Billboard magazine's January 21, 2012, issue features singer Lana Del Rey on its cover.

With a Billboard cover and a divisive performance on “Saturday Night Live,” Lana Del Rey is picking up name recognition before her Jan. 31 album release.

Like many folks, I’ve been seeing the name of Lana Del Rey for months without knowing much about her. All that’s about to change, though, thanks to some highly publicized television appearances and an awfully splashy cover of the latest Billboard that will introduce the singer and newly-signed Next model into popular culture.

She evidently already has fans among the celebrity set, like “Boardwalk Empire” actress Paz de la Huerta and Lady Gaga, with whom she’s worked in the past. She could pick up scads more followers with last weekend’s performance on “Saturday Night Live” (though NBC News anchor Brian Williams will apparently not be one), plus upcoming appearances on “Late Night With David Letterman” on February 2 and “Ellen: The Ellen DeGeneres Show” later in the month.

In short, we should get used to hearing the name Lana Del Rey, along with the title track, “Born to Die,” from her full-length debut for Interscope Records. The album hits stores on January 31.

Though relatively new to mainstream music, the artist has already taken a lot of flack for entering the music scene with her birth name, Lizzie Grant, then withdrawing and re-emerging as “Lana Del Rey.” She tells Billboard, “My intention was never to transform into a different person. What other people think of me is none of my business.” Though she admits, “Sometimes it hurts my feelings. But I have to just keep going.”

Of her newfound stardom, the 25-year-old confesses, “The good stuff is really good. Some of the other stuff is difficult, but I’ll be able to tour now, probably sing for a while. That’s nice for me.”

Another bonus for the self-made indie artist? No more self-produced music videos. “I don’t have to make my videos by myself anymore,” she says. “Thank God. It’s embarrassing.”

Are you familiar with Del Rey’s music? What’s your take on this up-and-coming artist? How about her “SNL” performance?