Lana Del Rey

Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, known to the world as Lana Del Rey, was born on June 21, 1986, in New York City. After studying metaphysics as Fordham University, Grant recorded and released a CD that featured seven songs, including “Rock Me Stable”. She is rumored to have released other tracks under the name May Jailer. She signed with 5 Points records, and moved to Manhattan. 2008 saw the release of her EP Kill Kill, and she finally released her debut album Lana Del Rey in 2010. Ditching her legal name, her stage name is of Cuban influence, crafted by her managers.

Lana Del Rey would go on to release Born to Die in 2012, followed by Ultraviolence in 2014. Born to Die sold 3.4 million copies in total, and went to #76 on the Billboard 200 Album Chart. In 2013, she won a BRIT Award for International Female Solo Artist, and enjoyed much recognition for her contribution to The Great Gatsby soundtrack with her song “Young and Beautiful”. Lana Del Rey would later offer a rendition of the song “Once Upon a Dream” from Disney’s Sleeping Beauty for the 2014 film Maleficent. That year, her album Ultraviolence sold just short of one million copies internationally in its first week.