Lana Del Rey, the new singer on the block who suffered a disastrous national television debut on Saturday Night Live a few weeks ago before she released her debut album Born to Die last week, is featured on the cover and in the pages of the new issue of British Vogue magazine. In her cover story interview, Lana (née Elizabeth Grant) talks music, explains her love of singing and reveals how she chose her new stage name. Click below to see Lana‘s Vogue cover, read some excerpts from her interview and check out some of her pretty pretty pictures.

She’s quickly becoming a household name thanks to the popularity of her worldwide hit single “Video Games,” andLana Del Rey now finds herself covering the March 2012 issue of British Vogue magazine. The 25-year-old New York City native’s front page was shot by famed photographer Mario Testino while clad in a broderie anglaise blouse and collar by Louis Vuitton. Set to hit newsstands on February 6th, highlights from Lana’s candid interview are as follows:

On Christopher Kane and Emilio de la Morena choosing her music to accompany their spring/summer 2012 shows:
“I had no idea about the fashion shows. But I think they chose Video Games because it embodies summertime sadness. Fashion is inspired by youth and nostalgia and draws inspiration from the best of the past. I think both the song and the collections touch on the light and the dark side of life.”

On her rise to musical stardom being almost accidental:
“I was always singing, but didn’t plan on pursuing it seriously. When I got to New York City when I was 18, I started playing in clubs in Brooklyn – I have good friends and devoted fans on the underground scene, but we were playing for each other at that point – and that was it.”

On choosing her stage name:
“I wanted a name I could shape the music towards. I was going to Miami quite a lot at the time, speaking a lot of Spanish with my friends from Cuba – Lana Del Rey reminded us of the glamour of the seaside. It sounded gorgeous coming off the tip of the tongue.”

You know … I like Lana … for the most part. Yes, the trying-too-hard/obviously manufactured image is a bit off-putting but I enjoy listening to her music. I really like Born to Die a lot more than I thought I would. I’ve read many of the negative reviews of her album and I really think most of them are based on a hatred of her that has nothing to do with her talent. I think in the long run, she will be fine. As I’ve said before, I’m really curious to see her perform live so … hopefully, I’ll get to catch one of her shows soon. She looks really lovely in this Vogue feature. I think I’d like to see more from Ms. Lana Del Rey.

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