Lana Del Ray (sometimes referred to as 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 by 5 Points Records on January 4, 2010, under the name Lana Del Ray.

Background

In 2007, 5 Points 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 the potential to have a major breakthrough and signed her to a multi-record contract. With 5 Points Records backing, Lana Del Rey recorded a 7 track demo EP known as No Kung Fu that was sent to various producers before reaching David Kahne. After hearing the tape, Kahne agreed to produce an album with Del Rey. At some point prior to this, the album was planned to be produced by Steven Mertens but his contributions were ultimately never released. On working on the album with Kahne, Del Rey 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."

The final masters for the album took place on February 25, 2008, between 6 and 7 PM and were done by Kahne. All the songs were mastered at that time, except "Gramma (Blue Ribbon Sparkler Trailer Heaven)" on February 26, 2008, and "Raise Me Up (Mississippi South)" on February 28, 2008.

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 Rey, leading the first album to be released as such. "A.K.A. Lizzy Grant" was added to 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

Del Rey stated in a 2011 interview that when she and David Kahne had finished the record in 2008, it was shelved for two and a half years by her label at the time (5 Points Records). This caused the official release of the album to be on January 4, 2010, although it had been finished for much time before then, and the original release date was set for February 14, 2009.

The release of the album was digital, available from iTunes and Amazon in the United States for around $9.99 or $0.99 for each track. Due to a lack of funding for the album, however, it was eventually pulled from online stores after three months.[4] 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 Del Rey released an EP titled Kill Kill in October 2008, that featured three tracks from the album.[5]

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]."

Critical 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

Final tracklist

No. Title Writer(s) Producer Length

1. "Kill Kill" Elizabeth Grant David Kahne 3:57

2. "Queen of the Gas Station" Grant Kahne 3:04

3. "Oh Say Can You See" Grant Kahne 3:40

4. "Gramma (Blue Ribbon Sparkler Trailer Heaven)" Grant, Kahne Kahne 3:55

5. "For K, Pt. 2" Grant Kahne 3:24

6. "Jump" Grant Kahne 2:51

7. "Mermaid Motel" Grant Kahne 3:59

8. "Raise Me Up (Mississippi South)" Grant Kahne 4:22

9. "Pawn Shop Blues" Grant, Kahne Kahne 3:26

10. "Brite Lites" Grant Kahne 2:58

11. "Put Me in a Movie" Grant Kahne 3:13

12. "Smarty" Grant, Kahne Kahne 2:49

13. "Yayo" Grant Kahne 5:45

Total length:

47:23

The tracklist order was different in 2008, starting with "For K, Pt. 2" and finishing with "Mermaid Motel". The original tracklist was leaked on February 18, 2019.[6]

Original tracklist

No. Title Writer(s) Producer Length

1. "For K, Pt. 2" Elizabeth Grant David Kahne 3:24

2. "Gramma (Blue Ribbon Sparkler Trailer Heaven)" Grant, Kahne Kahne 3:55

3. "Jump" Grant Kahne 2:51

4. "Yayo" Grant Kahne 5:45

5. "Put Me in a Movie" Grant Kahne 3:13

6. "Oh Say Can You See" Grant Kahne 3:40

7. "Pawn Shop Blues" Grant, Kahne Kahne 3:26

8. "Queen of the Gas Station" Grant Kahne 3:04

9. "Kill Kill" Grant Kahne 3:57

10. "Raise Me Up (Mississippi South)" Grant Kahne 4:22

11. "Smarty" Grant, Kahne Kahne 2:49

12. "Brite Lites" Grant Kahne 2:58

13. "Mermaid Motel" Grant Kahne 4:02

Total length:

47:23