James O’Neil

The same year she was caught with James Franco, and then fell for Italian Francesco Carrozzini, who became the director of her music video to «Ultraviolence». A year later they split.

With Francesco Carrozzini

It is known a little about the next love affairs of the singer. In 2017, she dated a rapper G-Easy. After their split, he has even removed her vocal from their joint track «Him and I».

In January 2020, the news that Lana Del Rey was dating police and reality TV star Sean Larkin literally blew up media headlines. According to the singer, they met at the presentation of the Grammy Award. He is also known about the singer’s new chosen one that he is 46 years old and works in Texas.

Lana Del Rey and Sean Larkin

Lana Del Rey Now

Despite the tight schedule of the big world tour, Lana Del Rey got the time to work on the new material and occasionally acts. But coronavirus pandemic affected the singer - she had to cancel the spring European tour in support of the new album in 2020.

In addition, in 2020, Lana Del Rey managed to get into a scandal. The singer was first accused of romanticizing violence, and then of racism. The ambiguous lines from her new album were to blame.

Anthony Isaac Peterson

Del Rey for me is one of my favorite singers because she is different, not like other pop which is mostly all the same. She has really nice melodic songs

2021-05-18 13:02:35
Deborah Ruiz

I`ve listened a few her songs but I never downloaded, I can listen in the car or radio and that`s all.

2021-05-16 18:19:55
Edward Cole

Nowadays Lana is on the top of the charts. For me there is nothing so placative but her songs :)

2021-05-07 22:03:45
Patrick Aiden Stewart

The redhead beauty won the hearts of many people with her voice :) And I`m the one of them :) Her creative work is different than other singers, she made something new, something special.

2021-03-03 20:25:06
Dawn Clark

The album Born To Die is just the best what I ever listen! In general I like Lana as a singer, she is very feminine and talented!

2021-01-05 12:55:18

Photos: Lana Del Rey