June 21: Singer Lana Del Rey is 27-years-old today.

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Elizabeth Woolridge Grant - better known by her stage name Lana Del Rey - was born June 21, 1986 in New York City on June 21, 1986, and raised in Lake Placid, New York. She began singing in the church choir when she was a girl. At 14, she was sent to Kent School, a boarding school in Connecticut, to deal with her alcohol dependence.

After her uncle taught her how to play the guitar, she began performing in nightclubs at the age of 18 around the city under various names such as Sparkle Jump Rope Queen and Lizzy Grant and the Phenomena.

She signed her first recording contract when she was 20-years-old with 5 Points Records, releasing her first digital album Lana Del Ray a.k.a. Lizzy Grant in January 2010. Del Rey bought herself out of the contract with 5 Points Records in April 2010. She then  signed a joint contract with Interscope, Polydor, and Stranger Records in October 2011.

After she released her debut single "Video Games" in June 2011, a music video created by Del Rey for the song was posted on YouTube in August 2011. After the song became a viral internet hit with over 20 million views, her second studio album, Born to Die, was released in January 2012. The album sold over 3.6 million copies worldwide in 2012, making it the fifth best-selling album of 2012.

Charting across Europe, the album spawned numerous top ten hits, including "Blue Jeans," "National Anthem," "Born to Die," and "Summertime Sadness." With the release of her third EP, Paradise, Del Rey had her third top ten album in the United States, debuting at number 10 on the Billboard 200 with 67,000 copies sold in its first week.

To date, she has released two full-length studio albums, three EPs, seven singles, and eight music videos. Lanahas won the Q Award for "Best New Thing," a GQ Award for "Woman of the Year," a BRIT Award for "International Breakthrough Act" and another for "International Pop Female Solo Artist," and an EMA for "Best Alternative Act."

Del Rey's music has been noted for its cinematic sound and its references to various aspects of pop culture, particularly that of the 1950s and '60s Americana. The singer has described herself as a "self-styled gangsta Nancy Sinatra."

Before signing to a major record label, Del Rey provided sole production of her music videos.

She is currently working on her third studio album.

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For more about Lana, visit her Website at-

http://www.lanadelrey.com/

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