I criticized the whole American songwriting industry and the pop side of it and I was bitter about it. And I stepped back and thought 'Why are you bitter? You can't just stand there like every other indie musician and criticize this so-called 'generic' music when you're not doing anything to challenge that.'

Marina and the Diamonds

Even when I see a beautiful woman, I think, 'Aw, her life must be amazing.' Everyone does it. That's human nature to believe that beauty is everything.

Marina and the Diamonds

Nature Life Amazing

I love natural beauty, and I think it's your best look, but I think makeup as an artist is so transformative.

Marina and the Diamonds

Love Art Your

Blonde symbolises sexuality and power - it holds very different connotations. The archetypal star has always been blonde.

Marina and the Diamonds

Power Ways Way

You have to be your biggest believer.

Marina and the Diamonds

Your You T

If you don't want to have your private life splashed everywhere, why go to the restaurants and the places you know you're going to be photographed?

Marina and the Diamonds

Life Your You

What I hate is that not many people admit to having a big ego, but you have to - and there's nothing wrong with it.

Marina and the Diamonds

You Wrong Wit

Obviously when you're a teen you have no money, so you make, like, three outfits out of one dress. You're like, 'OK cut the arms here. Alright: New party, cut them to here.'

Marina and the Diamonds

Teen Money Art

Lots of narcissistic people have helped lots of other people with their music. That's such a narcissistic thing to say! Ha ha!

Marina and the Diamonds

Music Wit Us

I don't just want to sing about simplistic things all the time. It's good to have a mix of songs that have a real depth, and that provoke and challenge people, and then songs that are fun and people can enjoy.

Marina and the Diamonds

Time Good Want

Everyone gets dumped and everyone gets hurt and there's karma to love in regards to what you've done to other people.

Marina and the Diamonds

Love You Very

Britney Spears is a big influence. Huge. I think people thought I was joking about that for a long time. But when I was a teenager, there was a genuine connection with this sweet girl who also had this very sexual side that people didn't really want to accept.

Marina and the Diamonds

Time Teen Age

I consider myself a feminist because I believe women should have equal rights. Of course. It's just that the term 'feminism' conjures up other things for people.

Marina and the Diamonds

Women Men Use

My dad's quite a conservative person, and he brought me up to be very questioning of the commercial world. He looked down on pop culture. I definitely got the impression that pop was evil and that Britney Spears was evil.

Marina and the Diamonds

World Very Up

I've always been interested in how fast-moving our identity is and that I've never been able to pin down who I truly am. That inspires me to write, because I feel like that cements me a bit, in that I find my identity in being an artist.

Marina and the Diamonds

Men Art Write

I turned off my Google alerts in 2009 as I learnt that following yourself on the Internet very quickly becomes unhealthy.

Marina and the Diamonds

Health Yourself Yours

Everybody is different. Some people like to share more. I just wouldn't want to spoil someone's opinion of me by them knowing me as a person instead of an artist.

Marina and the Diamonds

Art Would Wing

I am very curvy, so the vintage stores suit me better than most designers. I just can't seem to give up crisps, or make my boobs shrink for that matter. Alas, I will never fit a size zero.

Marina and the Diamonds

Design Age Zero

Touring can be tough; the crew and I travel everywhere by a big pink bus, and live in petrol stations.

Marina and the Diamonds

Travel Pet Where

There's no one particular road that will lead you to success. I think everybody will find it differently.

Marina and the Diamonds

Success Art You

Love is really my nemesis. I never really allowed myself to indulge in such basic things because I was so motivated and thought that if I did I wouldn't succeed.

Marina and the Diamonds

Love Would Wed

I love pop music because you can really see what's currently happening in society.

Marina and the Diamonds

This obsession with celebrity culture is really unhealthy. I don't want to live my life like that, and I don't want to be a typical pop star.

Marina and the Diamonds

I'm not really part of that 'L.A. thing' or that celebrity culture. I'm more like someone who observes it, and I can't ever imagine being like that.

Marina and the Diamonds

I really like the look of the 1950s, lots of suburban Americana influences. I'm 5'4', so I like kitten heels occasionally because I can move around a bit easier, but pointy-toed pumps are very elongating.

Marina and the Diamonds

I criticized the whole American songwriting industry and the pop side of it and I was bitter about it. And I stepped back and thought 'Why are you bitter? You can't just stand there like every other indie musician and criticize this so-called 'generic' music when you're not doing anything to challenge that.'

Marina and the Diamonds

You know what, if you compromise and do stuff that's not becoming to you as an artist, that's your fault.

Marina and the Diamonds

I think celebrity culture and sexuality in pop music is really important, but I want there to be an alternative for people.

Marina and the Diamonds

I'm not going to lie; I'm not a huge remix person.

Marina and the Diamonds

I do have a memo all the time because I need to be guided by something in my life. I'm not religious and I don't have idols, so something has to drive me.

Marina and the Diamonds

Music is my 90% of my life and my biggest passion. I really don't have an interest in anything else.

Marina and the Diamonds

When you are in the studio, you don't have anybody to feed off of; meanwhile, when you are playing live, you interact with people and you feel the energy in the room. When the crowd is going crazy, that definitely impacts your vocal performance. I prefer to sing live.

Marina and the Diamonds

When you are with the wrong person, who doesn't really love you, all you want is to be adored. It makes you more inward and needy. Gross.

Marina and the Diamonds

If you're making too many excuses for someone, agonising over them in a way which takes up all your waking thoughts and feel so nervous around them you could be sick, then they are probably the wrong person.

Marina and the Diamonds

I quite like dark humor.

Marina and the Diamonds

I feel like everyone has the right to privacy, even if you're the most famous person in the world.

Marina and the Diamonds

I often take things I find in vintage crawls and hand them to a very good seamstress, who then replicates them and makes a more robust version in different colors, with a pocket for my mic pack.

Marina and the Diamonds

There's nothing I'd never wear, really. I've worn pink spotty pajamas from a Goodwill store onstage before. This only happens when I'm having a small breakdown!

Marina and the Diamonds

I am absolutely not a roll-on-stage kind of girl! I would be totally freaked out if I didn't warm up, and I don't know how other singers do it.

Marina and the Diamonds

I didn't even listen to any music until I was 19, really. I just wanted to be famous. But I didn't say it to anyone because I was really embarrassed at the thought.

Marina and the Diamonds

I'm just waiting for the moment where it's accepted that women are just as sexual as men without women having to be overtly sexy just to prove how 'liberated' they are.

Marina and the Diamonds

I'm a very, very disciplined person.

Marina and the Diamonds

I want to provoke people with thoughts, not by taking my clothes off. It's time to move on from Stripperville.

Marina and the Diamonds

I'm masquerading as an innocent pop star.

Marina and the Diamonds

I lived in Greece for about four years of my life, and living there had a huge impact on my life growing up. My father was very much adamant that we would learn about our culture. It's a very rich culture to be a part of since it has such a great history behind it. I definitely carry that in my job, and I am very passionate.

Marina and the Diamonds

I could draw up a list of about 30 artists who I apparently sound like. From Lady Gaga, to Katy Perry to Lana Del Rey. I don't know if it's because I'm versatile or because production affects how people judge music. I can't wait for a time I can just be classed as myself.

Marina and the Diamonds

Nobody will admit to playing power games in relationships, but they do.

Marina and the Diamonds

I've read every Madonna biography. I've also looked up every pop star to see how they first made it. The biggest thing I learnt was that you have to be pro-active. You can't be scared.

Marina and the Diamonds

I think some people just have an innate musical ability, and I'm lucky enough to be one of those people.

Marina and the Diamonds

I hate the whole 'record your album, do your promo campaign, have a year off to write another album' pattern. As an artist, you should keep creating as much as you possibly can.

Marina and the Diamonds

I actually quite like promo, which is quite odd for an artist, but recording's not the easiest thing.

Marina and the Diamonds