MARINA

Marina Lambrini Diamandis, widely recognized as MARINA (formerly Marina and the Diamonds), is a Welsh singer-songwriter and musician. Growing up in Wales, England, and Greece, she became intensely passionate about becoming a singer, describing it as an obsession. After relocating to London, it took four years for her to establish herself as a well-regarded singer-songwriter. Following several independently released EPs, she ranked second on the BBC Sound of 2010 list, leading to her debut album, The Family Jewels, which was critically acclaimed and achieved chart success, later obtaining Gold certification in the UK.

Her 2012 follow-up album, Electra Heart, was a concept album in which she adopted the persona of a "straight-up pop star" named Electra Heart, combining commercial pop influences with her artistic vision, and became her most successful work, topping album charts in the UK, Scotland, and Ireland.

In 2015, Marina made a comeback with her third album, FROOT, stepping away from the Electra Heart persona to explore personal themes on a more mature, stripped-back record. Despite achieving moderate commercial success compared to her prior album, it earned critical praise and became her first top 10 album in the US.

After touring, Marina announced a music hiatus, expressing dissatisfaction with the repetitive cycle of album releases and tours. In late 2017, she shared an open letter with fans about exploring different interests, including starting a psychology course. By late 2018, she returned with a feature on Clean Bandit’s single "Baby" and announced she would release music under the name MARINA, aiming to shed her persona and be seen as a person.

Her first album under the new name, LOVE + FEAR, was released on April 26 and featured two contrasting parts, introduced by singles “Handmade Heaven,” “Superstar,” and “Orange Trees.” In 2020, she launched the lead single “Man’s World” and hinted at five tracks from her upcoming album Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land, including “Pink Convertible,” “Purge the Poison,” “Happy Loner,” and "Cosmos."

In April and May 2021, Marina released “Purge the Poison” and the title track “Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land” with 70s-inspired visuals and thought-provoking lyrics addressing current issues. Four singles preceded the album’s release, culminating with “Venus Fly Trap,” and the album itself was released on June 11, 2021.