Star ConstructionLana Del Rey

Biography• Birth name was Elizabeth Woolridge Grant and was formally known as ‘Lizzy

Grant’

• Born June 21, 1985

• American singer, songwriter and model

• Signed her first contract with ‘5 Points Records’ in 2007

• Released her first album, ‘Lana Del Rey’ in 2010, followed by ‘Born to Die’ in 2012

• Her music is classified in the following genres:Dream PopBaroque PopIndie PopPsychedelic RockRockTrip Hop

Image and HairLana’s image is very much inspired by the 1950’s; her fashion staples and make up are extremely reminiscent of this period. Her hair is often styled in popular retro styles.

She is renown for her enigmatic persona, a trait that her fans adore her for. She constructs herself to appear very seductive, yet sophisticated and uses her sexuality to heighten issues in society.

SettingThe setting that a star is shown in can reveal a lot about the artist’s persona. Lana is often shown is scenic, serene locations either in an urban city environment or somewhere where she is immersed in nature, like a woods or by the beach. This is very iconic of indie music videos and connotes a sense of serenity which is normally destroyed later in the video; by having such a large contrast between the narrative (or overriding concept) and star to help shock the audience.

Album CoversLana’s album covers usually consist of either a close up or midshot portrait, where she is centered. She uses the same sans-serif font in either white or red, and the text is always at the top bottom. The images used on the album cover reflect the rest of her star construct, depicting her persona to be elegant and refined, but also retro and somewhat edgy.

WebsiteWhen you first enter the site, there is an advertisement for Lana’s upcoming album and then a link to the rest of the site. There are different areas like where you can view tour dates and book tickets, watch her music videos and follow her on the different social medias.

Star constructionLana’s image is, according to Andy Welsh of CLASH magazine, consciously fabricated, right down to her choice of words during a photoshoot. She is assumed by Welsh to be “constantly querying how she looks and how it might be perceived”; a fascinating concept which reveals a great depth to her method acting in attempts to so carefully construct her star persona.