Marina Diamandis’ stage name change in 2018 from “Marina and the Diamonds” to simply her first name — stylistically referred to as “MARINA” — is yet another indicator of female-identifying artists in the music industry using their personal identities to uplift themselves and other women with their music and public image. Whether their songs explicitly focus on female empowerment, they adopt a unique stage presence or their music defies the typical genre boundaries set by men, female artists continue to take the world by storm. Although different in musical style, Marina fits in the likes of Taylor Swift, Megan Thee Stallion, Dua Lipa, Doja Cat and Ariana Grande in this regard. With songs like “How to Be a Heartbreaker” and “Man’s World,” Marina has cleverly illustrated the duality of female experience in a male-dominated society since 2010 with the release of her debut album “The Family Jewels.”
Marina considers the release of “Man’s World” as a start to a new chapter for her to “produce new music created alongside female collaborators,” according to her press materials. The indie pop artist embarked on this endeavor last year when she learned that women account for only 2% of producers and 3% of engineers involved in popular music.
“Man’s World” is just one of Marina’s singles from her fifth studio album “Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land,” which dropped on June 11, 2021, while the deluxe edition with five unreleased songs dropped Jan. 7, 2022. The album has received generally positive reviews from critics and fans alike, with Vogue calling it her “boldest and most emotional outing yet.” Marina’s accompanying North American tour began in San Francisco on Feb. 2 and lands close to the University of Connecticut with a show at Boston’s Orpheum Theater on Feb. 21, with Swedish singer-songwriter Tove Stryke opening.
Having written all the songs on “Ancient Dreams,” Marina’s latest release continues her indie, electropop sound with skillful lyricism and strong vocals. The album’s highlights include “Happy Loner,” “Purge the Poison,” the titular “Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land” and “Venus Fly Trap.” Five of the album’s songs were co-produced with songwriter/producer James Flanigan, who has also worked with Lipa, Carly Rae Jepsen,Hayley Kiyoko and Grammy-nominated producer Jennifer Decilveo.
Marina’s previous albums include the chart-topping “Electra Heart” from 2012 with favorites like “Bubblegum Bitch” and “Primadonna”, 2015’s “Froot” with “Happy” and “I’m a Ruin”, and 2019’s “Love + Fear” with “Handmade Heaven” featured on Clean Bandit’s “Baby” with Luis Fonsi.
If you can’t make it to the Boston show, the Welsh singer-songwriter will also be performing at Terminal 5 in New York City on Feb. 25 and 26. The North American leg of the tour ends on March 9 at the YouTube Theatre in Inglewood, California. Marina’s South American leg includes Lollapalooza performances in Argentina, Chile, Brazil and Colombia. Her tour wraps up in Europe in May.
