Lana Del Rey

Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, born June 21, 1985, in New York City, made one of the most remarkable entrances in modern music history when "Video Games" (2011)—an independently released video posted to YouTube—became a viral phenomenon before she had signed to a major label. Her major-label debut "Born to Die" (2012) debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and at number one in over ten countries. "Ultraviolence" (2014), "Honeymoon" (2015), "Lust for Life" (2017), and "Norman Fucking Rockwell!" (2019)—her most critically celebrated record, earning placement on hundreds of critics' best-of-the-decade lists—form one of the most consistently praised discographies in modern pop. "Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd" (2023) earned universal acclaim and Grammy nominations. Lana received an honorary doctorate from Berklee College of Music in 2023. Her aesthetic—the intersection of tragedy, nostalgia, Americana, and femininity—has shaped a generation of musicians across indie, pop, and alternative spheres.