Biography
Born in 1986 to parents of Welsh and Greek descent, Marina Diamandis performed under the name Marina and the Diamonds and often asserted a lineage reaching back to Ancient Greece. She left four separate music programs at four universities before choosing to build her career independently, turning instead to the creation of left-field pop material. At the outset she named Britney Spears and Gwen Stefani as key touchstones and performed their songs in concert, yet a deeper soulful quality in her own writing hinted at wider influences. Her keyboard-centered pieces moved between introspective ballads and full-throttle glam pop, though her distinctive voice and melodic phrasing remained the defining traits.
Working essentially alone, Diamandis composed the majority of her early songs without assistance and then scored them for a band so that live performances would retain the impact of the recorded versions. She was quick to reject being placed alongside the other female solo artists who emerged in 2009 and did not hesitate to comment on more established figures such as Lily Allen and Kate Nash. In conversation she repeatedly voiced discomfort at being lumped with newer acts when gender was the only shared characteristic. The breadth of her style resisted simple labels, leading observers to draw parallels with artists ranging from Regina Spektor to Elvis Costello.
Her opening single, “Obsessions/Mowgli’s Road,” was released in the United States by the independent label Neon Gold, home also to Passion Pit. Later that year The Crown Jewels EP followed, adding three fresh tracks that included an electronic remix of the fan favorite “I Am Not a Robot.” After appearing on the British festival circuit in summer 2009, she stepped back briefly to finish her debut album, The Family Jewels, released in 2010, before returning to the road. The record climbed to number five in the United Kingdom yet registered only modest impact elsewhere. Electra Heart, her second studio album, was introduced by the singles “Primadonna” and “Radioactive”; it reached the top of the U.K. charts on the strength of the former track and also entered the American Top 40.
A pronounced change in method marked her third album, Froot, issued in 2015. Rather than working with a large team of producers, Diamandis co-produced the record with David Kosten, whose prior credits include Brooke Fraser and Bat for Lashes, and she wrote every song herself. Although the album remained filled with memorable, new wave-inflected pop hooks, the result was a more personal and resonant work that illustrated her development as a performer.
Working essentially alone, Diamandis composed the majority of her early songs without assistance and then scored them for a band so that live performances would retain the impact of the recorded versions. She was quick to reject being placed alongside the other female solo artists who emerged in 2009 and did not hesitate to comment on more established figures such as Lily Allen and Kate Nash. In conversation she repeatedly voiced discomfort at being lumped with newer acts when gender was the only shared characteristic. The breadth of her style resisted simple labels, leading observers to draw parallels with artists ranging from Regina Spektor to Elvis Costello.
Her opening single, “Obsessions/Mowgli’s Road,” was released in the United States by the independent label Neon Gold, home also to Passion Pit. Later that year The Crown Jewels EP followed, adding three fresh tracks that included an electronic remix of the fan favorite “I Am Not a Robot.” After appearing on the British festival circuit in summer 2009, she stepped back briefly to finish her debut album, The Family Jewels, released in 2010, before returning to the road. The record climbed to number five in the United Kingdom yet registered only modest impact elsewhere. Electra Heart, her second studio album, was introduced by the singles “Primadonna” and “Radioactive”; it reached the top of the U.K. charts on the strength of the former track and also entered the American Top 40.
A pronounced change in method marked her third album, Froot, issued in 2015. Rather than working with a large team of producers, Diamandis co-produced the record with David Kosten, whose prior credits include Brooke Fraser and Bat for Lashes, and she wrote every song herself. Although the album remained filled with memorable, new wave-inflected pop hooks, the result was a more personal and resonant work that illustrated her development as a performer.
Albums
Singles
