American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift’s tenth studio album Midnights is going to come out on Friday, October 21. Lana Del Rey will be collaborating with Swift for Snow on the Beach, the fourth track of the album. While fans of both singers have already expressed their anticipation over this unexpected duet, Polish tennis player Iga Świątek expressed her shock at not knowing about the collaboration.

The 21-year-old world tennis champion took to Twitter and wrote, “I definitely play too much tennis if I didn’t know that @taylorswift13 & Lana Del Rey recorded song together. How could I live 6 days without knowing…”

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Who is Lana Del Rey?

Elizabeth Woolridge Grant, famously known as Lana Del Rey, was born on June 21, 1985, in Manhattan, New York City to Robert England Grant Jr. and Patricia Ann. She has two younger siblings–a sister, Caroline, and a brother, Charlie. She often had to change schools in her childhood and was sent to a boarding school at the age of 14 to overcome alcoholism.

Grant realized her musical potential when she was taught to play guitar by her uncle during her teenage years. While still in college, she recorded some EPs, and during her first public performance in 2006, she met a representative of an independent music label who offered her a recording contract. Taking the name of Lizzie Grant, she released her first EP – Kill Kill in 2008.

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Later, she adopted her stage name Lana Del Rey, inspired by actress Lana Turner and the Ford Del Rey sedan. Her self-titled debut studio album was released in 2010. In 2011, her music video, Video Games, became a viral internet sensation and she went on to release it as her debut single. Her 2014 album Ultraviolence became a critical and commercial success and Del Rey described the album as “more stripped down but still cinematic and dark”. Her albums Honeymoon (2015) and Lust for Life (2017) received wide critical acclaim, and her 2019 album Norman Fucking Rockwell, became the best-reviewed album of her career. Her latest album Blue Banisters released in 2021.

Del Rey is a recipient of 2 Brit Awards, 2 MTV Europe Music Awards, a Satellite award, and several more accolades. She has received 6 nominations for the Grammys.

Her musical style has been praised for its cinematic feel and the strong influence of nostalgic Americana. Regarded as an alternative pop singer, she has also ventured into genres of psychedelic rock, lo-fi, and hip-hop. She has stated Frank Sinatra, Nirvana, Elvis Presley, Britney Spears, and Amy Winehouse as her major musical influences.

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Del Rey dated Scottish singer Barrie O’Neill from 2011 to 2014. In 2015, she reportedly dated Italian photographer Francesco Carrozzini. In late 2020, Del Rey was engaged to musician Clayton Johnson, however, the engagement was later called off. She is currently dating American musician Jack Donoughe.