A New Type of Diva: Marina and the Diamonds
By: Grace Babcock
Over the past few years pop stars have become one word entities: Gaga, Britney, Christina, Beyonce. While some have been around longer than others, and certainly preceded by the powerhouses of Madonna and Janet, new pop princesses crop up daily. If you’re like me, you tend to avoid them altogether, commonly turning off the latest Katy Perry hit in disgust, and reaching for a Sonic Youth record.
However, every so often I stumble upon some pop music that reminds me of when I was in elementary and middle school, gleefully listening to N*SYNC and Christina Aguilera (pre-Bionic days). Nowadays it takes much more to get my attention than a simple pop hook and thumping bass; pop music has become less about the music and more about the person behind it.
All of this to say that for my money, Marina and the Diamonds (the Diamonds refers to her fans, as cheesy as that is) is one of the best new pop stars to catch my eye. A strikingly beautiful Welsh singer, at a slightly-older twenty five, with no formal training, Marina Diamandis embraces her femininity in her music while also espousing the idea that women can be tough and strong. She’s exhibited this wholeheartedly on her debut album, 2008’s The Family Jewels. Is this idea of a tough and sassy woman a new concept in today’s music? Definitely not, if Lady Gaga’s single “Born This Way” is any indication. But what I encourage listeners to think about when they listen to Marina and the Diamonds is the simplicity with which she creates. Her music contains few traces of gimmicks, instead sticking to interesting and fun songs.
The song which Marina is most known for on both sides of the Atlantic is the empowering “I Am Not A Robot.” The above version of her music video was filmed on the streets of Los Angeles and features an almost unrecognizable Diamandis traipsing down the street in white paint, feathers and a skin tight dress. The video varies between her unassuming, simple dance moves and her apparent slight embarrassment to be walking down a busy street in the evening with numerous on-lookers. In a music world where videos are often choreographed down to the millisecond or involve elaborate storylines, this is refreshing. Diamandis’ hand motions are organic, and I can imagine the way she dances on stage or at a club, natural and carefree.
Her nervous smile is especially endearing simply because I think that this human quality is not often seen in this genre of music. Stars can be humble off stage but on stage? Female pop stars are expected to own it. Giving anything less than their best is rarely well received. In addition to being a simple video the song itself is irresistibly catchy. Marina’s voice is layered over a simple drum beat, careful keyboard choices and occasional string instruments. Lyrically it is an uncomplicated song: it shifts from the first to second person detailing the struggles of emotions. At first the “robot” is maybe a former lover or boyfriend, who is choosing to exude a tough exterior instead of getting hurt. Seriously, who hasn’t known someone like that? The focus of the song is the trait of being able to experience one’s emotions.
It is something which Marina herself struggles with as she asks, “Can you teach me how to feel real?/Can you turn my power off?” before the chorus shifts to the first person: Marina is not a robot either. Her lyrics encourage listeners to not be afraid of their feelings. Of course this is nothing new to those of us who have spent years hearing pop songs that encourage us to tell that boy or girl down the street that we like them. But the unabashed enthusiasm with which Marina sings is palpable in this video and it is what I think makes her stand out from a very crowded field. The music truly allows her voice to be the strongest piece of the puzzle, with her smile as the camera pans to the growing crowd coming in a close second.