Artist of the Week: Marina & the Diamonds

Marina Lambrini Diamandis was born on October 10, 1985, in Brynmawr, Wales. Her musical career started when she turned 18 years old, when she started to write songs.

In 2005, Diamandis created her stage name Marina & the Diamonds, referring the diamonds to be her fans, not her backing band.

Before receiving a real record deal, Diamandis created her very first EP, Mermaid vs. Sailor, using GarageBand, and then advertising through the then-popular social network MySpace. After this, Diamandis was hired to support the artist Goyte on his tour. Diamandis finalized a record deal with 679 Recordings.

Diamandis’ very first single was her hit song Obsessions, which was released on 2009’s Valentine’s Day. That following June, she released her first official EP, The Crown Jewels EP. 

Many singles and a year later, Diamandis released her very first full-length LP to the world, named The Family Jewels. During 2010 and 2011, Diamandis toured around Europe and North America to promote the album.

In April of 2012, Diamandis released her most iconic album of her two, Electra Heart. This album was not just a collection of songs about recent heartbreaks, but it is also a story told about the stereotypical female identities, all rooting back to the American Dream, which Diamandis recalls that she has been very interested in for a while. From Early 2012 to mid-2013, Diamandis portrayed four different personas: Teen Idle, Primadonna, Homewrecker, and Housewife. These archetypes created a very creative and interesting reputation for Diamandis.

Just recently, Diamandis announced her new album Froot. She announced a new plan, called Froot of the Month. She releases a new song every month, and creates a sort of theme for the month, depending on the “froot” that represents each song.