About Lana Del Rey
Lana Del Rey [b. 1986; real name, Elizabeth “Lizzy” Grant] is a native New Yorker who grew up in a privileged environment—her father is a noted Internet millionaire, plus she attended an exclusive boarding school in Connecticut—who performs a brand of music much closer stylistically to the hip-hop artists who share her record label. Interscope Records signed Grant in October 2011; this is the same entity that represents Eminem, Dr. Dre (they acquired his Aftermath Records in the late 1990s), Sean “Diddy” Combs, and 50 Cent, among many others.
Grant’s earliest commercial exposure took place in 2008 with the release of Kill Kill, a three-song EP. Her debut album, a studio effort where she was called Lizzy Grant, was released with the title Lana Del Rey. It came out in January 2010. This moniker, which she ultimately adopted as her official stage name, was reportedly crafted by a focus group of music producers and industry attorneys who felt she needed an “exotic” label to match the type of music she was making.
The Del Rey song, “Video Games,” proved to be her breakout hit. The popularity of this October 2011 single was the motivating factor behind Interscope courting her as a viable recording artist, and this additional exposure—the contract included Interscope’s promise to widely promote the song, even though the company had not produced it—placed it prominently on the American TV series, Ringer. This gave Grant the mainstream exposure she desired. She subsequently performed the song—live—in such disparate venues as part of an MTV telecast, at a Hollywood show at the Chateau Marmont, and on British television for the program, Later…With Jools Holland. In January 2012, Del Rey sang two songs as the musical guest artist on the U.S. TV show Saturday Night Live. She also anticipates releasing the album, Born to Die, sometime during January or February 2012.
