Right off the bat, Marina Diamandis declared that she was not a robot. Her debut album The Family Jewels boasted clever lyrics and waxed poetic on the big ol’ American Dream. She seemed to skirt around the pressures of Hollywood and fame: observing it mechanics, but never submitting to them. Then the anti-pop pop star was born.
Electra Heart, the alter ego and title of her sophomore LP, emerged with cynicism all tied up in a pretty pink bow and a heart painted on her cheek. With songs like “Primadonna,” a radio-friendly track filled with pop production but tongue-in-cheek lyrics, Diamandis stepped away from fame’s periphery and into the spotlight. Only she was the one playing the game — not the other way around.
Now, hot off the heels of her third album FROOT, Diamandis has come into her own. The wigs are off and cheeky pessimism is gone. She’s taking stands not just for herself (“Forget,” “Happy”), but for the world around her (“Savages”). Pressure makes diamonds, and Marina Diamandis is proof of that. An idle teen she is no more.
Click through the gallery to read our SXSW conversation about her Diamonds, real-life savages, and, of course, FROOT.