Becoming Lana Del Reyīy the time her first album came out, Del Rey had decided she wanted to work under a new name. With the $10,000 she earned for this deal, Del Rey moved into a New Jersey trailer park. In 2006, she entered a songwriting competition she didn't win, but a judge on the panel helped her create a demo, which led to her signing with the indie label 5 Points. Early Careerĭel Rey, then still known as Lizzy Grant, started her career with open mic nights and club gigs. Though Del Rey soon enrolled at Fordham University in the Bronx, where she studied philosophy, music became her true focus. Instead of attending college right away, she went to live with her aunt and uncle on Long Island her uncle taught her to play guitar. She'd attended Catholic school, but her parents sent her to Kent School, a boarding school in Connecticut, because of her drinking.īoarding school wasn't a complete cure, but by the age of 18, Del Rey was sober. Her sister, photographer Caroline 'Chuck' Grant, shot the Lust for Life album cover and has taken promotional photos of Del Rey.Īs a teenager in the small community of Lake Placid, Del Rey started drinking heavily. She grew up with a younger brother and sister. Del Rey's parents were working in advertising in New York City when she was born, but left that life behind to move to Lake Placid, New York, in the Adirondack Mountains when Del Rey was a baby. Early Lifeĭel Rey was born as Elizabeth Woolridge Grant on June 21, 1985, in New York City. She has an extensive fanbase and has sold millions of albums, with 2014's Ultraviolence and 2017's Lust for Life both landing at No.

Del Rey first performed under her real name of Lizzy Grant but found fame as Lana Del Rey in 2011 with a homemade music video for the song 'Video Games.' After 'Video Games' became a viral hit, Del Rey was criticized for a lack of authenticity she's also been called out for songs that sometimes feature female submissiveness and self-destruction.

Lana Del Rey makes vulnerable, emotional pop music that often incorporates nostalgia for America's past.

Lana del rey unreleased albim cover