Marina Lambrini Diamandis, professionally known under the mononym Marina and previously by the stage name Marina and the Diamonds, is a Welsh singer, songwriter, poet and record producer of Greek ancestry.
real name: Marina Lambrini Diamandis
labels: Neon Gold Records, 679 Artists, Atlantic Records, Chop Shop Records, Elektra
genres: indie pop, new wave, synth-pop, dance-pop
influenced by: Brody Dalle, Madonna
awards: MTV Europe Music Award for Best UK & Ireland Act
plays: voice
Facts from Wikidata and Discogs, free to use.
Marina Lambrini Diamandis was born on 10 October 1985 in Brynmawr, and grew up in Pandy, near Abergavenny. She has one sibling, an elder sister named Lafina. Her Welsh mother and Greek father met at Newcastle University and separated when Diamandis was four years old. Following the separation, her father returned to Greece but would occasionally visit, while she remained in a bungalow in Wales with her mother. She described her childhood as "simple and idyllic" and "peaceful, very normal, poor". Diamandis said that she was a "tomboy" as a child, playing football every day and spending more time with the opposite sex.
Knowing the Spice Girls were formed by an advertisement in The Stage, Diamandis applied for auditions listed in that newspaper. She travelled for several unsuccessful auditions, including opportunities with the musical The Lion King and a boy band organised by Virgin Records. It was during this time that she managed to leave her CV with an A&R representative, but was unable to audition at the time of the appointment as she felt sick. In 2005, she created the stage name Marina and the Diamonds. After she came to prominence, the 'and the Diamonds' part was established as a reference to her fans instead of her backing band.
Are you them, or do you know them? The mail slot is open.
"Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land" is a song written and recorded by Welsh singer-songwriter Marina for her fifth studio album of the same name (2021). It was released as the album's third single on 19 May 2021, through Atlantic Records, premiering alongside the announcement of a livestreaming concert titled Ancient Dreams: Live from the Desert.
The song is a pop rock, disco, and electropop track with a glam rock type beat, and was produced by Marina and James Flannigan. Critics called it reminiscent of Britney Spears' 2008 single "Womanizer".
In January 2020, Marina announced that she had begun work on her fifth studio album, the follow-up to Love + Fear (2019). The first single for the project, "Man's World", was released in November following a lengthy delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She followed with second single "Purge the Poison" in April 2021, and revealed the title of the album, Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land, and its track listing. Additionally, she announced that she would release two more singles, in support of the album, within a month. "Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land" serves as the album's third single. James Flannigan produced the song with Marina, who is credited as the sole songwriter.
"Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land" is a pop rock, disco, and electropop song with a glam rock style beat. It is backed by drums and a "cinematic guitar riff". Danielle Chelosky from Stereogum opined that the song has the same energy of Britney Spears' "Womanizer" (2008) and previous single, "Purge the Poison". She also referred to it as Marina's possible return to the "idiosyncratic, internet-influenced anthems that populated Tumblr for years". Similarly, Vicky Greer from Gigwise described the song's sound as Marina's return "to the intoxicating dance-pop of the late '00s, with a much more modern message." The Arts Desk's Thomas H. Green described it as "an electro-glam-pop stomper" that is, musically, reminiscent of both "Womanizer" and...
Chelosky provided a positive review of "Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land", predicting that it will mark Marina's return "to possessing an interesting image that imbues the music with personality". Abigail Firth, of Dork, called the song "one of her most unabashedly fun and vibrant" releases, and felt it recalled the sound of her debut album, The Family Jewels (2010). A contributor to Contactmusic.com called the song equally as strong as both "Man's World" and "Purge the Poison".
The music video to "Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land", referred to as the song's "visual", was released on 19 May 2021. Damian Jones from NME called the video "VHS-inspired", while the Contactmusic.com contributor described it as "retro, semi-psychedelic, Barbarella meets Bond".
"Butterfly" is a song by the Welsh singer and songwriter Marina from her sixth studio album, Princess of Power (2025). It was independently released as the lead single, alongside an accompanying music video on 21 February 2025.
This marked her first self-released song since both of her extended plays Mermaid vs Sailor (2007) and Froot Acoustic (2015).
Following the release of her fifth studio album Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land (2021), which received generally positive reviews from music critics who compared it to her previous works, Welsh singer and songwriter Marina gave sporadic updates and hints of being in the recording studio. She soon ended her fourteen-year long contract with Atlantic Records on 22 May during her tour with the same name. The same year in November, she uploaded an image through X (formerly Twitter) signing a document leading her independent label record, Queenie Records.
"Butterfly" is approximately a four-minute song written in the key of A minor, with a common time of 121 beats per minute (BPM). Marina wrote the record as she played the keyboards, synthesisers, and co-produced "Butterfly" alongside American record producer CJ Baran, whom played the drums, mellotron, and synthesisers. Meanwhile, the track was engineered by Baran, Nathan Dantzler, and Mitch McCarthy.
It was later reported the singer began to distribute gift bags for her fans in January 2025, containing living caterpillars with care instructions on how to nurture them. This "immersive campaign" received several mixed reactions such as environmental issues and its ethics but reached an "unprecedented level of prominence." Marina eventually posted a twenty-second teaser of her lip-syncing the song on various social media platforms on 7 February. Shortly, she revealed the song to be titled "Butterfly", which would be released the next two weeks and made it available for pre-save via her website and different streaming services.
An accompanying music video for "Butterfly" was released through video sharing platform YouTube, directed by Aerin Moreno. It subsequently premiered through various digital channels owned by MTV Entertainment Group, and was showcased at a billboard for Paramount Plaza in commercial intersection Times Square located in New York City, United States.
"Oh No!" is a song by Welsh singer Marina Diamandis, released under the stage name Marina and the Diamonds, from her debut studio album, The Family Jewels (2010). It was released as the album's fourth single on 2 August 2010.
"Oh No!" is an avant-garde, electropop, and dance-rock song with heavy synths. Written on a trip to Los Angeles a week after The Family Jewels was mastered, it was the final track to complete the album. The singer explained:
The music video for "Oh No!" was directed by Kinga Burza and filmed on 10 June 2010. It was released on 28 June 2010. Diamandis said the music video was influenced by 1990s cartoons and the old "zany neon" MTV graphics. Burza said the concept of the video stems from the lyric of "Oh No!", which references being obsessed with consumerism, success, money and fame. The music video features a sequence with four dancers choreographed by David Leighton. He described the routine as quirky and "very bubblegum pop". The stylist for the video was Celestine Cooney, who chose to feature outfits by Christopher Kane, Henry Holland and Ashish Soni.