By Hannah Mahoney, Staff Writer
This Women’s History Month, we are highlighting different women artists all month! Today, we chose to put the spotlight on Lana Del Ray. To learn more about her, read this article!
Biography
Lana Del Rey, born Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, was born in Upstate New York in 1985. She was raised by her parents, Patricia and Rob Grant. Her father, an aspiring musician, has always shared a musical connection with her and her passion for singing and songwriting. As a teenager, Lana heavily struggled with substance abuse issues, and her parents made the tough decision to send her to boarding school in hopes of her getting sober. Although this was an incredibly dark and troublesome period of her life, she somewhat credits the hardships she went through, as well as her recovery, to the creation of a large portion of her music, especially her debut album Born to Die.
Early Career
During Del Rey’s late teenage years, she spent a summer staying at her uncle’s house on Long Island. It was there that her uncle had taught her to play the guitar. With this new skill and passion for music, she began writing her own songs and performing at nightclubs and various open mic gigs under the names Lizzy Grant and Sparkle Jump Rope Queen. After her first demo was released, she signed with an indie record label called 5 Points. In 2010, she began putting herself out into the music world more, and she released her self-titled album.
A year later, she began posting self-made music videos online. The video that really kick-started her career was to her song Video Games, which quickly went viral and led her to be signed with Stranger Records, where she released Video Games as her first single. She received an award for “Next Big Thing” and “Best Contemporary Song,” and continued to gain traction. With all of this positive attention, she signed with Interscope Records, where she released her iconic album, Born to Die.
Who Was She Influenced By
A large portion of Lana Del Rey’s music and persona is heavily influenced by 1960s culture as well as 1960s musicians such as Elvis Presley, Joni Mitchell, and The Velvet Underground & Nico. She references this part of musical history and old Hollywood in many of her songs, specifically in her 2015 album Honeymoon. Her more modern inspirations include alternative stars such as Courtney Love and Mazzy Star; the alternative rock and pop inspiration that she has taken from these artists can be seen on many of her tracks, such as “Pretty when I cry” and “Westcoast”.
Who Did She Influence
For an artist who has only been popular in the music scene for about 15 years, she has impressively influenced many of today’s most notable artists. Billie Eilish has credited Lana as a “major influence” and has even said that one of her most popular songs, Ocean Eyes, was inspired by her. Olivia Rodrigo has also sought inspiration from her music, specifically the energy and vibe that her music obtains. Olivia Rodrigo has said that her work has taught her the importance of being sentimental in songwriting, and it is clear that she has carried this into her own work.
Most Notable Awards
- International Female Solo Artist 2016
- Best Alternative 2012
- Best Alternative 2015
- Trailblazer Award 2015
- Best Original Song 2013
- Global Impact Award 2023
- Visionary Award Guild of Music Supervisors
Spotlight tracks
Summertime Sadness (2012)
Summertime Sadness blew up on radio stations upon its release, and remains popular in its original version as well as in EDM remixes. The song portrays a feeling of love and tragic loss in a very distinctive way that causes many people to relate to the lyrics. This song frequently trends on social media and popularizes itself with new generations; the melancholic feel and lyrics remain relatable to people of all ages, which is why it is one of her most notable songs.
Ultraviolence (2014)
Ultraviolence is one of Del Rey’s most popular yet controversial songs. This song tells an emotional, disturbing story of a toxic relationship. This song is incredibly intense, not only lyrics-wise, but it also has a dark, melancholic rock sound to it. With all of the controversy surrounding the lyrics of this song, she has made it clear that this song was not written to glorify toxic relationships; she wrote it to tell the real-life story of a character who is trapped in a destructive relationship.
