Lana Del Rey built a world of her own, a cinematic blend of old Hollywood glamour and melancholy that reshaped alternative pop in the 2010s. Born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant on June 21, 1985, in New York City and raised in upstate New York, she spent years releasing music as Lizzy Grant before reinventing herself. Since “Video Games” went viral in 2011 she has put out a steady run of acclaimed albums and earned eleven Grammy nominations. Her influence runs through much of the pop that followed.
Video Games and Born to Die
Her breakthrough came with a self-produced video for “Video Games” in 2011, a slow, mournful song that sounded like nothing on the radio. Her major-label debut, Born to Die, arrived in 2012 with “Summertime Sadness” and reached number two in the US. Critics were split at first, but the album sold millions and aged into a touchstone.
Ultraviolence to Lust for Life
She kept moving. Ultraviolence in 2014 leaned into hazy guitar ballads, Honeymoon in 2015 went lusher and slower, and Lust for Life in 2017 brought guests and a lighter mood, with the title track featuring The Weeknd, a frequent collaborator. “Young and Beautiful”, her song for the 2013 film The Great Gatsby, became one of her signatures.
Norman F***ing Rockwell!
Her 2019 album Norman F***ing Rockwell! changed the conversation around her. Produced largely with Jack Antonoff, it drew near-unanimous praise and a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year, and Rolling Stone later named it one of the greatest albums ever made. The albums Chemtrails over the Country Club and Blue Banisters followed in 2021.
Ocean Blvd and a country turn
Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, in 2023, explored aging and grief and earned five Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year, led by the acclaimed “A&W”. She also co-wrote and sang on Taylor Swift‘s “Snow on the Beach”. In the mid-2020s she turned toward country, building a new album from acoustic ballads.
Most loved songs
A spread across the catalogue. Each title opens through the in-site player.
▶ Summertime Sadness
▶ Young and Beautiful
▶ Born to Die
▶ A&W
▶ West Coast
▶ Say Yes to Heaven
- Full nameElizabeth Woolridge Grant
- BornJune 21, 1985, New York City
- GenresAlternative pop, baroque pop, Americana
- Breakthrough“Video Games” (2011)
- Grammy nominations11
- Also known forBorn to Die and Ultraviolence
From a hazy ballad to a viral hook you cannot quite place, the odds are good a Lana Del Rey song has lived in your head. Type the line you remember into the search box above and you may find it leads back to her.