This article is about the famous American singer who has brought the world musical albums like “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd,” “Blue Banisters,” “Chemtrails over the Country Club,” and many others. Learn more about Lana Del Rey’s childhood, her career rise, and her successes here on manhattan-trend.
Early Years
Lana Del Rey, born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, is a well-known American singer and songwriter. Elizabeth was born on June 21, 1985, in Manhattan to Patricia Ann Grant, a customer service manager, and Robert England Grant Jr., a copywriter at Grey Group. She has a younger brother, Charlie Grant, and a younger sister, Caroline Grant. When Elizabeth was one year old, the family moved to Lake Placid. There, her father worked for a furniture company and her mother was a school teacher. Elizabeth attended St. Agnes School and sang in the church choir, where she was a soloist. When she was about 15, her parents sent her to Kent School to help her deal with her alcohol addiction, a problem that started in her teens and became a serious concern for both her and her family.
Later, she dropped out of school to go to rehab. She lived for a year in Long Island with her aunt and uncle, working as a waitress. During this time, her uncle taught her to play the guitar, and she realized she could probably write a lot of songs with just six chords. Soon after, she started writing songs and performing in local nightclubs under different names like “Lizzy Grant and the Phenomena” and “Sparkle Jump Rope Queen.” As Elizabeth herself noted, she had always sung, but she never planned to pursue music seriously.
She soon returned to New York and began her higher education at the State University of New York at Geneseo, but she later dropped out. In the fall of 2004, at age 19, Grant enrolled at Fordham University, where she majored in philosophy with a focus on metaphysics. She had been interested in the meaning of existence and the reason for human mortality since she was young.
Career Development
Beginning in 2005, Elizabeth Grant started releasing demo albums like “Rock Me Stable,” “From the End,” and “Sirens.” In 2007, after sending a demo to the A&R label 5 Points Records, owned by David Nichtern, she landed a $10,000 contract. She then moved to the Manhattan Mobile Home Park and started working with producer David Kahn. In 2008, she released a three-track EP titled “Kill Kill.” When choosing a stage name for herself and her debut album, she said, “I wanted a name I could shape the music to.” She was partly inspired by American film actress Lana Turner. So, in 2010, the singer’s debut studio album, “Lana Del Ray,” was released. During this period, she ended her contract with 5 Points Records. On September 1, 2010, Del Rey performed a concert at Union Film-Studios and later appeared in the film “Poolside.”
Career Breakthrough
Her career breakthrough came in 2011 with the single “Video Games,” which went viral. The song earned her a Q Award and an Ivor Novello Award for “Best Contemporary Song.” At that time, Lana Del Rey signed a joint contract with Interscope Records and Polydor to release her second studio album, “Born to Die,” in 2012. The album was a commercial success, reaching number one in 11 countries and debuting at number two on the American Billboard 200 album chart. Her next EP, “Paradise,” was released in 2012 as a standalone record. “Paradise” became Del Rey’s second album to break into the top 10 in the US, debuting at number 10 on the Billboard 200 with 67,000 copies sold in its first week. It was later nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album. In February 2013, at the Brit Awards, she won Best International Female Solo Artist and then twice won the Echo Award in the categories of “Best International Newcomer” and “Best International Pop/Rock Artist.”
In 2014, her third full-length album, “Ultraviolence,” was released, debuting at number one in 12 countries, including the US and UK. The album, which sold 880,000 copies worldwide in its first week, was preceded by the singles “Ultraviolence,” “Brooklyn Baby,” “West Coast,” and “Shades of Cool.” Throughout her career, the singer has released many more famous albums, including “Honeymoon,” “Norman Fucking Rockwell!,” “Chemtrails over the Country Club,” “Blue Banisters,” and “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd.” For her musical work, Lana has received many awards, including two Brit Awards, a Satellite Award, three MTV Europe Music Awards, and nine GAFFA Awards. In addition to these, the singer has also been nominated for eleven Grammy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Besides her musical career, Lana Del Rey has also appeared in films like “Ride,” “Tropico,” and “Freak.”
