Marina Diamandis

Making a welcome return to the quirky pop stylings of her breakthrough period as Marina and the Diamonds, Marina Diamandis strikes a balance between that era's wit and energy and the introspective balladry of her later work on her fifth set, Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land. Though not as sprawling as 2019's double album Love + Fear, Ancient Dreams takes a similar approach by thematically splitting itself in two, dividing pain between existential crises and internalized heartbreak. For fans of her earlier LPs, the electrified half of this effort is a nostalgic delight, immediately reviving the trademark vocal cadence and lyricism of Family Jewels and Electra Heart on the opening title track, a pulsing standout that sounds like Muse's "Uprising" colliding with Britney Spears' "Womanizer."

“It was quite earth-shattering,” Marina Diamandis tells Apple Music. “The feeling of not knowing what you want to do with your life is terrifying. And I’d never had that before because I had the luxury of being very focused for 10 years.” The singer-songwriter is describing the career knife-edge she found herself on following 2015’s Froot. Fortunately, an extended hiatus allowed a musical recharge, and with her streamlined stage name and double album, we’re all witnesses to a glorious pop return. “I’m at peace with myself,” she says. “I feel less nervous than I’ve ever felt. And besides, when you’re uncertain, you don’t have anything to lose.” Here, she takes us through both sides of her opus: the radiant pop of LOVE and the darker, more introspective FEAR.

Marina & the Diamonds - Lies (2013)
1920x1080 | Video: MP4 (H264) 4217 kbit/s, 25.00 fps | Audio: AAC Stereo 192 Kbps | 00:03:46 | 62.65 Mb

Marina Lambrini Diamandis (born 10 October 1985), better known by her stage name Marina and The Diamonds, is a Welsh singer-songwriter and musician. She rose to fame after reaching number two on the BBC Sound of 2010 poll list, coming second to Ellie Goulding. After releasing one private EP, Diamandis released her second extended play, The Crown Jewels EP, with help from Neon Gold Records, in 2009. Now signed to 679 Recordings, she released her debut full length studio album, The Family Jewels, followed by her third extended play, The American Jewels EP, in 2010. In 2011, Diamandis announced that she was working on her second album, Electra Heart, which was released in April 2012 and went to No. 1 in the UK and Ireland.

Marina and the Diamonds - Electra Heart (2013)
1920x1080 | Video: MP4 (H264) 4198 kbit/s, 29.97 fps | Audio: AAC Stereo 192 Kbps | 00:03:25 | 106.94 Mb

Welsh singer Marina and the Diamonds unveiled a new video for the song "Electra Heart". This is the last part of the eponymous era, which lasted exactly two years.