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Marina Diamandis announces new book of original poetry

03 Apr 2024 4 minute read
Welsh pop star Marina (Press shot)

Stephen Price

Welsh singer-songwriter Marina Diamandis has shared details of a forthcoming book of poetry.

To coincide with news of her book featuring original poetry and artwork, ‘Eat the World’, Diamandis shared some samples of the poems, one of which reads: “You are a good/question asker/effervescent/like my father/but i protect/myself now as/if i were my/own daughter.”

“Very excited for you all to hold this in your hands,” she wrote in the caption.

“Writing this book over the course of a year was a magical, playfully dark process that freed me in ways I couldn’t have anticipated. I am *of course* slightly terrified at putting the contents of my brain and life out there. But I’m equally excited for it to be out in the world. This book is so precious to me.”

According to the Rolling Stone, the “book intertwines Diamandis’ musings with gorgeous artwork as the singer explores her experiences with dating, reflects on some dark moments in her life, and examines her early career and her “Marina and the Diamonds” days with compassion”

“A healthy thing”

Speaking ahead of the book of poetry and art, she told the publication: “There’s stuff that still feels slightly embarrassing to me, but it’s because I am exposing a genuine part of myself that maybe isn’t as glam and glitzy as I would like to portray.”

“But I think that’s a healthy thing. That’s freedom to me: being able to show up as yourself and being OK with it.”

Hints at the poetry book came as far back as in 2022, when she tweeted: “I’ve been writing a poetry book this last year.

“It’s spicy and brutal and funny and sad and kind of like my lyrics, but way more savage.”

A sample of one of the poems was also shared on X back in February.

Marina, who was born in Brynmawr and raised in Abergavenny, previously sang under the title ‘Marina and the Diamonds’.

Breaking through in 2009, her debut studio album The Family Jewels was released in 2010 with the smash hit, “Im not a Robot’.

As a child, Marina attended Haberdashers’ Monmouth School for Girls. Reflecting on the experience, she said: “I sort of found my talent there… I was the one who always skived off choir, but I had an incredible music teacher who managed to convince me I could do anything.”

At the age of 16, she moved to Greece to be with her father and to connect with her paternal heritage and learn to speak the language, learning to sing Greek folk songs with her grandmother.

With five studio albums under her belt, Marina’s vocal prowess and poetic lyrics have earned her a legion of fans across the world, and many of her songs are currently huge viral hits on TikTok.

Music

Talking to Rolling Stone about her music career, she said: “I don’t even know what’s coming with music. All I know is that I feel different, and I also don’t feel in a mad rush.

“I feel like this next record’s going to be important, and I think the poetry book is also reflective of that. I’m able to take a left turn and do something that was genuinely just for the joy of doing it.

“I’m in a separate part of my memory bank. That’s how it feels.”

Eat the World by Marina Diamandis is set to be published on October 29 via Penguin Random House. You can pre-order the book here.


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