What happens when swoon-worthy pop meets vintage? Why, Lana Del Rey, of course. A newfound phenomenon in the realm of popular music, Lana Del Rey is breaking boundaries in a curious manner. Born Lizzie Grant, the New York singer/songwriter has recently released a debut album, Born to Die with two widely acclaimed singles, “Video Games” and “Born to Die”, which have both received over 25 million hits on YouTube.
What makes Del Rey so different is her ability to musically and fashionably combine the subdued, grainy style of vintage and the glitz of pop. Unlike most artists in the music business who have relied on creating boisterous images of themselves in order to stand out, Del Rey has taken on a refreshingly retro-glam representation. She is taking the indie flair that has been brewing behind the backdrops of popular culture and daringly bringing it the forefront. Her success in accomplishing such a feat is largely due to the fact that she has the foundations to carry such an image into the pop sphere, a gorgeous face and interesting voice – basically everything needed to make a successful popular idol. With these two necessities at hand, she unfalteringly encompasses the two usually divergent territories of the music industry.
You will find that there is something different, yet familiar about her, having dug the gems that have made classic beauty and representing them with a modern touch. If you enjoy Del Rey’s soulful crooning, I highly recommend checking out similar artists such as Cat Power, Lykki Li, and Florence and the Machine.