Elizabeth Woolridge Grant (born June 21, 1985), known professionally as Lana Del Rey, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer and poet. Her music is noted for its stylized cinematic quality; its themes of tragic romance, glamour, and melancholia; and its references to pop culture, particularly 1950s and 1960s Americana.
Born in New York City and raised in Upstate New York, Del Rey returned to New York City in 2005 to begin her music career. Following numerous projects including her debut studio album and the unreleased Sirens, Del Rey's breakthrough came after the viral success of her debut single "Video Games" in 2011. She signed with Interscope and Polydor later that year. Her major label debut Born to Die (2012) proved an international success and spawned a top-ten single on the Billboard Hot 100 with the Cedric Gervais remix of "Summertime Sadness", as well as the internationally successful singles "Blue Jeans", "Born to Die", and "National Anthem". Del Rey then released the Grammy-nominated EP, Paradise in 2012. The next year, Del Rey ventured into film as she wrote and starred in the short music film, Tropico, and released "Young and Beautiful" as the lead single for the romantic drama film The Great Gatsby (2013).