By: Lexie Corcoran
30 years ago, today, a music icon, role model, and innovator was born.
Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, known to many as Lana Del Rey, is a successful American singer, songwriter, and model. Del Rey was born in New York, New York on June 21, 1986 and was raised in Lake Placid, NY.
Her love for music stemmed from her father who wrote songs for self-pleasure. Her family introduced her to music from artists such as the Beach Boys and Bob Dylan, which sparked her interest and eventually led to the start of her successful music career.
At the age of 18, Del Rey moved in with her aunt in New York City and started to perform in small clubs in Brooklyn. She began to develop a small fan base and soon began to play in more popular venues. After about six months of singing at gigs almost every night, Del Rey took a short break from performing to focus on school.
Del Rey attended Fordham University and majored in philosophy. According to an interview with New Sound Magazine, Del Rey said she chose to study philosophy because it, “bridged the gap between God and science… [I] was interested in God and how technology could bring us closer to finding out where we came from and why.” Her curiosity in this topic is portrayed in many lyrics and meanings of her popular songs.
However, Del Rey soon found out that her true passion was, in fact, making music. Therefore she had decided to start performing again. Gaining a large number of followers, Del Rey signed a record deal with 5 Point Records, and produced her first EP titled, “Kill Kill.”
That was just the beginning of Del Rey’s career, as she has now has released three studio albums, 18 singles, and 16 music videos. She has sold over seven million albums and 12 million singles worldwide. Del Rey’s success has been rewarded with 22 award nominations, including three Grammy nominations.
Del Rey’s success is due to her alternative indie sound and style. Her different musical aesthetic is appealing to many and has given her a large following, allowing her to perform at extremely popular music festivals such as Lollapalooza and Coachella.
The singer released her latest album “Honeymoon” in September, but has stated she’s already started planning her next album. There is definitely more to come from this rising star.
