We already brought you part one of our list of 15 things you probably did not know about Lana Del Rey, and now we’re back with part two! Check out eight more fascinating facts about the singer and musician that you definitely (probably) did not know below. You might be surprised by what you find out!
Number Eight: She Suffers From Stage Frights. Del Rey says that she struggles with facing her audience before going on stage. For this reason, she looks up to and connects with Cat Power, who sometimes starts performances with her back turned to the audience.
Number Seven: She Looks Up to Axl Rose. Del Rey has seen Guns N’ Roses perform many times, and she has even hung out with him. She says that he admires his ability to perform every night for three and a half hours without getting tired.
Number Six: She Is Friends With Juliette Lewis. Juliette Lewis infamously dissed Del Rey’s SNL performance, but she reportedly did not know she was dissing her friend at the time. Del Rey says, “I was actually friends with [Lewis] before [the SNL diss] but she didn’t know it was me on TV.”
Number Five: She Is an Alcoholic. Del Rey was sent away to boarding school in Connecticut in part because of her addiction to alcohol. She said that the idea of not drinking was difficult for her, but it was easy for her once she stopped.
Number Four: She Was Not Always Lana Del Rey. Before she hit it big as Lana Del Rey, she was going by the name May Jailer. We’re glad she moved on to Del Rey. She has also gone by Sparkle Jump Rope Queen.
Number Three: She Is Her Authentic Self. According to her friend and occasional mentor Princess Superstar, Del Rey has always been her authentic self. Superstar says, “I’ve never understood this controversy about whether she’s real or fake. All artists have a persona…she’s always had this Sixties aesthetic.”
Number Two: Her Father Was Rich But Did Not Support Her. Del Rey’s father is an internet entrepreneur; however, he never helped Del Rey financially with her creative endeavors.
Number One: She Is Into Lolita. Del Rey has referenced Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita several times in her music. She includes the line “light of my life, fire of my loins” in “Off to the Races.”