The Culture List: What Musician MARINA is Reading, Watching & Listening To
Welsh singer-songwriter MARINA – AKA Marina Diamandis, formerly known by the stage name Marina and the Diamonds – is perhaps best-known for albums such as The Family Jewels, Electra Heart and Love + Fear. Now, she’s branching into poetry, with the release of her book Eat The World. Service95 sat down with her to find out about her latest cultural obsessions…
The Last Book I Couldn’t Put Down… Busy Being Free by Emma Forrest. She explores what it means to be alone, restoring her sovereignty as a woman and talks about celibacy in a very interesting, beautiful way.
The Collaboration I Most Want To See… It would be fun to see a poet like Rupi Kaur collaborate with a rapper. The best hip-hop artists of our time were and are masterful poets. Poetry is about how you see the world – spotting the mundane and turning it into something beautiful or profound; alchemising pain into power. I don’t think you need the title of ‘poet’ to be classified as one. The beauty of poetry is the freedom of its format.
A Fictional World I’d Love To Live In… Sanrio [the world of Hello Kitty]. I’ve been a fan since I was two years old, wearing my sister’s Hello Kitty hand-me-downs. It’s one of the few things from childhood that gives me a lasting feeling of magic, wonder, safety and delight. I’m going to Tokyo in November and can’t wait to visit the Hello Kitty theme park. I’m 39, and I am not ashamed to say I am still so enamoured with this character that I cannot imagine a day where I won’t be.
The Piece Of Art I’d Love To Have On My Wall… A James Turrell installation. He creates peaceful, illuminating light spaces that feel out-of-this-world.
A Cultural Event I Can’t Get Over… I went to the Musée Yves Saint Laurent last time I was in Paris. It’s not a huge exhibition, but it had an impact on me. The level of consideration and care he gave to how his designs would make women feel impressed and inspired me. He wanted his clothing to make women feel confident; to celebrate and uplift their femininity, not hide it or shrink it. He believed fashion should not only make women beautiful, but also give them assurance and confidence. There was compassion in his work and a deep understanding of the female psyche.
Eat The World: A Collection Of Poems by Marina Diamandis is out 31 October (Canongate, £16.99)
Jamie Styles is Editorial Assistant at Service95
