Stepping into the spotlight with her breakthrough single “Video Games” in 2011, Elizabeth Woolridge Grant – better known as Lana Del Rey – has carved her own cinematic lane in pop music. Born on June 21, 1985, in New York City, Lana is celebrated for blending vintage Americana and modern sensibilities, wrapping her dreamy vocals around tales of lost love and longing.
If you’ve followed her career, you know that Lana Del Rey’s music and persona are steeped in mystery and nostalgia, but her personal life tends to fly mostly under the radar. Still, her high-profile relationships have occasionally grabbed headlines and, perhaps more intriguingly, seem to ripple through her lyrics.
The Men in Lana’s Life
As of 2023, Lana is reportedly single after calling off her engagement to music executive Evan Winiker. The two got engaged in early 2023, but by 2024 things had quietly ended – no big public statements, just a shift back into privacy.
Looking back, Lana’s romantic history includes a few notable names:
- Clayton Johnson (2020-2021): Fans caught the first hints of their relationship after Lana was seen wearing a ring during a TV performance. Social media buzzed about a possible engagement, but the relationship fizzled out after about a year.
- Sean “Sticks” Larkin (2019-2020): This relationship surprised a lot of people, mostly because Lana’s so private. But she made a rare public appearance with the “Live PD” star at the 2020 Grammy Awards. They went their separate ways later that year.
- G-Eazy (2017): Neither of them ever put a label on it publicly, but Lana and the rapper were spotted together at Coachella and in LA. The short-lived romance reportedly found its way into some of G-Eazy’s lyrics.
- Francesco Carrozzini (2014-2015): Lana dated the Italian photographer for about a year and a half; their breakup is rumored to have shaped parts of her “Honeymoon” album.
- Barrie-James O’Neill (2011-2014): One of Lana’s longest known relationships was with Scottish musician Barrie-James O’Neill. The two were serious enough that engagement rumors swirled, but they split in 2014.
She’s also been linked, sometimes tenuously, to celebrities like James Franco and Axl Rose, though those stories seemed to be more rumor mill fodder than fact.
How Love Shapes Lana’s Music
One thing that sets Lana apart is how she lets her music, rather than tabloid soundbites, do the talking about her love life. In a 2019 interview, she admitted that the emotional highs and lows of romance have often ended up fueling her songwriting, though she says she’s less interested in public drama these days and more focused on her artistry.
Her discography reads almost like a diary, chronicling infatuations, heartbreaks, and everything in between. Songs like “Love” and “Mariners Apartment Complex” reflect a more reflective, grown-up Lana – someone who’s been through heartbreak but is no longer defined by it. Meanwhile, tracks like “Blue Jeans” and “Summertime Sadness” echo that wild, reckless abandon that marked her earlier work.
Unlike some pop stars who process splits with splashy tell-alls or Twitter threads, Lana channels those feelings into her albums. It lets her keep certain pieces of her life private, even as she lays her heart bare in songs.
Over the years, Lana’s worldview has shifted. The woman who once sang about dangerous love and living fast now writes with more depth and perspective, hinting at some hard-won wisdom.
Past Relationships
Jeremy Dufrene
Evan Winiker
Clayton Johnson
Sean 'Sticks' Larkin
G-Eazy
James Franco
Francesco Carrozzini
Andrei Gillott
Axl Rose
Shannon Leto
Justin Murdock
Marilyn Manson
Barrie-James O'Neill
Steven Mertens
Josh Kemp (Ex)
Jimmy Gnecco
Moby
Morgan Wallen
Jack Donoghue
For fans, details about Lana’s relationships are never really the main event – they just add context to the real story she’s telling through her music. Ultimately, it’s not in the headlines but in those moody, evocative lyrics that Lana continues to reveal the deepest parts of herself.
