Laura Marling

All Music Guide:

Singer/songwriter Laura Marling was only 16 years old when she emerged on the British indie scene in 2007 thanks to a handful of infectious singles made available on her MySpace profile. Endowed with a husky voice, an acoustic guitar, and a gift for building quirky, hooky folk songs (characteristics that find her compared favorably to artists like Lily Allen, Regina Spektor, and Martha Wainwright), Marling quickly made a name for herself throughout England thanks to a heavy touring schedule and a few high-profile gigs, not the least of which included an appearance at the 2006 City Showcase: Spotlight London and as the opening act for Jamie T. Although she was still without a label one year later, her debut EP, My Manic and I, was slated for independent release in the late fall of 2007. This status didn't last for long, however, because in early 2008, signed to Virgin, Marling issued Alas I Cannot Swim, which also came as part of a multimedia Songbox package. In 2010, Marling released her sophomore album, I Speak Because I Can, which debuted at number three on the U.K. albums chart and was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. Marling's third studio album, A Creature I Don't Know, arrived on September 9, 2011 and featured prominently on numerous year-end lists. Marling relocated to Los Angeles, California the following year and began work on her fourth long-player, 2013's Once I Was an Eagle.

Wikipedia:

Laura Beatrice Marling (born 1 February 1990) is an English folk musician from Eversley, Hampshire.

Marling became prominent with the London folk scene, she has also toured with a number of well-known indie artists in the UK. Her debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim, and her second album I Speak Because I Can were nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2008, and 2010 respectively. She won Best Female Solo Artist at the 2011 Brit Awards and was nominated for the same award at the 2012 Brit Awards.

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Biography[edit]

The youngest of three daughters, Marling was born in Hampshire, England, to a music teacher and learned guitar at an early age. Her father Sir Charles William Somerset Marling the 5th Marling Baronet ran a recording studio, introduced her to folk music and shaped her musical taste, an experience that Marling later described as "a bit of a blessing and a bit of a curse. I couldn’t slot myself into the age-appropriate genre". Marling was educated at Leighton Park School, a private Quaker school in Reading, Berkshire. Marling later revealed that during her secondary school years she felt uneasy around other people and was afraid of death—in 2013, Marling described her teenage self as "weird".

At the age of 16 years, Marling moved to London, where she soon joined a cluster of intertwined bands that were drawn to acoustic instruments and tradition-tinged melodies—the group formed a musical movement that was labelled "nu-folk" by the British press. Marling joined the original line-up of indie folk band Noah and the Whale and appears as a background vocalist on their début album Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down; however, she left the group before the album's 2008 release due to a dissolved relationship with a fellow band member. Marling also appeared on The Rakes track "Suspicious Eyes", from the band's 2007 album Ten New Messages, credited as 'Laura Marlin'. Marling would later collaborate with Mystery Jets and contributed guest vocals to the single "Young Love" that was released 24 March 2008.

Alas, I Cannot Swim[edit]

She was personally invited to tour with Jamie T after he attended her second-ever solo gig. She has also toured with a number of other musicians from the UK and beyond, including Adam Green from the anti-folk band The Moldy Peaches. She performed at the 2007 Wireless Festival and also performed at the first Underage Festival in August 2007 at Victoria Park, East London, before releasing her debut EP "London Town" on WayOutWest Records.

Her debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim was released on 4 February 2008, and later nominated for the 2008 Mercury Prize. The album, as well as subsequent singles, were released on Virgin Records. The third and final single from her album, "Night Terror" was released on 27 October 2008, coinciding with a 6-date "Night Terror tour".

Marling's television appearances include The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and Later With Jools Holland, performing "Ghosts" and "New Romantic" respectively. In 2008 she appeared on Russell Brand's Radio 2 show alongside her sister. She once chose to perform on the street after being denied entry to one of her own performances for being underage.

I Speak Because I Can[edit]

The follow-up to Alas I Cannot Swim, titled I Speak Because I Can, was released on 22 March 2010. Produced by Ethan Johns, the album has a more mature sound and lyricism, dealing with "responsibility, particularly the responsibility of womanhood." The album is preceded by the singles "Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)", released on iTunes in December 2009 and "Devil's Spoke" on 15 March 2010. On 28 March 2010, I Speak Because I Can entered the UK Albums Chart at Number 4. It was also nominated for the 2010 Mercury Music Prize.

A Creature I Don't Know[edit]

Marling's third album, A Creature I Don't Know, was released on 12 September 2011.

Once I Was an Eagle[edit]

During October 2012, Marling completed the 'Working Holiday Tour' of the US as a solo performer. At the time, she announced that the fourth album, later named Once I Was an Eagle, was finished and was scheduled for a February 2013 release; however, this was later delayed until May 2013. On 8 March 2013, Marling confirmed that the album would be released on 27 May 2013, and would be released in the US one day later.

The fourth album's first single "Master Hunter" was released on 17 April 2013, while Once I Was An Eagle entered the UK charts at number 3.

Once I Was an Eagle is Marling's third album to be nominated for the Mercury Prize. The list of artists for the Prize's 2013 shortlist also included David Bowie and Savages.

Fifth Album[edit]

In a radio interview in August 2013, Marling stated that she was recording her fifth record before Christmas. She has been previewing new songs in concert since mid 2012. These songs include Bleed Me Dry, Be Mine, David, and the speculatively titled How Can I?Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).

Personal life[edit]

Marling's former relationships include Noah and the Whale singer/guitarist Charlie Fink, from whom she separated in 2008, and Marcus Mumford, from whom she separated in late 2010.

Marling moved to Los Angeles, California, U.S. in 2013. In an interview with The Guardian, Marling explained that she believes that Americans are "a lot more poetic" and also provided an insight into her perspective on relationships:

I sound awful saying it but I think it can be like that. I see a lot of people in unstimulating relationships. And not just boyfriend-girlfriend relationships. They find themselves in stagnant friendships. If people were a little less scared [of ending things] they'd get more out of life… You meet the right person at the right time and they fulfil a certain something in your life. You fulfil something in theirs. But there's a time limit to that. Unless you choose to be bloody good company for the rest of your life, do you know what I mean?

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