In 2008, Del Rey contracted with an independent label and recorded a self-titled debut album which was briefly available on
iTunes in 2010; Del Rey ultimately bought back the rights to the album and it was withdrawn soon after.
In June 2011, she released the song "
Video Games" on the Internet, accompanied by a self-made music video that went
viral in the following months. The song was later released as a
single in October, leading up to Del Rey's major-label debut album,
Born to Die, which was released on January 31, 2012 through
Interscope Records.
Born to Die debuted at number one in
seven countries, including the
United Kingdom and
Australia. The album has spawned two worldwide top 10 hits: "Video Games" and "
Born to Die".