Lana Del Rey (Elizabeth Woolridge Grant) was born June 21, 1985, in New York City. Her love for music started at age 18 when the artist went to live with her aunt and uncle who taught her how to play guitar. Early in her career Del Rey performed under the name Lizzy Grant. She started with open mic nights and small club gigs, slowly moving her way to the top. Her album Born to Die is what put her on the charts but she had previously released an album called Lana Del Ray (Ray specifically with an “a”) AKA Lizzie Grant. The album released in 2010 didn’t attract much attention. In 2012 Born to Die reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and sold more than 7 million copies. It was the first work released under the name Lana Del Rey with an “e.” 2012 was a very pivotal year for Del Rey. She also released her EP Paradise which contains hits like “Ride” and “Gods and Monsters.” Since then she has come to release five more studio albums: Ultraviolence, Honeymoon, Lust for Life, Norman F*****g Rockwell, and Chemtrails Over the Country Club. 

Aside from music, Lana has gone through some controversies over the years. Her most notable one was the mask incident. In October 2020 Del Rey attended a crowded fan event in Los Angeles. During this time COVID-19 cases were still on the rise. All who attended were required to wear a mask. Lana showed up in a white mesh mask with rhinestones on it. The artist faced much backlash for this. Many were upset she was disregarding the safety of her staff and fans. Del Rey later tweeted in response to these criticisms. She said. “The mask had plastic on the inside. They’re commonly sewn in by stylists these days. I don’t generally respond to articles because I don’t care. But there ya go. Same goes for everyone’s masks in my video. I’m lucky enough to have a team of people who can do that.” Many still argue that there was never a plastic shield and that the artist was trying to cover her tracks. There is no way to know for sure but it has definitely become one of the funniest COVID-19 controversies.