Marina Diamandis
Welsh singer known for eclectic pop and cult following.
Marina Lambrini Diamandis (born 10 October 1985), known mononymously as Marina and previously as Marina and the Diamonds, is a Welsh singer, songwriter, poet and record producer. She rose to prominence after placing second in the BBC's Sound of 2010, and her debut album The Family Jewels entered the UK Albums Chart at number five. Her second album Electra Heart became her first number one in the United Kingdom.
Quick Facts
- Birth name
- Marina Lambrini Diamandis
- Born
- 10 October 1985
- Birthplace
- Brynmawr, Wales
- Other names
- Marina and the Diamonds
- Occupation
- Singer
- songwriter
- record producer
- poet
- Years active
- 2005–present
Facts from the source article.
Early life
Marina Lambrini Diamandis came into the world on 10 October 1985 in Brynmawr and spent her early years in Pandy, near Abergavenny. She has one older sister, Lafina. Her mother is Welsh and her father is Greek; they met at Newcastle University and split up when Marina was four. After the separation, her father went back to Greece but came to visit now and then, while she stayed with her mother in a Welsh bungalow. She remembers her childhood as simple, idyllic, peaceful, very normal, and poor. She was a tomboy, playing football every day and hanging out mostly with boys. She went to Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls, where a great music teacher convinced her she could achieve anything. At sixteen, she moved to Greece to be with her father, connect with her heritage, and learn Greek, singing folk songs with her grandmother. She earned an International Baccalaureate at St. Catherine's British Embassy School in Athens, then returned to Wales after two years. She and her mother later moved to Ross-on-Wye in England. Driven by an obsession to become a singer, she worked at a petrol station for two months to save up for a move to London. She started writing music at eighteen, moved to London for dance school but left after two months, then studied music at the University of East London and switched to a classic composition course at Middlesex University, dropping out after another two months.
Career
Before she was a star, Marina Diamandis was chasing auditions listed in The Stage, the same newspaper that had advertised for the Spice Girls. She travelled to several that went nowhere, including tryouts for The Lion King and a boy band put together by Virgin Records. In 2005, she adopted the stage name Marina and the Diamonds; later, the "Diamonds" part came to refer to her fans rather than a backing band. After seeing how self-produced musician Daniel Johnston worked, she decided to stop auditioning and make her own music. She taught herself piano, used GarageBand to write and record her early demos, and put out her first EP, Mermaid vs Sailor, on Myspace in 2007. She met with fourteen record labels but only got one offer—the only one, she felt, that wouldn't control her image. In 2008, Neon Gold Records' Derek Davies noticed her and managed her for six months; she also opened for Gotye. Davies later said her raw bedroom demos showed a powerful, vulnerable voice unlike anyone else. That October, she signed with 679 Recordings, part of Warner Music Group. Her debut single "Obsessions" came out on Valentine's Day 2009 via Neon Gold, followed by The Crown Jewels EP in June. That summer she played BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend, Glastonbury, and Reading and Leeds. In December, she came second on the BBC's Sound of 2010 poll (behind Ellie Goulding) and was nominated for the BRITs Critics' Choice Award. Her single "Mowgli's Road," which she called uncommercial, got a boost after Perez Hilton and Kanye West shared its video.
Artistry
Diamandis's musical style encompasses indie pop, art pop, electropop, synth-pop, experimental pop, bubblegum pop, disco-pop, and left-field pop. She is a mezzo-soprano. As a child she drew inspiration from her parents' differing tastes: Dolly Parton, Enya, and George Michael from her mother, and Haris Alexiou from her father, while also admiring the Spice Girls, Britney Spears, and S Club 7. She has said Madonna was the reason she wanted to be a pop star from age 15, but she did not listen to music properly until 19, when she took influence from PJ Harvey, Fiona Apple, and the Distillers. She began smoking two years later in an attempt to sound like the Distillers' frontwoman Brody Dalle, but it never worked. She has cited Dalle and Spears as influences and expressed interest in Daniel Johnston's lo-fi production. She has synesthesia, associating colours with musical notes and days of the week. She describes herself as a DIY musician and indie artist with pop goals, calling her music alternate pop. Her debut album incorporated new wave, while Electra Heart was heavily electropop. Froot is a pop record with elements of europop and pop rock. Artists listing her as an influence include Bridgit Mendler, Camila Cabello, Billie Eilish, Kim Petras, and Slayyyter.
Public image and personal life
Diamandis has identified Sophia Loren, Leigh Lezark, Shirley Manson, and Gwen Stefani as her fashion icons, with Asli Polat and Mary Benson among her favourite designers. In May 2010 she and Paloma Faith designed a window display for Selfridges' London Oxford Street branch and appeared as live mannequins. In November she contributed to Vogue's 'Today I'm Wearing' column. In February 2011 she became a brand ambassador for Max Factor. In 2013 she launched a fashion brand called 11 Diamonds and designed a line of T-shirts, but has had little involvement since. According to Emily Jupp of The Independent, an unconventional fashion sense has been constant in her career. In the video for 'How to be a Heartbreaker' she wore more clothes than the male models. She has said it does not suit her to wear very little clothing and she would rather people listen to what she has to say. In 2011 she described her fashion styles as vintage, cheerleader, and cartoon; in 2015 she described her Froot outfits as a mix of 1970s with digital fiberware. She has been called a pop enigma with a cult following who never felt she belonged to the masses.
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