Marina Diamandis, known professionally as Marina and the Diamonds, is a Welsh singer-songwriter born on October 10, 1985, in Brynmawr, Monmouthshire, Wales. She is often referred to as an "indie artist with pop goals" and has been compared to Kate Bush, despite not being influenced by her early on.
Diamandis grew up listening to albums by Dolly Parton, Enya, and George Michael from her mother's collection, while her father, a conservative, listened to Greek classical songs and Haris Alexiou. She credits Madonna with inspiring her to become a pop star and admires pop icons like Spice Girls, Britney Spears, and S Club 7.
She attended Haberdashers' Monmouth School for Girls, where she was convinced by her music teacher to pursue a musical career. After completing school, she moved to Greece to finish her final two years of schooling, earning an International Baccalaureate from St. Catherine's British Embassy School in Athens.
Diamandis started writing songs at the age of 18, despite being terrified to sing in public. She began applying for auditions listed in The Stage newspaper but eventually stopped to focus on composing her own music, inspired by Daniel Johnston.
In 2007, she independently released her first EP, Mermaid vs. Sailor, which she produced and composed herself using GarageBand software. The following year, she was spotted by Derek Davies from Neon Gold Records and signed a recording deal with 679 Recordings in 2008.
Her debut single, Obsessions, was released in 2009, followed by her debut EP The Crown Jewels. Her popularity skyrocketed after she ranked second on the BBC Sound of 2010 poll and was nominated for the BRIT Awards that year.
Diamandis released her debut studio album, The Family Jewels, in 2010, which charted at No. 5 in the UK. She released three more singles, I Am Not a Robot, Oh No!, and Shampain, before touring Europe, North America, and Australia.
In 2011, she opened for Katy Perry during her California Dreams Tour and released her second studio album, Electra Heart, in 2012, which portrayed stereotypical female archetypes through the protagonist Electra Heart.
Her third studio album, Froot, was released in 2015, which became her highest charting album in the US, debuting at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart. She has also collaborated with electronic group Clean Bandit on the song Disconnect and is currently working on her next studio album.
