Abergavenny, UK · pop

MARINA

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Electra Heart's creator, a decade on — theatrical art-pop with cult-classic devotion behind it.

MARINA is the stage name of Marina Lambrini Diamandis, born in Brynmawr in 1985 and raised in Pandy, near Abergavenny, to a Welsh mother and Greek father. She moved to London with little formal musical training, hoping to become a singer, and rose to notice after placing second in the BBC's Sound of 2010 poll.

She recorded first as Marina and the Diamonds, releasing The Family Jewels in 2010, an indie pop and new wave record that entered the UK chart at number five and was certified gold; its single "Hollywood" reached number 12. She shortened her name to MARINA in 2018.

Her songwriting tends toward character studies and pointed observations about ambition, femininity and self-image, set to synth-driven pop with strong melodies and a wide, expressive vocal. She writes or co-writes her material and has been closely involved in the visual presentation of each record.

Electra Heart, a concept album built around a fictional character, became her first UK number one and was certified gold in both the US and UK, driven by "Primadonna" and "How to Be a Heartbreaker". Froot followed in 2015, becoming her third UK top ten album and her first to reach the top ten of the US Billboard 200.

She featured on Clean Bandit's 2018 single "Baby", a UK top 20 hit. Love + Fear reached number five in the UK in 2019, and Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land entered at number 17 in 2021, followed by a deluxe edition. Her sixth album, Princess of Power, arrived in 2025, preceded by the singles "Butterfly", "Cupid's Girl" and "Cuntissimo".

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