MARINA (and The Diamonds)

[collin 607]

so what do you think that post is?? i wanna say its a new website

[AKASAKA SAWAYAMA 7,885]

BJTCHSHSJSJS IM SO READY FOR NEW ERA. IM SORRY FOR DOUBTING ON YOU SWEETIE. IM SOSOSOSO SORRY

[thatsomason 1,202]

froot album cover no photoshop OMG

 

https://twitter.com/DiamondGarden_/status/906980679753150464

why is she literally an angel

[collin 607]

http://marinabook.co.uk/ !!!!!!!!!

[SlowGinFizzzz 15,354]

 

Some people have been asking about new music and I’m always flattered to be asked. I know one year is like an aeon in digital time. The honest answer is I don’t know when that will be, but the connection I have with music has always flowered from an honest connection with myself, and I trust my instincts.

Whenever I get back on stage again, I would love to feel like I am the sum of my parts, not the sum of a persona or an image. That’s the goal. A lot of reality with a little bit of fantasy. So, marinabook is a way for us to stay connected while I work that out.

I miss you all!

[Elle 121,280]

It Takes a Long Time to Get Over Yourself

 

"Oh, man. This letter has taken me an embarrassingly long time to write. Probably because I haven’t written anything but e-mails and Tweets for 12 years.

 

If the last year has taught me anything, it’s this: it takes a long time to get over yourself.

 

Last March, after 7 years on the road, I decided to take a break. I was excited about this. I’d imagined myself watching tv all day, being a “chill person”, eating doughnuts because I didn’t have to wear latex catsuits anymore. The reality: not quite the joy ride I’d been expecting.

 

I’ve been an artist for over a decade but up until this year, I hadn’t realised how much my sense of self had been defined by my role as an artist. I’d never thought of “Marina and the Diamonds” as a persona or a construct, and I didn’t think the stage-me was very different to the sofa-me. MATD was an exciting vehicle that helped me express ideas and thoughts to people. But just as people construct online personas, artist construct visual ones, and over time, the lines between art and reality can drift apart.

 

I can’t remember when I first became conscious of it but I started to feel like there were two parts of me, artist self and private self, and there was nothing in between to link the two anymore. I was one or the other, and neither part of my personality could be present in the same environment. Perhaps because I’d spent most of the past 8 years devoted to being an artist and this hadn’t presented many opportunities for other parts of my personality to grow. When one part of a personality dominates, other parts shrink and life can take on an unreal, two- dimensional quality. I felt confused as to why I no longer felt like I longer fit into the world I’d built. I don’t think my feelings are exceptional (particularly in entertainment) but I wonder if you are someone who has experienced this in a different context.

 

I’ve always been interested in identity. In my twenties, I felt frustrated by how regularly my identity seemed to shift and change until I began to consider the idea that a fixed self may not exist. I explored this in “Electra Heart” by deconstructing aspects of female identity in a portrayal of female archetypes. However, the past year has made me re-examine this idea. Not being able to equate my identity to a job, project or visible entity has created a lot of discomfort and uncertainty in me. Which has been a surprise, as I thought I felt secure in myself. How can I be so sure of who I am if I am so susceptible to change? A lot of what contributes to our idea of identity is down to pure chance - ethnicity, social class, upbringing, religion, job, relationships - who are we without influences?

 

Everything in western culture feels so geared towards self-definition, but I wonder if having a looser idea of yourself could make life richer. The past year hasn’t been full of rainbows - I feel like my brain has been brutally rewired - but letting go of a perceived idea of myself has resulted in a new kind of personal freedom. My image is no longer a main source of identity, nor are previous signifiers like clothing (more on this in a future post), designer brands + other things I subconsciously used to define myself.

Lasting change rarely happens over night. This past year has been painful and slow. But I’m in a more genuine space than I was a year ago and I would never want to go back to that stunted way of being again. In fact, the only solace I had in this period was being able to read the books and blogs of other people experiencing significant life transitions, so I hope this might be of help to anyone who is going through a similar stage.

 

Truth is, I’m not planning ahead much right now. I am indeed going through my “what should I do with the rest of my life” phase that most people go through at 21. Which is... cool. But I’m grateful to have the opportunity to explore different interests, and starting marinabook is a part of that. I’m starting a Psychology course soon, which I am SO excited about, and I’m ready for a brand new chapter. I hope you’ll be a part of it.

 

Some people have been asking about new music and I’m always flattered to be asked. I know one year is like an aeon in digital time. The honest answer is I don’t know when that will be, but the connection I have with music has always flowered from an honest connection with myself, and I trust my instincts.

Whenever I get back on stage again, I would love to feel like I am the sum of my parts, not the sum of a persona or an image. That’s the goal. A lot of reality with a little bit of fantasy. So, marinabook is a way for us to stay connected while I work that out.

 

I miss you all!

 

Ask a question or share thoughts here.

 

Love from, Marina"

[Jean 4,117]

So, that's like a blog or diary?

[fkacowboy 326]

just read the post on marinabook. sad to see that kind of

existential crisis in such an inspiring artist. i hope this new

segment of her life can rebuild her psyche.

[Veinsineon 76,800]

So, that's like a blog or diary?

 

i think it's a diary blog that will somehow tie into the new era 

[Wynwood 19,967]

a great way for her to connect with her fans during this silent era in her career. she'll definitely come out stronger and wiser in the end

[Genesis 1,451]

oh my god

[Say Yes to Heaven 27,514]

I don't think a new album is coming for a while.. But that one guy said there was one coming before the end of the year? Guess he was told wrong info / lied for some reason

On another note, I asked a question about if this change would affect her stage name

[Masochism 15,400]

her new album isn't happening

[Off To The Races 2010 demo pls 19,335]

froot album cover no photoshop OMG

 

https://twitter.com/DiamondGarden_/status/906980679753150464

I'm shook

[Mind Melt 10,095]

i rly thought she was announcing that she was gonna drop '& the diamonds' and just go as marina w/wo diamandis

[delreyfreak 5,341]

I feel quite conflicted about reading this, to be honest.

 

On the one hand, I'm glad that she's taken out time to reconnect with herself and discover who she really is and wants to be. It's good to see her exploring different interests, like how she has been doing lots of artwork and putting together flower bouquets and things like that lately, and she is going to take a course in Psychology. It's good she's not feeling like there's pressure to come back in the limelight and rush her music just for the sake of putting something out there.

 

But on the other hand, it's deeply saddening to me that, firstly, we may be waiting a very long time until we get new music from her (although that sounds extremely selfish and I know that she owes us nothing, but I have longed for new music from her for the last few years). I also find it quite sad that she feels that she doesn't know who she is anymore and has been suffering this sort of, existential crisis, if you will and that she thinks her career as an artist has been more of a persona than a real expression of the self. It almost feels like everything we have come to know about Marina has maybe just been a sort of image.

 

Either way, I hope that she keeps posting new content on her "marinabook" and perhaps at some point this will lead into a new era of music and art. She says that she is constantly changing as a person, and I agree - her views on just about everything have constantly been switching throughout her career, for example, in TFJ she hated the pop world and spoke rather unfavourably about Dr. Luke but then in EH she suddenly wanted to embrace pop music and even worked with people like Dr. Luke, only to revert back to her TFJ opinion with FROOT and become a complete purist, working alongside only one other person. Hopefully she will move on from this "phase" (for lack of better word) of not feeling like herself and not wanting to put out any music. I think that most of us would still be here to embrace whatever direction she takes next with her music. Personally, I'm here for the ride - I just feel like she's disappeared for so long, so in a way, I am glad she's writing out her thoughts, even if it is half-frustrating for me to hear that she's not sure when new music will be coming out and she's not really that focused on it right now.

[Thunder Revenant 20,943]

Sorry but that is really cringy and blown out of proportion. Could have been written by Sky Floppera

[Veinsineon 76,800]

Sorry but that is really cringy and blown out of proportion. Could have been written by Sky Floppera

 

probably just as little meaning behind it

[KeybladeMeister 6,486]

Tbh, i'm trying to stay optimistic and read this as "don't expect any new music this year" but i'm also like ok but she's going to do psychology, I assume at a University, so when will she have time to release music and tour?

 

 

Why does my number one favourite hate me?

[delreyfreak 5,341]

Tbh, i'm trying to stay optimistic and read this as "don't expect any new music this year" but i'm also like ok but she's going to do psychology, I assume at a University, so when will she have time to release music and tour?

 

 

Why does my number one favourite hate me?

 

That's a good question and it's what I was thinking too. I also want to know whether this psychology course is actually like a proper course at a university or more of a club/interest group type of thing just for people who want to learn about it but not necessarily study the subject full-on. Idk, I feel like that would distinguish whether she is taking this kind of study seriously or its more just something she wants to learn about.