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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at NCSU chapter.

By: Halle Fisher

In July of 2012, Elizabeth Grant, professionally known as Lana Del Rey, entered the music scene with her debut album “Born to Die.” This forlorn indie-pop record stood out from her chart-topping counterparts, like Katy Perry’s bubblegum “Teenage Dream” and Drake’s hip-hop LP “Take Care.” 

A bright future for gloomy Lana didn’t seem likely. Yet, her bold personality and lyricism took her straight to the top. “Born to Die” debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 with 77,000 sales, and as of September 28, 2022, with 450 weeks, holds the record as the second longest charting female album of all time. 

Every one of the twelve tracks was gloomy and full of sorrow. The music video for her lead single “Video Games” was created on a MacBook. She touches on topics the public preferred to hide from; the capitalism of womanhood in “Carmen” and a world where women are trained to fight in “This Is What Makes Us Girls.” Every move she made was against what was popular.

Since her 2012 debut, she has inspired countless artists been adored by fans worldwide. Her work has influenced some of musics’ biggest names, like Taylor Swift who said that Del Rey is “the most influential artist in pop,” with her musical style being “repurposed everywhere in music.” 

We’ve seen a vast increase in the amount of successful alternative and indie-pop records, especially among women. Billie Eilish, currently dominating the 2020’s decade, alternative records have broken insane records. Just as Taylor Swift’s first indie record “Folklore” has continued to prove popularity can be found in sorrow and melancholic music. 

The pop landscape has changed forever- all thanks to a Miss Lana Del Rey.

Halle Fisher is the Marketing/Events Coordinator of Her Campus at NC State. She is responsible for creating team bonding events, promoting events/articles/brand partnerships, and fundraising. This is her second year on Her Campus and as Marketing/Events Coordinator. Outside of Her Campus, Halle is active within her community. She was Vice President of her high school's chapter of Tri-M Music Honors Society and was the Communications manager for the Ronald McDonald House Club. She also performed in Chamber Choir throughout her high school career. In college, Halle is an active member of Delta Zeta (Omicron-Lambda) at NC State and serves as their Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Chairman. In 2023, Halle created social media content and held events in partnership with Urban Decay Cosmetics and Uber Eats. This year she hopes to continue her journey as a Business Administration major and learn more about the industry! Halle is originally from Long Island, NY, and currently resides in Cary, NC with her younger sister and two dogs. She enjoys going to concerts, hanging out with friends, traveling, and makeup. She has been able to see some of her favorite artists in concert such as Taylor Swift, SZA, Lana Del Rey, and Sabrina Carpenter. Her favorite genre of television is reality TV as her favorite show is Jersey Shore.