If the name Lana Del Rey means nothing to you today, chances are it will by next week. The 24-year-old singer/ songwriter is on the threshold of becoming a Top 10 star with her debut single.

It all hinges on Video Games, the video and song the New Yorker – otherwise known as Lizzy Grant – posted on YouTube in August and which led her to sell out a gig in half an hour, with no releases and no publicity.

A debut UK tour was in such demand it was scrapped for bigger venues two months later. The video clocked up more than two million hits in one month, and Del Rey is the most blogged artist this past week. By the time her album hits the shelves (it’s set for release in January), she will doubtless be a household name.

Del Rey is an internet sensation, sensationally fast even by the standards set by those online wonders before her, which include Kate Nash, Lily Allen, Arctic Monkeys and Sandi Thom.

She has channelled her look – sultry, retro femme fatale with smoky eyes (she gave herself the tag “a gangster Nancy Sinatra”) – and the video cuts between the doe-eyed beauty gazing at the screen (her own webcam shots) and striking clips of footage resembling a Lynchian collage.

But it’s the song itself, evoking love’s broken dreams, that has won her an army of fans and has been hailed the song of the year by critics, carried by a voice that has drawn comparisons to Nancy Sinatra, Stevie Nicks and Loretta Lynn.

It has had celebrities raving on Twitter, from Jessica Alba (“im kind of obsessed, she sounds like Stevie Nicks”), to Fearne Cotton (“I adore this”), while The Kooks’ Luke Pritchard tweeted the video alongside the words “nothing more”.

One fan wrote: “I am obsessed with Video Games by Lana Del Rey to the extent that I’ve had to give up my job and seek counselling.”

It’s a song that has had so much appeal and buzz across the music scene it has been remixed variously by Joy Orbison and Jamie Woon, and covered on Radio 1’s Live Lounge by indie band Bombay Bicycle Club.

As if aware that she seemed too good to be true, Del Rey recently posted a video of herself performing in a bare room with just a microphone and a guitarist for accompaniment.

Live at The Premises proved she can sing very well indeed, only affirmed by her debut television appearance on Jools Holland’s show, albeit slightly nervous, backed by grand piano and string quartet. After her Jools Holland performance, she was among the most discussed subjects on Twitter.

The power of social-media community sites, by which like-minded fans have been discovering and sharing songs, has been proven ever since Arctic Monkeys burst on to the music scene with the fastest-selling debut album, thanks to a huge online following on MySpace built up before they signed to Domino.

Since then, bands and their record labels have been using social media platforms and internet strategies within their overall marketing/promotion plans. These days it’s as much about how many Facebook “likes” (Del Rey has 65 000) and how many YouTube viewings an act has, as where their chart positioning is.

A new band’s goal is to attract fans with charisma and music via social networking sites, selling their act as a package, which leads to a loyal fanbase and, ideally, success with sales in the future.

With the focus shifting from MySpace to Facebook, bands use the latter as a shop-front, with YouTube, Soundcloud and Bandcamp as the go-to sites for hearing the music, while Twitter and Tumblr all help with the word-of-mouth success.

Sarah Richardson, a senior digital marketing manager, says: “I’ve seen an insane amount of progression. For starters, artists these days are forced to be much more hands-on and creative with their approach to developing a fanbase.

“You’ll see far more in the way of digital content these days; live footage, free downloads, behind-the-scenes videos, viral clips, remixes. Social networking has also changed things tenfold. Twitter allows artists to engage with their fans in a way that has completely changed the landscape.”

Online is also where record producers increasingly go to find new talent.

“I definitely use social networking to find new artists now, much more than traditional routes,” says Anthony Shaw, who used to manage Muse and is managing director of Best Before Records Limited, and recently discovered his latest signing – a new Norwegian band called 22 – via the internet.

“I never would have come across them without the help of the internet. I was checking out another band called Arcane Roots and, while on their MySpace, I came across 22 and their video. I instantly fell in love. Upon hearing more tracks, I went to Norway, saw them play three tracks live and offered them a deal on the spot.”

There is another side to the internet, however. While it gives artists the platforms to launch their careers, it is also a treasure trove for dissenters wanting to dig up old facts about a burgeoning star. Few might know of Katy Perry’s beginnings as a singer signed to a Christian label, but you can readily find such information online – and buy the album on Amazon.

Lana Del Rey was once singing less bewitching songs. A couple, such as Kinda Outta Luck, can still be found online, although the debut album itself, produced by David Kahne, was scrapped and has been mysteriously deleted.

That she has been repackaged and enhanced (the suspiciously plump lips remain under scrutiny) sheds new light on the authenticity of the artist. Still, we can thank the power of social networking for bringing to our attention what might well be the best song of the year. – The Independent

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