Marina Lambrini Diamandis, better known as MARINA (formerly Marina and the Diamonds), is a Welsh singer-songwriter and musician.
Growing up in Wales, England and Greece, Marina became “obsessed with becoming a singer, almost as if it was a disease.” After moving to London, it took four years before she established herself as a singer-songwriter. After several independently-released EPs, she placed second on the BBC Sound of 2010 list. In 2010, her debut album, The Family Jewels, was released to critical acclaim and chart success, eventually being certified Gold in the UK.
Her 2012 sophomore album, Electra Heart, was a concept album in which she embraced the titular persona—a vapid, blonde “straight-up pop star” who arose out of her label’s demands for a more commercial pop sound and Marina’s desire to maintain artistic integrity. It became her most successful album, debuting atop the UK, Scotland and Ireland album charts.