Who Is Lana Del Rey? Seven Things You Didn't Know About The SNL Vilified Singer
Feb. 8 2012, Published 1:30 p.m. ET
Lana Del Rey flopped on Saturday Night Live. Bad.... Or did she?
The singer, whose performance on the January 14 Saturday Night Live broadcast did not evoke much critical-acclaim (we’ll get into that further down), might have done herself a favor with the poorly received set, as she’s been getting plenty of priceless publicity since the debacle, even making another appearance on the NBC stalwart ... kind of.
In what was perhaps the show’s most well-received parody since Tina Fey famously spoofed Sarah Palin, Bridesmaids star Kristen Wiig helped contribute to the fame — or shame — of the singer, who might have had the laugh last as her debut full-length album landed at a lofty No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart this week.
With that in mind, RadarOnline.com reveals seven things you may not know about the stumbling singer ...
7. Born Elizabeth Grant in Lake Placid, New York, Del Rey's stage name was the brainstorm of agents and managers who felt she needed a snazzy stage moniker to break into the big-time, per iMDb. The "Lana" is inspired by actress Lana Turner, while Del Rey was inspired by the Ford classic car model, the Del Rey.
6. She hasn't made a fan of Brian Williams: The face of NBC news scathed the singer following her Saturday Night Live debacle in a private e-mail that was leaked public, calling the set "one of the worst outings in SNL history” and Del Rey “the least-experienced musical guest in the show's history, for starters." She was a Pinata on Twitter as well: During the broadcast, Del Rey was smacked up by a pair of actresses in Eliza Dushku ("Who is this wack-a-doodle chick performing on 'SNL'? Whaaa?") and Juliette Lewis, who wrote, "Wow, watching this 'singer' on SNL is like watching a 12-year-old in their bedroom when they're pretending to sing and perform #signofourtimes."
5. But, she’s got a fan in Karl Lagerfeld: the Chanel director and fashion icon said, as a modern singer Del Rey is not bad ... not bad at all. She looks very much like a modern-time singer. In her photos she is beautiful. Is she a construct with all her implants? She's not alone with implants.
4. She’s influenced by ... everyone! The 25-year-old -- who describes herself as "self-styled gangsta Nancy Sinatra" -- says she’s been musically moved by the following artists, who you can see run the gamut from Top 40 to the 1950s, from the King to Slim Shady: Britney Spears, Thomas Newman, Eminem, Elvis Presley, Antony and the Johnsons and Kurt Cobain.
3. She’s putting up the numbers: Del Rey’s single Video Games — which has gone viral on Youtube to the tune of more than 26 million hits — has also seared through the worldwide music charts, achieving the No. 1 spot in Germany and breaking into the top ten in Austria, Belgium, Netherlands, Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Google her name, and more than 60 million pages are associated.
2. Trailer Park Tiara? There’s been some debate about how authentic Del Rey’s background is. While it was claimed she “lived in a New Jersey trailer park and decked her homestead in flags, streamers and seasonally inappropriate Christmas lights,” other accounts have her growing up privileged, attending a Connecticut boarding school.
1. She’s an heiress: Her father is Robert Grant, a millionaire who made his fortune in the domain-name business, though at least one music business colleague swears the singer is a self-made success, not having taken any of daddy’s dollars to become the next big thing in music. Said 5 Points Records owner David Nichtern, who inked her to a contract in 2007: “Her father never had anything to do financially with supporting her creativity. I don't know if he was lending her money to live off of, but at least when she was with us, not a penny. I don't know if he's rich or not; I met him and he seemed like a pretty ordinary guy. But that whole thing that she was backed by her millionaire dad is a bunch of crap, basically. Certain facts about the record she did with us are completely misshapen."
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