After spending a few years talking about and being Electra Heart, Marina put the character behind her, but that doesn’t mean we’re any closer to knowing the “real” Marina. She once told an interviewer that she “wouldn’t want to spoil someone’s opinion of [her] by them knowing [her] as a person instead of an artist.”

In April, Marina will release her latest album, Froot; last week, I got the chance to chat with her about self-expression, playing a character, and sticking to your guns.

There was a really high concept behind your last album, Electra Heart. What approach did you take to making Froot?

MARINA: I approached it very simply. I didn’t really have a conscious plan for what I was going to write or what the album was going to be like. I think I was just really relieved to do things in an uncomplicated way. With Electra Heart I still feel very complex [feelings] about it, because there were so many things that I loved about it that were positive, and there were certain things, artistically, that made me realize what I didn’t want to do, what kind of artist I didn’t want to be. So [making Froot] was almost repositioning those realizations.

What were those realizations?

In terms of visuals and the music, [Electra Heart] was exactly what I wanted, but I think it was more the fact that it wasn’t a true reflection of me. That was something that I was very open about. I wouldn’t have bothered to create a character to tell the album through if it had been 100 percent expressive of myself as an artist. That was part of the concept, but I think that was very affecting for me creatively, because it’s almost like going around and people thinking you’re this one type of artist, when you’re actually something completely different.

Electra Heart made me think a lot about how, when female artists create characters through which to express themselves, it’s often perceived as being fake or phony. As opposed to when men do it, and are often heralded as being brilliant and mysterious. Did you encounter those ideas while making that album?

Yeah, for sure. It was something that I encountered, probably because the type of production I had was very much like electropop. I always think it’s interesting because people say with Froot, “This is your most HONEST album” and I think, No, they’ve all been honest! The lyrics have actually not really changed hugely in their tone since the start, so I think Electra Heart was very brutally honest, but I guess because you have these other layers on top of it, people may have not seen that.

Have you ever thought of your stage name as a character in and of itself?

Not really, no! Particularly not now: I feel very chilled out about that aspect of myself at the moment. I don’t see a huge separation from Marina and the Diamonds, and Marina. Or like, being seen with a full face of makeup on, and then not being seen [with makeup]. I think Electra Heart made me go the complete opposite way, actually. It’s quite a relief to feel like, Yes, I may be an artist, but I’m a normal person. And I like to perform. The end.

Have you ever had to stand your ground and go to bat against anyone trying to control your image or what you make?

I definitely had feelings of that on Electra Heart, but at the same time, because I was a bit in denial or trying to make it my own thing and grasp back some creativity, I was like, Well, this is my responsibility, and it was my choice to take this route! But if someone keeps persuading or trying to encourage you to do something, I think the only thing you can rely on is your gut feeling or your instinct. If you have to be constantly persuaded, then it probably means that you don’t want to do it. Everyone should rely on their instincts, but it’s so hard sometimes!

It’s hard as well, when you’re around that environment every day, to find the space to check in with yourself and remember what your instincts even are.

Yeah, definitely! Especially when you’re young and surrounded by individuals who’ve been in the business a lot longer and are a lot older than you. You can have a different response to what you’d normally say. It’s the most boring advice ever, but you do just need to trust your gut. ♦

FULL INTERVIEW

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