Sitting opposite me, Marina and the Diamonds (aka Marina Diamandis, Welsh-born solo artist based in London) certainly stands out from the dingy corner of the Duchess we’re currently sitting in (although this might have something to do with the bright pink nail polish she’s sporting…) Currently touring as part of the NME Radar Tour, it seems that the talented singer/songwriter (she surprisingly doesn’t mind the tag) has hit her stride, rising above the hype and clichés and actually managing to come across like a down to earth and genuine person from the music business. She might be surprised NME likes her, but if she can live up to her mantra of not selling out, then NME are bound to not be the only ones who start noticing her.
Welcome to York! How’s the Tour been going so far?
Good, we’ve done three days, I went back to London yesterday and then came back here. York’s really pretty, definitely the nicest place we’ve been so far.
Did you know any of the other bands before the line up was announced?
Yeah I’d met Yes Giantess a couple of times before and I met Local Natives briefly at Latitude but I was quite drunk…but they’re all really nice guys!
How do you feel about having the backing of NME? Do you see it as a burden being seen as their next new thing to hype about?
I don’t see it in that way, if people are saying good stuff then you have to be grateful for it. I never thought NME would like me, so it’s really nice to have their support!
Was singing always something you wanted to do?
Yeah, but I never did it! Until I was about 19, then I started thinking seriously about it.
Would you have settled for being in a band?
No, I can’t do that!
Do you get annoyed about being tarred with the “female singer/songwriter” brush? Your music seems to be more “grown up” then the usual… you know Kate Nash or Lily Allen.
I think I used to get annoyed about it but I’m not very bothered anymore. I’m more confident in my ability now because I know that I’m not just here because it’s the trend at the moment, I would’ve been here regardless doing the same thing. I don’t see why people should see it as a trend…it’s a mainly male dominated business, so I think in the end it’s a positive thing that there are talented females getting recognized at the moment!
Do you think you’d rather be playing a small venue with hardcore loyal MATD fans, or a big arena with only a few people who truly know all of your songs?
I would prefer the smaller venue. I think it’s important that my fans are people that I would probably like in normal life outside of this…even though that’s a really romantic idea! When I started doing festivals I didn’t think I’d be able to cope not being able to see anybody, but I actually really got into it and then when I came back doing tiny shows it was totally different again, but you just adapt to it.
How was Reading and Leeds?
Amazing! [Gets very excited] Reading and Leeds were actually my favourites! Way more than Glastonbury!
How come?
I don’t know! Different vibes…I guess it depends on how you’re feeling on the day, but it was great!
Did you see any bands being badly behaved?
Not really…I’m too anti-social, I don’t dabble in that. [Mus.Ed. – in what?!]
Your song I am not a Robot contains the lyrics “Better to be hated then loved for what you’re not”…is this a difficult stance to take in the fake world of music and celebrities?
Yeah, but I’m pretty sure that I’ll be ok, if I had been at this stage three years ago, I’d have been a shipwreck because I didn’t really know who I was…I guess I was just like any other young person growing up! [Laughs]
Are your lyrics quite autobiographical?
Yeah, probably for each song there’s a about two or three different stories, one of those things might be a bit fairytale. Sometimes I get people asking me if the song was about them and it’s like…don’t flatter yourself!
What would you like to be doing in five years time?
The same thing really. Just enjoying what I do and not being obsessed with fame and money, because it’s a very addictive path from what I can see from other females and males that have gone down that road…so I just want to keep it simple!