Lana Del Rey's real name is Elizabeth Woolridge Grant. She began performing in 2004 at the age of 18, mostly in clubs in New York, and got her first recording contract two years later. Her first album was released in 2010, but her first major breakthrough came the year after that.
In June 2011 she released the single 'Video Games'. She made a video to go with the song, and this was posted on YouTube after the release of the single. It was an immediate internet hit and was seen by over 20 million people in a short time. When she then released her second album, Born to Die, in early 2012, it was a top seller - over 3.5 million copies in that year alone, making it the world no. 5.
Her latest album, Paradise, has been equally successful. Lana del Rey is now on a sellout world tour. You can follow her here.