Lana Del Rey: Who Is Lizzy Grant?

By Kayla Harper

Lana Del Rey is one of the most influential female voices in modern alternative pop music.  The overarching themes of love and loss weave their way through her albums, spanning over a decade. Her sultry vocals are all-too recognizable as they soar over the strings and piano that make up the majority of her tracks.  Dark imagery is a prominent component in Del Rey’s lyrics, expressing her vulnerability through descriptive metaphors and painting a picture that inserts the listener into her experience.  There is some mystery around Elizabeth Grant, who has gone by various stage names before arriving at what we all know her as today, Lana Del Rey…where does this dismal tone that makes up most of her discography come from?

Born in New York, New York, Del Rey was raised with two younger siblings.  Though her family would not remain in New York City as they would soon move to Lake Placid, New York shortly after she was born.  Her passion for music and singing specifically was most likely sparked at a young age as she often sang at her Church. Del Rey struggled with substance abuse throughout her teenage years, the reason her parents sent her to boarding school in Connecticut.  Although she was sober by the time she graduated, this early experience with alcohol and drugs is likely the reason the topic is brought up in many of her songs from her early unreleased tracks to her most recent releases.

Before attending Fordham University where she would study philosophy, Del Rey lived with her Aunt and Uncle on Long Island, who would teach her to play guitar., further fueling her passion for music.  Eventually she would drop out of school and pursue music entirely.

Local gigs and open mic nights were the onset of her music career, but it wasn’t until she lost a songwriting competition that she would sign her first deal, and move to a New Jersey trailer park–most likely the reason for the trailer-park trash themes heard throughout her first album, Lana Del Rey AKA Lizzy Grant, and it’s follow-up Born To Die. Although these themes continue in some capacity throughout her discography.

Prior to becoming Lana Del Rey, she went by various stage names including the most common ones, Sparkle Jump Rope Queen and May Jailer.  She settled on Lana Del Rey on a trip to Miami,  “Lana Del Rey just sounded good coming out of my mouth—it was exotic sounding,”  (Del Rey to Dazed, 2011).  Her entire aesthetic, which she coined “Hollywood Sadcore”, would be built around this name.

It wasn’t until “Video Games” became a hit that Del Rey gained mainstream success.   However, with this success also came the attention of critics. She wrote and produced the song in London with Justin Parker and released the accompanying self-produced music video which gained both positive and negative feedback.  She reveals the criticism under the video “really hurt [her] feelings and it made [her] wish that she had never put it up” (Del Rey to Dazed, 2011).  Comments on the singer’s appearance, legitimacy and questioning her talent had her “re-evaluat[ing] everything”  (Del Rey to Dazed, 2011).  Some critics even claimed her career had been bought, although Del Rey claims her family never had money; she worked to get to where she is.

This contrast of success and failure; positive and negative; and light and darkness seems to become a recurring theme throughout her music as she finds beauty in ugliness and solitude in isolation, throughout her lyrics, melodies and instrumentals so, it makes sense that Coney Island is such an inspiring muse for the singer, “Coney Island is the perfect mixture of grandeur and desolate, barren land. To me, that’s gorgeousness, not to mention the most popular vacation destination of 1932. People came from all over North America just to sit by the seaside. Now no one goes there. To me, that is interesting.” (Del Rey to Dazed, 2011).

These are not the only controversies that have arisen around Del Rey’s career, but they are some of the most pivotal ones that have become prominent in her music since.  Taking into consideration the events of her early life and the backlash she continues to receive, it’s not surprising her music seems to have a dark undertone as she explores the intricacies of life, love and loss through substance abuse, domestic violence, suicide, depression and other dark subjects throughout most of her discography. However, there is also light and hope sprinkled throughout many of her albums, especially in songs such as “Get Free”, “Kintsugi”, “Let The Light In”, “Wild At Heart”, “Love Song”, “Old Money” etc.

Her passion for singing above all else is what’s kept her grounded and humble, even with her A-list status and huge influence in the music industry. Del Rey has explained on many occasions how she doesn’t crave fame or recognition for her music anymore, she simply just wants to sing because it’s what she knows and loves. However, her undeniable talent does not go unrecognized as she continues to dominate the industry with chart success, accumulating more fans every year and inspiring a sea of young and old artists, including friend and collaborator, Taylor Swift.

Critics can take whatever stance they want, it does not change that fact that Del Rey’s melancholy, sultry, Americana tone is different than anything that has been done in pop music for many years; it’s what sets her apart and allows her to connect with so many people of different backgrounds so personally.  Her lyrics consist of recurring thematic imagery that tells detailed stories over top of sonically cohesive and intriguing instrumentals.  The icing on the cake? Del Rey’s ghostly voice, harmonizing across her vocal range, pulling listeners into her world.

Del Rey is an artist, whose art is subject to deeper analysis than what can be noticed upon first glance…or listen.  Her music will continue to inspire and influence the field for many generations of artists to come.