Marina Diamandis: ‘My greatest achievement? Being delusional and dreaming big'
Born in south Wales, Marina Diamandis, 39, released her first album, The Family Jewels, in 2010. Her second, Electra Heart, went to No 1 in the UK in 2012 and gave her the hit single Primadonna. Her other albums are Froot, Love + Fear and Ancient Dreams in a Modern Land, which featured the Ivor Novello-nominated Man's World. Last year, she published a poetry collection, Eat the World. Her new album, Princess of Power, has just been released. She lives in California.
When were you happiest?
My late 20s, writing my third record.
What is your greatest fear?
Not trying something I really want to do.
What is your earliest memory?
Painting the entire kitchen floor red with my sister. It had a pink tinge for years afterwards.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Cruelty.
Aside from property, what's the most expensive thing you've bought?
A Porsche.
What is your most treasured possession?
I don't have a strong sentimental side when it comes to stuff I own.
Describe yourself in three words
Cheerful, sensitive, sassy.
What would your superpower be?
To make people love each other.
What makes you unhappy?
Being too busy. I need space in my day.
What is your most unappealing habit?
I hate to wash a pot or a pan.
Who is your celebrity crush?
George Clooney for ever.
Which book are you ashamed not to have read?
None! We shouldn't shame people for not having read 'the greats'. There are always new greats emerging that may feel more relevant to our life experience, particularly female writers.
What is your guiltiest pleasure?
Watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.
To whom would you most like to say sorry, and why?
Myself. I didn't know how to protect myself adequately when I was younger, and I think I would have experienced my youth differently if I had.
What does love feel like?
Home.
Have you ever said 'I love you' and not meant it?
Absolutely not.
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Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
'Are you fucking kidding me?'
What is the worst job you've done?
Working at a petrol station.
If you could edit your past, what would you change?
I would get therapy in my early 20s.
When did you last cry, and why?
Three days ago. I don't even know why. Sometimes I just feel emotional about how vulnerable humans are.
When did you last change your mind about something significant?
A year ago. My understanding of what love is has changed immensely since.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Getting rid of my phone.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Being delusional and dreaming big.
How would you like to be remembered?
As fun and of help to others.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you?
Genuine love is given freely, not by force.
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17 minutes ago
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The Sun
19 minutes ago
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CELEBRITIES WHO ARE THE PERFECT HEIGHT, ACCORDING TO SCIENCE MEN - 6ft 1in Henry Cavill Bradley Cooper Channing Tatum WOMEN: 5ft 5in Demi Moore Billie Piper Emma Watson On social media, the news of the new tool sparked controversy with some claiming it was 'over for short men'. While many have embraced the option to filter by height, Professor Stulp agrees that this will 'reinforce the idea that height is important in mate choice' and 'affect patterns of matching'. Professor Stulp says: 'With Tinder, there is an endless pool of candidates, and one has to constrain one's search heuristics. 'Things like height and age are easy things to restrict on because they can be summarized in numbers. It would be hard to set such restrictions regarding, for example, humor.' CELEBRITIES WHO ARE TOO SHORT, ACCORDING TO SCIENCE MEN Ncuti Gatwa Robert Downey Jr Barry Keoghan WOMEN Lily Allen Kim Kardashian Sabrina Carpenter WHY DO PEOPLE CARE ABOUT HEIGHT? Some theories suggested that height remained important for women because of evolutionary pressures in our distant past. Historically, height was associated with favorable traits like status, health, and strength, which would ensure more success for offspring. While those factors might no longer be important for our survival, the preference for them might still linger in our psychology. However, Professor Stulp pointed out that some hunter-gatherer or pre-industrial societies had less strong height preferences. Likewise, it did not explain why men would be more attracted to smaller women. Professor Stulp says: 'I think the best answer is that males and females from any species prefer traits that are typical of the other sex. 'Because men are on average quite a bit taller than women, taller height is more a "male trait" and shorter height more a "female trait".'
