Lana Del Rey

Born in New York City in 1986, Lana Del Rey, an American singer-songwriter made her big splash in the music world with the debut of her second studio album, Born to Die, released in January 2012, and re-released in November 2012 as the Paradise Edition with seven new songs.

Del Rey is an indie version of Katy Perry, infused with deeper vocals, sexualized lyrics, and her trademark – 1960s "gangsta Nancy Sinatra" style, with a slower tempo. Her music has a hauntingly beautiful nostalgic texture, like Marylyn Monroe's breathy serenade to JFK on his birthday (hence Del Rey's re-enactment of this historical event in her music video for "National Anthem"). She sings about her fantasies of embarking on a forbidden love and digressing from society's conventional expectations.

Her first single, "Video Games", harnessed the attention of YouTube watchers as the homemade music video went viral. "Video Games" tells the story of a naïve, insecure girl in a relationship with a man who ignores her, yet she relentlessly strives to please him. Like her other songs, this tragic story is embellished with beautiful accompanying music – this one is accompanied by delicately plucked pizzicato strings. "Blue Jeans" narrates a woman's undying love for her Romeo who went to jail. The accompanying black and white video is wildly imaginative and compensates for the lack of color, as you see her swimming with alligators. Conversely, "National Anthem" satirizes the symbolism of money as success and lust in traditional Americana ("Money is the reason we exist / Everybody knows it, it's a fact / Kiss, kiss"). Some of Lana Del Rey's hit singles include "Summertime Sadness", "Ride" (which enveloped into a ten minute short film) and "Blue Velvet" (which she sang in a commercial for H&M).

Lana Del Rey's songs embody her natural inclination to run free from rules and get lost in her indulgent side. When she was 14 years old, she developed an alcohol addiction and was sent to boarding school. Many of her songs are about those "wilderness years" when she thought the concept of being a big drinker was "so fucking cool." Del Rey admits that alcohol was the first love of her life, until she realized that her dark side was consuming her.

In 2012, she won the British Q Award for Best New Thing, a GQ Award for Woman of the Year, and awards from various other institutions for being the best breakthrough artist of 2012.