Laura Marling
| Laura Marling | |
|---|---|
 Performing at Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, in November 2009. |
|
| Background information | |
| Born | 1 February 1990 |
| Origin | Eversley, Hampshire, England |
| Genres | Contemporary folk, folk rock |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar, bass, piano |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | WayOutWest, Virgin |
| Associated acts | Noah and the Whale, The Rakes, Mystery Jets, Johnny Flynn, Mumford & Sons |
| Website | LauraMarling.com |
Laura Beatrice Marling (born 1 February 1990) is an English folk musician from Eversley, Hampshire.
Initially prominent within the London folk scene, she has also toured with a number of well-known indie artists in the UK. Her debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim and her second album I Speak Because I Can were nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2008 and 2010 respectively. She won Best Female Solo Artist at the 2011 Brit Awards.
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[edit] Biography
Marling was born in Hampshire, England, the youngest of three daughters of a music teacher,[1] and learned guitar at an early age. Her father, who ran a recording studio, introduced her to folk music and shaped her musical taste. This was "a bit of a blessing and a bit of a curse. I couldn’t slot myself into the age-appropriate genre", she later remembered.[2] Marling was educated at Leighton Park School, a private Quaker school in Reading, Berkshire.[3] She has said that during this time she felt uneasy around other people and had a fear of death.[4]
At the age of 16 Laura Marling moved to London, where she soon became part of a cluster of intertwined bands drawn to acoustic instruments and tradition-tinged melodies which formed a movement labelled "nu-folk" by the British press.[2] She became part of the original line-up of indie folk band Noah and the Whale and was romantically linked with singer/guitarist Charlie Fink.[3][5] She is featured as a background vocalist on their début album Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down; however, she left the group before the album's 2008 release and split up with Fink that same year.[5][6] She also appeared on The Rakes track "Suspicious Eyes", from the band's 2007 album Ten New Messages, credited as 'Laura Marlin'. Marling would later collaborate with Mystery Jets, contributing guest vocals to the single "Young Love", released 10 March 2008. Previously, Marling was in a relationship with Marcus Mumford; they broke up around Christmas 2010, but are reportedly still friends.[7]
[edit] Alas, I Cannot Swim
She was personally invited to tour with Jamie T after he attended her second-ever solo gig. She has also toured with a number of other musicians from the UK and beyond, including Adam Green from the anti-folk band The Moldy Peaches. She performed at the 2007 O2 Wireless Festival and also performed at the first Underage Festival in August 2007 at Victoria Park, East London, before releasing her debut EP "London Town" on WayOutWest Records.
Her debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim was released on 4 February 2008,[8] and later nominated for the 2008 Mercury Prize.[9] The album, as well as subsequent singles, were released on Virgin Records. The third and final single from her album, "Night Terror" was released on 27 October 2008, coinciding with a 6-date "Night Terror tour".[10]
Marling's television appearances include The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and Later With Jools Holland, performing "Ghosts" and "New Romantic" respectively. In 2008 she appeared on Russell Brand's Radio 2 show alongside her sister. She once chose to perform on the street after being denied entry to one of her own performances for being underage.[11][12]
[edit] I Speak Because I Can
The follow-up to Alas I Cannot Swim, titled I Speak Because I Can, was released on 22 March 2010. Produced by Ethan Johns, the album has a more mature sound and lyricism, dealing with "responsibility, particularly the responsibility of womanhood."[13] The album is preceded by the singles "Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)", released on iTunes in December 2009[14] and "Devil's Spoke" on 15 March 2010. On 28 March 2010, I Speak Because I Can entered the UK Albums Chart at Number 4. It was also nominated for the 2010 Mercury Music Prize.
[edit] A Creature I Don't Know
In 2010, Marling announced that she would release two albums in 2010, the first of which being I Speak Because I Can. She later announced that there was a change of plan and that she wouldn't be releasing a second album that year. She did, however, add that the album would be better due to the delay, and that she hoped to have it finished for February 2011. In June 2011, the new album's title was revealed to be A Creature I Don't Know and the album was released on 12 September 2011.[15]
[edit] Discography
- Alas, I Cannot Swim (2008)
- I Speak Because I Can (2010)
- A Creature I Don't Know (2011)
Laura Marling also has recorded various songs such as "Soulless Child", "Candlelight", "Karma", "Mexico" and "Nature of Dust" (all of which can be heard on YouTube but are not yet for sale) as well as "She's Changed" (of which a live version is for sale, but not a studio version) and "Such a Shame" (which is neither for sale nor available on YouTube).
[edit] Awards and nominations
| Year | Organisation | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Mercury Prize 2008 | Alas, I Cannot Swim | Mercury Prize | Nominated |
| 2010 | Mercury Prize 2010 | I Speak Because I Can | Nominated | |
| RTÉ Radio 1 | Album of the Year | Nominated[16] | ||
| 2011 | BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards | "Rambling Man" | Best Original Song | Nominated |
| Brit Awards | Best British Female | Won | ||
| NME Awards | Best Solo Artist | Won | ||
| 2012 | Brit Awards | Best British Female | Pending |
[edit] References
- ^ Bernard Zuel (September 12, 2011). "I Don't Believe in Romanticism...". Sidney Morning Herald. http://www.thevine.com.au/music/interviews/laura-marling-_-interview-20110912.aspx. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
- ^ a b Pareles, Jon (September 4, 2011). "Goddesses and Beasts in a Dusky, Lilting Roar". New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/04/arts/music/laura-marlings-british-folk-cd-creature-i-dont-know.html?pagewanted=all. Retrieved 2011-10-10.
- ^ a b Fisher, Alice (26 October 2008). "Little gal with a full-grown talent". London: The Observer. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/oct/26/popandrock. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
- ^ Cairns, Dan (14 February 2010). "Laura Marling is cut from different cloth". timesonline.com (London). http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article7022316.ece. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
- ^ a b Fisher, Alice (23 August 2009). "Tell Laura I love her – at least I used to". London: The Observer. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/aug/23/noah-whale-charlie-fink-marling. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
- ^ Lusk, Jon (8 August 2008). "Fans of Belle & Sebastian, Arcade Fire and Bill Callahan may well enjoy this disc (review, Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down)". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/reviews/n8mq. Retrieved 28 January 2010.
- ^ Marcus Mumford dated Laura Marling - Celebrity Break Ups - Zimbio
- ^ Laura Marling
- ^ Bearded magazine
- ^ The George Lamb Show on BBC 6 Music
- ^ Observer interview
- ^ YouTube - laura marling busking part 1
- ^ NME - I Speak Because I Can, First Listen
- ^ "Laura Marling - News". http://www.lauramarling.com. Retrieved 13 December 2009.
- ^ http://www.gigwise.com/news/64155/Laura-Marling-To-Release-New-Album-A-Creature-I-Dont-Know-In-September
- ^ RTÉ News. 26 November 2010. http://www.rte.ie/radio1/albumoftheyear/.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Laura Marling |
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