Much buzzed about newcomer Lana Del Rey today announced the release date for her debut album. Born To Die will hit retailers on January 31, 2012.
The retro fabulous singer, a Lake Placid, New York native whose real name is Lizzy Grant, was signed to major label Interscope Records on the strength of two songs. One of them, the track “Video Games,” for which Del Rey created her own video melding retro images of Americana with gritty skate footage, has been viewed nearly 9 million times on YouTube. It also hit the iTunes No. 1 position in nine different countries.
On Friday, Del Rey released audio of the album’s moody title track, accompanied by a single setup video which is causing its own share of controversy (see and listen below). In it Del Rey poses topless revealing a profile of her right breast while gazing ever-so-sultrily at the camera.
Del Rey recently wrapped a two-week tour of the UK, where she performed “Video Games” on the popular Jules Holland show. She plays L.A.’s Troubadour on Dec. 7.
In a recent interview for Rolling Stone, Del Rey spoke bluntly about her affiliation with the indie community, telling writer Jenny Eliscu: “I would have loved to be part of the indie community. But I wasn’t. I was looking for a community. I don’t even know any people who are musicians. I never met that indie popular indie, whoever the fuck that is. Who IS indie? First of all, I can’t really get my head around what indie music is. Because if you’ve heard of it, it’s sort of pop music, right? Because it’s, like, popular? Or is it just that it’s not on the radio? It’s not like I was in an indie community and then I blew up. It’s like, I was living on the street and I’m not — like, for real, you know what I’m saying?”
