Lana Del Rey

If every generation needs a torchbearer for doomed love, then perhaps New York born Lana Del Rey fulfils that role for Gen X.  With an emotive contralto voice that spans an impressive three octaves, Del Rey writes big lush ballads that seem to owe something to every era from Frank Sinatra to Amy Winehouse.

Having a debut that reached #1 in Australia and the UK and #2 in the US is no mean feat. But Born To Die (2012) was surpassed by her second album, Ultraviolence, which bettered the US chart placing by one and added further territories to her chart-topping success. Clearly millions of people around the world were transfixed by her cinematic tales of heartbroken lovers and James Dean styled bad boys.

After such a strong beginning, some wondered if Lana Del Rey could sustain both her songwriting output and her capacity to lure fans into her retro/present world of romantic chamber pop. Further albums, while not quite achieving the worldwide plaudits of those first two, have cemented her reputation as an artist of quality and endurance.