| Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, professionally known as Lana Del Rey, was born in New York City, New York, on June 21, 1985. She was raised in Lake Placid, New York, with her brother Charlie and sister Chuck. She began writing music after learning guitar from her uncle at age 18, and while still in school in New York, began performing at many underground clubs. She recorded her first record, Sirens in 2006, under the pseudonym May Jailer.
In 2008, she collaborated with David Kahne to put out her first studio album, Lana Del Ray, which was released on January 4, 2010. Though critical reception for the record was positive at the time, it was pulled from online retailers when Del Rey changed management and started focusing on gaining a major record deal. In late 2011, she recorded "Video Games" with Justin Parker, and posted the video to her YouTube channel. The song and video garnered instant attention and sparked record deals with Stranger, Interscope, and Polydor. She released her major-label debut, Born to Die, on January 27, 2012. Its singles, including "Blue Jeans" and "National Anthem", saw Del Rey expand her fan base. The album was a commercial success, being one of only four albums released by a female artist to have spent more than 300 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart. On November 9, 2012, she released Born to Die – The Paradise Edition, a re-issue of her major label bundled with her second major-label EP, Paradise, released simultaneously, featuring 9 new tracks. Del Rey then began her foray into soundtracks, releasing "Young and Beautiful" in April, 2013, for the film The Great Gatsby, and then a cover of Mary Costa and Bill Shirley's "Once Upon a Dream" in January, 2014, for the film Maleficent.
On June 13, 2014, Del Rey released her sophomore major-label album, Ultraviolence, including singles such as "West Coast", "Ultraviolence" and "Black Beauty". The album was received warmly by critics who appreciated her shift towards a rawer sound. Del Rey contributed to another soundtrack in late 2014, recording two songs, "Big Eyes" and "I Can Fly", for the film Big Eyes. On September 18, 2015, Del Rey released her third major-label album, Honeymoon, which was preceded by two singles, "High by the Beach" and "Music to Watch Boys To". Critics noted that the record was another change for Del Rey, featuring trap influences and a lush sound that contrasted sharply from her previous album. On July 21, 2017, Del Rey released her fourth major-label album, Lust for Life. The album included singles such as "Love", "Lust for Life" (featuring The Weeknd), and "Summer Bummer" (featuring A$AP Rocky & Playboi Carti). Regarding Lust for Life, Del Rey stated, "I made my first four albums for me, but this one is for my fans and about where I hope we are all headed." The album was widely appreciated by both fans and critics, who praised it for its modernized sound and lyrics, which exemplified a newfound lightness and change in Del Rey's artistry. Del Rey also contributed to numerous soundtracks in 2019, including a cover of Donovan's "Season of the Witch", for the film Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, and a song with Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus, "Don't Call Me Angel", for the film Charlie's Angels (2019). She also released a cover of Madonna's "You Must Love Me", featured in Andrew Lloyd Webber's compilation album, "Unmasked: The Platinum Collection", and a charity single titled "Looking for America".
Norman Fucking Rockwell!, her fifth major-label album, was released on August 30, 2019, to widespread critical acclaim. The album included "Mariners Apartment Complex", "Doin' Time", "The Greatest", and more. The record marked her first collaboration with Jack Antonoff, who served as her primary collaborator on the project. On September 29, 2020, Del Rey published her first poetry book, titled Violet Bent Backwards Over the Grass. The collection was preceded by an audiobook, wherein Del Rey recited her poetry over instrumental accompaniment produced by Antonoff. Her sixth major-label album Chemtrails over the Country Club was released March 19, 2021, again to critical acclaim. The album saw the release of three singles: "Let Me Love You like a Woman", "Chemtrails over the Country Club" and "White Dress". The day following the release of Chemtrails, Del Rey announced her seventh major-label album, Blue Banisters, which was released in October 2021. It was preceded by four singles: the title track, "Text Book", "Wildflower Wildfire" and "Arcadia". On January 21, 2022, Del Rey released "Watercolor Eyes", recorded for the American teen drama television series Euphoria.
Del Rey's eighth major-label studio album, and ninth overall, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd saw critical acclaim upon its release on March 24, 2023. The album would go on to earn two nominations for Album of the Year and Best Alternative Music Album at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. The album was preceded by the release of its title track as a single. The singles "A&W" and "The Grants" were released in support of the album subsequent to release on February 14 and March 14, 2023, respectively, with the former also receiving Grammy nominations for Song of the Year and Best Alternative Music Performance. Del Rey promoted the album with a music video for the album track "Candy Necklace", featuring Jon Batiste, which was nominated at the Grammys for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Del Rey appeared on Batiste's album World Music Radio, released on August 18, 2023, on the closing track "Life Lesson". Outside of promoting Ocean Blvd, "Say Yes to Heaven", a previously unreleased song recorded for Ultraviolence, was released as a standalone single on May 19, 2023, following viral success on the short-form video sharing platform TikTok. Del Rey also collaborated with her father on his debut album Lost at Sea with the singles "Lost at Sea", released June 1, 2023, and "Hollywood Bowl", released June 8, 2023. On October 20, 2023, Holly Macve released the single "Suburban House" featuring Del Rey. A cover of "Take Me Home, Country Roads" was released as another standalone single on December 1, 2023.
On January 31, 2024, at the NMPA x Billboard Songwriter Awards + Showcase, Del Rey announced the title of her ninth major-label album, Lasso, which would see her venture into the country genre. On July 3, 2024, Del Rey released the country-rap single "Tough" with Quavo.
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