Marina Reveals New Album, ‘Princess of Power': Why She's ‘Not Guarding Her Heart So Much'
'We are meeting a Marina who is not guarding her heart so much anymore,' she tells Rolling Stone. 'I think part of why this album has felt so freeing is that I think I've really dove into my fear of love. That's why for me, it's so powerful that this superheroine's biggest power is love.'
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She adds: 'It can sound trite, but the ability to love is so powerful and brave. It's a courageous thing, particularly if you've been hurt in the past. It can be really hard to reprogram yourself, and I've finally been able to do that.'
Marina sees Princess of Power, which she recorded with producer CJ Baran, as reflecting something true about her inner self. 'Maybe to others, I've had a bold energy. Internally, I've always struggled to feel like I'm allowed to be my own person,' she says. 'The album is about teaching yourself — or re-teaching yourself — how to love.'
The single she dropped along with the album announcement, 'Cuntissimo,' is an anthemic pop song inspired by glamorous, brave, confident women 'who enjoy life to the max.' As she says this, Marina scrolls through a list of queens who embody 'Cuntissimo' on her phone — Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren, Madonna, and Rihanna among them.
'That's really key: pleasure,' Marina says. 'Throughout the centuries, it's been denied us that freedom to be silly and messy. Women have been under such a strict patriarchal power for so long, but this is just like, 'Fuck you.''
She pauses before adding: 'I want women to not be afraid to age. I think it's not talked about in pop. Pop pretends it's not happening. We are getting older. But I don't want to feel ashamed about it or feel like I have to cling on to youth.'
In some ways, the song recalls themes from her first album, 2010's Family Jewels, on which she sang about how 'girls are not meant to fight dirty/Never look a day past 30.' (The song's video drops Friday morning.)
On Friday night, Marina will debut 'Cuntissimo' live during her Coachella set, 10 years after she last played the fest in 2015. She'll perform her three Princess of Power singles and play some fan-favorite deep cuts — 'Are You Satisfied' and 'Oh No!' among them. But ultimately, 'People want bangers,' she says. 'I want to give that energy.'
Stylistically, the set will reflect the pastels — teals, pinks, baby yellows — that accompany her new album's aesthetic, as seen on its corset-and-ribbon-adorned album cover, continuing on the album's themes of female power and fearless love.
'I had no intention to do a pop record. But I found my creative partner CJ Baran who is just so talented and it's just been such an enjoyable experience,' she says. 'I think that's why the energy of this record feels different: It's part of my evolution as a human being. it's a really fun record. It has a lot of energy.'
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