Marina Diamandis
Marina and the Diamonds | |
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![]() Marina and the Diamonds performing at the HMV Picture House in Edinburgh, 2 November 2010 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Marina Lambrini Diamandis |
Born | Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales | 10 October 1985
Genres | Indie pop, new wave, electronic |
Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter, musician |
Instrument(s) | Vocals, piano, keyboards, glockenspiel, casio VL-tone, organ |
Years active | 2007–present |
Labels | Neon Gold, 679, Atlantic, Chop Shop, Elektra |
Website | marinaandthediamonds |
Marina Lambrini Diamandis (Greek: Μαρίνα-Λαμπρινή Διαμάντη, pronounced [ðʝaˈmadi];[1] born 10 October 1985), better known by her stage name Marina and the Diamonds (sometimes stylised as Marina & the Diamonds), is a Welsh singer-songwriter.[2][3] She rose to fame after reaching number two on the BBC Sound of 2010 poll list, coming second to Ellie Goulding. After releasing one private EP, Diamandis released her second extended play, The Crown Jewels EP, with help from Neon Gold Records, in 2009.[4] Now signed to 679 Recordings, she released her debut full length studio album, The Family Jewels, followed by her third extended play, The American Jewels EP, in 2010. In 2011, Diamandis announced that she was working on her second album, Electra Heart, which was released in April 2012 and went to #1 in the UK and Ireland.
Her stage name, "Marina and the Diamonds", consists of Diamandis' first name and the translation of her surname which means "Diamonds" in Greek. Although "The Diamonds" is often mistakenly believed to refer to her backing band,[5] it in fact refers to Diamandis' fans: she explains this on her Myspace page by saying "I'm Marina. You are the diamonds."[6]
Diamandis' musical style ranges from keyboard-based ballads to more up-tempo New Wave-style songs with full band backing.[3] She has cited a wide-range of influences such as Daniel Johnston, Blondie, The Distillers, Patti Smith, Tom Waits, Nirvana, PJ Harvey, Kate Bush, Britney Spears, Yann Tiersen, Elliott Smith, Dolly Parton, and Madonna.[7][8]
Background
Diamandis was born Marina Lambrini Diamandis[9] in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales. Her father is Greek and her mother is Welsh,[10] and brought up in the village of Pandy with her parents and her older sister.[11] She attended Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls, of which she said "I sort of found my talent there... I was the one who always skived off choir, but I had an incredible music teacher who managed to convince me I could do anything."[12] When her parents separated, Diamandis moved to Greece when she was sixteen to live with her father but returned to Wales two years later.[11]
Diamandis moved to London at the age of eighteen where she attended dance school for only two months.[5] Following this, in 2005 she took a one year singing course at Tech Music Schools. [citation needed] Diamandis enrolled in a music degree at the University of East London, transferring in her second year of studies to Middlesex University, but later dropped out.[13] She went for many auditions including the West End musical, The Lion King.[14] Diamandis admitted that she auditioned for a reggae boy band, held by Virgin Records, in 2005 to try to make it into the music business. She said she was "delusional with drive" and ultimately decided to dress up in male attire to try to amuse the record label to sign her, but she was unsuccessful. However, she was called back by the record label a week later.[15][16]
Diamandis has a synaesthetic condition that involves seeing musical notes and days of the week in different colours.[17]
Musical career
2005–2008: Early career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/Marina_%26_the_Diamonds_live_NME_Radar_Tour_2009.jpg/180px-Marina_%26_the_Diamonds_live_NME_Radar_Tour_2009.jpg)
In 2005, Diamandis created the name "Marina and the Diamonds".[18] When describing the origin of the name, she said:
I never envisaged a character, pop project, band or solo artist. I saw a simple group made up of many people who had the same hearts. A space for people with similar ideals who could not fit in to life's pre-made mould. I was terribly awkward for a long time! I really craved to be part of one thing because I never felt too connected to anybody and now I feel I have that all around me.[18]
Early demos of Marina and the Diamonds' songs were self-composed and produced on the Apple software application Garageband.[14] Through Gumtree she found someone to produce a few tracks, for which she paid £500.[19] These ended up on her debut extended play Mermaid Vs. Sailor EP which was released on 23 November 2007. The record was created on hand-made CD-Rs by Diamandis and sold through her MySpace page. An estimated seventy copies were sold overall.[20]
In January 2008, Diamandis was first discovered by music scouter Derek Davies of Neon Gold Records. Davies booked Diamandis to open for Belgian-Australian singer Gotye later that year where Warner Music Group first saw her and ended up signing her in October 2008 to 679 Recordings.[19]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Marina_and_the_Diamonds_The_Bell_House_1.jpg/170px-Marina_and_the_Diamonds_The_Bell_House_1.jpg)
Diamandis' debut single was a double a-side consisting of "Obsessions" and "Mowgli's Road" which was issued on Neon Gold Records in the United States on 19 November 2008, followed by her second extended play The Crown Jewels EP on 1 June 2009 featuring her second single "I Am Not a Robot".[21] Her first major label single, a re-recording of "Mowgli's Road", was released on 13 November 2009 under 679 Recordings in the UK and through Atlantic Records in the USA. On 7 December 2009 she was listed on the longlist for the BBC Sound of 2010 poll,[22] and on 7 January 2010 it was announced that she had taken second place.[23]
2009–2010: The Family Jewels
Marina and the Diamonds' debut album, The Family Jewels, was released in February 2010. It peaked at number five on the UK Albums Chart and was certified silver in the United Kingdom days before its release.[24] "Mowgli's Road" was re-released as the album's lead single in November 2009.[25] However, the song "Hollywood" was released as the first major single from the album in February 2010.[26] A re-release of "I Am Not a Robot" in April 2010 became the album's third single; Diamandis said she decided to re-release the song because "people seem to empathize and relate with the song, regardless of gender or age."[27] "Oh No!" became the album's fourth single in August 2010,[28] and "Shampain" became the fifth single in October 2010.[29] She embarked on her first headlining tour on 14 February 2010, consisting of seventy dates around the United Kingdom, Ireland, mainland Europe, the United States and Canada.[30]
Also during 2010, Diamandis collaborated with producer Benny Blanco and guitarist Dave Sitek in Los Angeles on new material which she described as "a really great opportunity for me as a songwriter. [We are] such a weird threesome—a combination of super pop and really indie".[5]
In March 2010, Atlantic Records signed Marina and the Diamonds to Chop Shop Records in the United States.[31][32] Before the album's American release in May 2010,[33] Diamandis released her third extended play, The American Jewels EP, digitally and exclusively for the United States in March 2010.[31][32] Diamandis made her North American debut on 14 March 2010 through a series of performances.[34]
Marina and the Diamonds was nominated for Critics' Choice at the 2010 BRIT Awards[35] and came fifth in SHREDnews' "Ten Artists To Watch in 2010" list in March 2010.[36] She also won the award for Best UK & Ireland Act at the 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards.[37]
2011–present: Electra Heart
For her second album, Diamandis recorded material with producers Cirkut, Guy Sigsworth, Labrinth, Greg Kurstin, Diplo, Dr. Luke, Stargate and Liam Howe. The first single, "Radioactive" produced by Stargate, was released in October 2011 (reaching number twenty-five in the UK),[38] followed by a demo of the song "Starring Role" in November[39] and a video titled ♡ PART 3: "THE ARCHETYPES" ♡ in December.[40] Electra Heart was released in April 2012,[41]. The album made its debut at number 1 in both the United Kingdom and Ireland making it her first album to do so. The album was preceded by the single "Primadonna" produced by Dr Luke and Cirkut.[42][43] "Primadonna" became Diamandis' highest peaking UK single to date. The song has become her most successful single to date reaching platinum status in Ireland for sales exceeding 15,000 units and reaching number #4 on the New Zealand chart. "Power and Control" will be the next single from the album.[44]
Artistry
Music style and influences
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/MarinaTheGemTour.jpg/230px-MarinaTheGemTour.jpg)
Marina and the Diamonds has been influenced by a wide-range of musicians from PJ Harvey to Britney Spears.[7] Diamandis has also noted Daniel Johnston as one of her major influences saying:
He really opened me up to a whole new world of music and a whole new perception of what an artist is. For me, he really encouraged me because if you think of someone who has been spoon-fed pop, up until twenty-one years old, and you hear someone like Daniel Johnston you're like "God, this is terrible, but I love it." It sounds like a child has made it, like, the production is so all over the place. He's obviously got something very captivating here yet he doesn't fit the normal mould and people still love him. I thought "if he can do it then [so can I]," that's when I started to produce things myself and play live, even though I wasn't even great on the piano. It's all about emotion and if you have heart, people connect to that.[45]
Diamandis calls herself a "DIY musician"[45] and describes her sound as an alternative to mainstream pop music.[7] In an interview with ClashMusic Diamandis said that she does not come from a musical background and explained "I probably have a bit of a different sound because I don’t really know what I’m doing".[46] Lyrically, she says her music analyzes people and that if she wasn't a musician, she would be a psychologist.[47]
Critics usually catalogue Marina and the Diamonds as a New Wave pop artist. In an interview with The Guardian she said, "I suppose I'm an indie artist with pop goals".[8] Although Diamandis has asserted that she never tries to sound like any other artist or copy a genre of music, she has been compared to a variety of artists such as Kate Bush[46] and most commonly Florence and the Machine.[48] PopMatters commented on her vocal delivery and attitude saying it "has a tendency to overshadow the music, which is often melodically inventive, but we are rarely given the chance to realise this."[49] The Guardian's Paul Lester wrote that "her songs are hard to fathom. They veer between simple keyboards-based ballads and more upbeat and catchy, quirky new wave-inflected numbers enhanced by percussion, guitar and drums."[3]
Public image
As well as her music, Marina and the Diamonds is also notable for her unique attire.[50] When asked in an interview to describe her fashion style in three words, Diamandis said "vintage, cheerleader and cartoon".[51] You can see an element of this style in the video for 'Oh No!' which was released in June 2010. She has praised model/DJ Leigh Lezark's fashion style and called Gwen Stefani her definitive style icon describing her image as "cartoonized but in a very fresh way".[51] Diamandis has mentioned that she sometimes makes her own outfits with clothes she buys from charity shops.[52] She also collects vintage cheer jackets.[51] She has often been seen wearing clothes by Jean-Charles de Castelbajac,[53] Laura Mackness,[54] Beyond Retro,[55] Motel Rocks,[56] Jervoise Jackets[57] amongst others. Diamandis has admitted that she would "like to do something in fashion, not designing, not one of those skanky celebrity lines, but being involved behind the scenes".[11]
As part of Selfridges' "Sound of Music", Diamandis designed her own window display for the London Oxford Street branch in May 2010.[58] She also appeared as a "live mannequin" for the display.[59] Diamandis was featured on Vogue UK's official website throughout November 2010 for a popular sartorial section called "Today I'm Wearing", where she blogged her daily style choices for the fashion website.[60] In December 2010, Diamandis announced on her Twitter that she would be the new face of the Max Factor make-up range Max Colour Effects.
Discography
- 2010: The Family Jewels
- 2012: Electra Heart
Touring
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/0marina12_blue_sm2.jpg/150px-0marina12_blue_sm2.jpg)
In 2009, Marina and the Diamonds played at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Swindon early in May 2009,[2] Glastonbury Festival in June 2009,[61] and the Reading and Leeds Festivals in August 2009.[62]
In promotion for her album and "Hollywood", Diamandis performed at Brand New: 10 for 10 at London's Dingwalls,[63] had an eleven minute 4Music special - 4Play: Marina and the Diamonds - on Channel 4,[64] performed at T4's Outside-In Festival,[65] New to Q Sessions[66] in January 2010, was a musical guest on GMTV, Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, The Review Show in February 2010[67] and Later... with Jools Holland and T4's Frock Me! in April 2010. She performed at the Isle of Wight Festival 2010 and Glastonbury Festival 2010 in June 2010 and is planned to appear at other music festivals across the United Kingdom, mainland Europe and North America.
Diamandis had already sold out the first leg of her first headlining tour, The Family Jewels Tour before the release of her debut album. Her entire tour currently consists of seventy dates across six legs around the United Kingdom, North America, Ireland and mainland Europe.[30][68][69] Diamandis was accompanied by support acts Clock Opera and Alan Pownall for the first leg of her tour and Spark on The Gem Tour.[70]
- Headlining
- The Family Jewels Tour (2010 - 2011)
- Lonely Hearts Club Tour (2012)
- Supporting
- California Dreams Tour - Supporting Katy Perry (2011)
- Mylo Xyloto Tour - Supporting Coldplay (2011 - 2012)
Awards and nominations
Year | Organisation | Nominated work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2010 | BBC Sound of 2010 | Marina and the Diamonds | Sound of 2010 | Second place |
2010 BRIT Awards | Marina and the Diamonds | Critics' Choice | Nominated | |
SHREDnews | Marina and the Diamonds | Ten Artists To Watch in 2010 | Fifth place | |
2010 NME Awards | Marina and the Diamonds | Hottest Woman | Nominated | |
2010 BT Digital Music Awards | Marina and the Diamonds | Breakthrough Artist of the Year | Nominated | |
MTV Europe Music Awards | Marina and the Diamonds | Best UK & Irish Act | Won | |
Marina and the Diamonds | Best European Act | Nominated | ||
UK Festival Awards 2010 | Marina and the Diamonds | Best Breakthrough Act | Nominated | |
4Music Video Honours | Marina and the Diamonds | Hottest Girl of 2010 | Eighth place | |
Marina and the Diamonds | Box Biggest Breakthrough of 2010 | Tenth place | ||
Hollywood | Best Video of 2010 | Nominated | ||
Virgin Media Music Awards | Marina and the Diamonds | Best Newcomer | Won | |
2011 | Glamour Women of the Year Awards | Marina and the Diamonds | Best Band | Nominated |
2012 | NME Awards | Marina Diamandis | Hottest Female | Nominated |
References
- ^ Loose Women | Marina and the Diamonds - ITV Lifestyle. ITV. 27 April 2010. Retrieved 28 April 2010.[dead link]
- ^ a b "Introducing Marina and the Diamonds". BBC.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ a b c Paul Lester (23 September 2008). "New band of the day - No 395: Marina and the Diamonds". London: guardian.co.uk.
- ^ "Marina And The Diamonds - Biography". Retrieved 13 May 2012.
- ^ a b c Levine, Nick Ones To Watch: Marina and the Diamonds 26 December 2009 - digitalspy.co.uk
- ^ Spotiguide » Hot on Spotify for 2010: Marina and the Diamonds spotiguide.com - 15 January 2010 - Retrieved on 2010-15-2
- ^ a b c BBC - Marina and The Diamonds in the BBC Introducing hotseat BBC - Tuesday, 9 June 2009 - Retrieved 3 April 2010
- ^ a b Marina Diamandis: shine on you crazy diamond | Music | The Guardian The Guardian - 12 November 2009 - Retrieved 3 April 2010
- ^ Diamandis Marina Lambrini. ASCAP.
- ^ Savage, Mark (3 November 2009). "Shine on, Marina Diamond". BBC News Online. Retrieved 2 December 2009.
- ^ a b c Rees, Claire WalesOnline - Lifestyle - Music - I knew I’d be famous - Marina Diamandis WalesOnline- 6 February 2010 - Retrieved on 12 April 2010.
- ^ Boshoff, Alison (12 February 2010). "Leafy suburbs, £4,000-a-term schools and stockbroker fathers... the VERY middle-class girls storming the Brits". Mail Online. London. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
- ^ "For The Record | Marina and the Diamonds: Interview". 4ortherecord.com. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
- ^ a b BBC Wales - Music - Marina And The Diamonds 28 October 2009 - bbc.co.uk
- ^ YouTube - Marina and the Diamonds Interview with Scott Mills 07-04-2010 Part 1 YouTube & BBC - 9 April 2010 - Retrieved on 11 April 2010.
- ^ Marina Diamandis' boy band audition - Music news, latest news, breaking music news, singers, bands, MSN Music - MSN UK MSN - 29 January 2010 - Retrieved on 11 April 2010.
- ^ (HD) Marina and the Diamonds - Interview (Øya Festival 13/08/2010), YouTube, 13 August 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2012.
- ^ a b BLOG: NOW REAL LIFE HAS NO APPEAL. marinaandthediamonds.com - 20 June 2010 - Retrieved 20 June 2010.
- ^ a b BBC - Introducing - Artist - Marina And The Diamonds bbc.co.uk
- ^ The Diamond Exchange - Marina and the Diamonds - Discography marinaandthediamonds.net
- ^ "Marina and the Diamonds Blogspot".
- ^ BBC News - BBC Sound of 2010: Marina and the Diamonds bbc.co.uk - 7 December 2009
- ^ BBC Sound of 2010: Marina and the Diamonds BBC News - 7 January 2010
- ^ BPI Certified Awards Search Search The Family Jewels by "Title"
- ^ "Mowgli's Road / Space and the Woods - Single by Marina & The Diamonds - Download Mowgli's Road / Space and the Woods - Single on iTunes". Itunes.apple.com. 13 November 2009. Retrieved 22 January 2011.
- ^ Marina and the Diamonds announce debut album details and release date NME.com, 1 December 2009
- ^ Marina and The Diamonds - News - I AM NOT A ROBOT WILL BE MARINA'S NEXT SINGLE IN THE UK! marinaandthediamonds.com - 12 March 2010 - Retrieved 23 March 2010
- ^ Marina and The Diamonds - Blogs - OH YES! marinaandthediamonds.com - Retrieved 26 May 2010.
- ^ Radio1 Rodos Greece ::: UK Forthcoming Singles ::: Charts, DJ Promos, Dance, Lyrics, Free Mp3 Samples Downloads Radio1 - Retrieved 11 July 2010.
- ^ a b Live - Marina and the Diamonds 14 July 2009 - marinaandthediamonds.com
- ^ a b Staff (4 March 2010). "Marina & The Diamonds Joins Chop Shop Records Line-Up". Chop Shop Records. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
- ^ a b Staff (1 March 2010). "Atlantic Records :: MARINA & THE DIAMONDS? THE FAMILY JEWELS DEBUTS TOP 5 IN THE UK". Atlantic Records. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
- ^ Balls, David (4 March 2010). "Marina confirms US album release". Digital Spy. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
- ^ Staff (5 March 2010). "Marina & The Diamonds' "THE FAMILY JEWELS" Debuts Top 5 in the UK; Acclaimed Pop Sensation Slates U". PR-USA.net. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
- ^ The BRITs 2010 | The Brit Awards 2010 brits.co.uk - 16 February 2010 - Retrieved 3 May 2010.
- ^ Ten Artists To Watch In 2010 Part 2 | SHREDnews SHREDnews - 26 March 2010 - Retrieved 11 April 2010.
- ^ "New Act". Ema.mtv.co.uk. 6 November 2011. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
{{cite web}}
: Text "Best" ignored (help)[dead link] - ^ "iTunes - Music - Radioactive by Marina & the Diamonds". Itunes.apple.com. 30 September 2011. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- ^ "MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS | "Starring Role" Demo". YouTube. 20 November 2011. Retrieved 31 December 2011.
- ^ Official Music Video - 25 December 2011.
- ^ https://twitter.com/#!/MarinasDiamonds/status/169088514737188864
- ^ Official Twitter
- ^ Official Twitter
- ^ "Marina and the Diamonds confirms 'Power & Control' as new single". 2 May 2012. Retrieved 2 May 2012.
- ^ a b Marina Diamandis talks pop, Daniel Johnston and cuckoo-ing, with Zan in Texas... | Mornings with Zan | triple j ABC Australian - 14 April 2010 - Retrieved on 25 April 2010
- ^ a b Ones To Watch 2010: Marina And The Diamonds | Clash Music Exclusive Ones To Watch ClashMusic - 26/01/2010 - 28 March 2010
- ^ GOODBYE TO SIZE ZERO FIGURES AND INFLUENTIAL DESIGNERS WHO IN... on Twitpic Twitpic - 17 March 2010 - Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- ^ Marina and the Diamonds | Pop review | Music | The Guardian The Guardian - 27 January 2010 - Retrieved on 28 March 2010
- ^ Marina & The Diamonds: The Family Jewels PopMatters - Retrieved 25 April 2010
- ^ Style Spy: Marina And The Diamonds | Look LOOK - Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- ^ a b c Frock Me with TK Maxx - 4oD - Channel 4 Channel 4 - 25 April 2010 - Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- ^ Marina and the Diamonds Chat To FemaleFirst FemaleFirst - 3 August 2010 - Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- ^ Marina Diamandis Loves Jean Charles De Castelbajac | Look LOOK - Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- ^ Marina and The Diamonds - Blogs - RETURN OF THE MAC marinaandthediamonds.com - 24 April 2010 - Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- ^ Marina and The Diamonds | Beyond Retro Vintage Clothing Blog beyondretro.com - July 2009 - Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- ^ Get her style! Marina and the Diamonds! — MOTELROCKS BLOG motelrocks.co.uk Marina has also been spotted in jewellery by Stolen Thunder, the brand created her diamonds rings and huge diamond sunglasses for her appearance at Glastonbury. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- ^ Interview // Zoe Jervoise ireadfaux.com - Retrieved 11 June 2010.
- ^ Selfridges Launch 'Sounds of the Mind' Window Displays | F.TAPE | Fashion Directory ftape.com - Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- ^ OK! Magazine: First For Celebrity News :: Latest Celebrity News :: Paloma Faith and Marina Diamandis spend a day in the life of shop dummies OK! - 10 May 2010 - Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- ^ VOGUE.COM UK Marina Diamandis on VOGUE.COM's Today I'm Wearing - November 2010.
- ^ "Orange at Glastonbury".
- ^ Marina And The Diamonds cover Late At The Pier at Reading Festival NME.com, 29 August 2009
- ^ 10 for 10 Marina & The Diamonds | MTV UK mtv.co.uk
- ^ 4Play - 4Play: Marina and The Diamonds - Channel 4 channel4.co.uk
- ^ T4 - Outside-In - Channel4[dead link]
- ^ "New to Q Sessions - New bands announced - News - QTheMusic.com". News.qthemusic.com. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
- ^ "Press Office - The Week's Guests week 5 - 2010". BBC. Retrieved 17 March 2012.
- ^ Marina and The Diamonds - News - MAY UK TOUR DATES marinaandthediamonds.com - 29 January 2010 - Retrieved 3 May 2010.
- ^ Marina and The Diamonds - News - OCT/NOV UK + IRELAND TOUR CONFIRMED! EXCLUSIVE PRE-ORDER TOMORROW (05.05) marinaandthediamonds.com - 4 May 2010 - Retrieved 4 May 2010.
- ^ Marina and The Diamonds - Blogs - HANDS BEHIND MY BACK. marinaandthediamonds.com - 29 April 2010 - Retrieved 30 April 2010
External links
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