Lana Del Ray (album)

Released January 4, 2010 Length 00:47:23 Producers David Kahne Steven Mertens (unreleased) Label

Lana Del Ray (sometimes called Lana Del Ray A.K.A. Lizzy Grant, Nevada or A.K.A. among others) is the debut studio album by Lana Del Rey. The album was released digitally via iTunes Stores by 5 Points Records on January 4, 2010, under the name Lana Del Ray.

Background

In 2007, 5 Point records talent scout Van Wilson found Del Rey performing at a songwriting conference in Brooklyn and introduced her to David Nichtern. The two of them agreed that Del Rey had potential to have a major breakthrough and signed her to a multi-record contract. With 5 Point backing, Lana Del Rey and a guitarist had recorded a 6 track demo tape known as No Kung Fu that was sent to various producers before being reaching David Kahne. After hearing the tape, Kahne agreed to produce an album with Del Rey. At some point prior to this, Del Rey had recorded the album with her then-boyfriend Steven Mertens but his contributions were ultimately never released. On recording the album, Del Rey said had said: "We were pretty obsessive about it," the two worked on the album for around three months before completing it. When discussing the genre and sound of the record, Del Rey wanted the record be cinematic and reflect her affection for nostalgic imagery, she later said "[Kahne] kind of got my whole vibe straight away."

Despite being known and promoted as Lizzy Grant prior to the album's release, Del Rey became insistent she wanted to go under the stage name Lana Del Ray, leading the first album to be released as such. "A.K.A. Lizzy Grant" was added on the album cover to connect her with her previous name. David Nichtern, who signed her to 5 Points Records, explained "the reason we did that [album title] is because people knew who she was and we were trying to cross her over."

Release

The release of the album was digital, available from iTunes and Amazon for around $9.99 or $0.99 for each track. Due to lack of funding for the album, however, it was eventually pulled from online stores. According to Kahne, Del Rey bought the rights back from her label as she wanted it out of circulation. Nichtern stated "Her and her new manager came in and said 'We want to get this off the market. We’re going for a completely new deal. We’ll buy you out of the deal.' So we made a separation agreement." No singles were released from the album, though many home-made videos to songs have been leaked.

Del Rey has previously stated a desire to re-release the album, but in May 2012 she announced there was nothing planned. If the album were to be re-released, Nichtern explained "we still have serious revenue participation if she does anything with [the album]."

Reception

Critical reception for the album at the time was generally positive, Jessica Collier of Adirondack Daily Enterprise called the album "eerie" and pointed out how it is "heavy on Americana themes", but praised the modern elements on the album, mentioning "Gramma (Blue Ribbon Sparkler Trailer Heaven)" as one of the catchier songs. The album was hailed as "hypnotic" by writers at the DN Journal, praising it as unique, appealing and a record that would "stop people in their tracks" and complimenting the "inescapable hooks".

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Kill Kill"	Elizabeth Grant	3:57
2.	"Queen of the Gas Station"	Grant	3:04
3.	"Oh Say Can You See"	Grant	3:40
4.	"Gramma (Blue Ribbon Sparkler Trailer Heaven)"	Grant, David Kahne	3:55
5.	"For K, Pt. 2"	Grant	3:24
6.	"Jump"	Grant	2:51
7.	"Mermaid Motel"	Grant	4:02
8.	"Raise Me Up (Mississippi South)"	Grant	4:22
9.	"Pawn Shop Blues"	Grant, Kahne	3:26
10.	"Brite Lites"	Grant	2:58
11.	"Put Me in a Movie"	Grant	3:13
12.	"Smarty"	Grant, Kahne	2:49
13.	"Yayo"	Grant	5:45
Total length:			47:23

The tracklist order was different in 2008, starting with "For K, Pt. 2" and finishing with "Mermaid Motel."