FROOT

• Album
• Timeline
• Photography
• Trivia

Album

Timeline

Photography

Trivia

This article is about the album. To see alternate articles, check out the song with the same name.

FROOT
Album artwork
General Information
Title	FROOT
Recorded	April-June 2014 • Muttley Ranch, London
Released	13 Mar 2015 (9 years ago)
Genre	Pop
Length	52:37 • 12 Tracks
Format	Digital download • Streaming • CD • Cassette • Vinyl
Credits
Artist	Marina and the Diamonds
Producer(s)	David Kosten Marina Diamandis
Label	Atlantic
Singles
Froot Released: 11 Nov 2014 Happy Released: 12 Dec 2014 Immortal (Promotional) Released: 01 Jan 2015 I'm a Ruin Released: 02 Feb 2015 Forget Released: 03 Mar 2015 Gold (Promotional) Released: 04 Apr 2015 Blue Released: 13 Jul 2015
Album Chronology
(2012)
(2015)
(2019)

FROOT is the third studio album by Marina Diamandis, released under her previous stage name 'Marina and the Diamonds' on March 13, 2015.

The album was originally set to be released on April 3, 2015, but had to be pushed forward as CDs had shipped early, ultimately leaking the entire album online in February 2015.

Background

For a timeline on the creation and release of FROOT click here.

Inspiration

In an interview with Line of Best Fit, Marina said:

❝ I think the cynicism's gone a bit. I guess it's probably because I'm happy. It sounds very uninteresting, but I think when you aren't happy with yourself you tend to be much more cynical about life. [...] It's almost celebrating being happy. Maybe it's the same sort of thing I'm talking about in that I want to live an amazing life and I want to live the best life that I can. It's all to easy to complain and be cynical about things, but I feel like this emotional shift I've had means I don't feel like that anymore. I really want to enjoy life, whatever that life entails. ❞

❝ I'm just thinking about relationships as they're the biggest source of creativity. This time, because I'd had a very different experience in a relationship, I'd written about different things. I see albums as chapters of your life. That's it. It doesn't matter if it's commercial or not commercial, a product or not a product... for me it's a way of chronicling my life. For the fan, to see how someone progresses... I mean I love seeing that in artists I'm a fan of. It's because you become attached to them, and you hope that good things are happening for them and certain things are mended in them. To see that progression is really satisfying. That's what I'm here for, that's what I'm interested in doing. ❞

In an interview with Nylon, Marina further expanded on how her previous relationship inspired parts of FROOT:

❝ With Electra Heart, I was definitely the heartbroken. With Froot, I was the... ender. It's a relief putting it into songs, but with Electra I loved it, because I was like, 'I hope he fucking hears these songs!' Whereas with this one I was like, 'I hope he fucking doesn't.' ❞

Name

Marina said the title track was one of the last songs to be written for the album, and one of the most difficult, she wanted the album to be named after one of the songs and felt Froot fit the most in terms of how she was feeling and what she wanted it to symbolise. Describing the track as "a very positive song" about happiness, readiness to love, and "living the best life that you can." This was an idea she felt had never been talked about in her music before.

The title is a deliberate misspelling of "fruit": I didn't want the name of the album to hold any previous connotation. I wanted to have its own identity, like a non-entity.

❝ Froot just symbolizes something really positive: you plant a seed, a tree grows, it bears fruit, that is the cycle of our lives. I feel like I’ve got to that point where I feel fully realized as a musician. I’ve never felt like that before. ❞ - Vice, 2015

Composition

In an interview with Line of Best Fit, Marina said:

❝ In the past because I was new and I was someone who really needed praise, I very much listened to other people, perhaps when I shouldn't have. So because of that, on FROOT, I wanted to create the whole thing. I think one of the biggest challenges was saying what I wanted to do for once. Whoever you are as an artist, you have to know who you are so that you can do what you want to do... so that no one's going to tell you what your identity is. [...] I used to listen to my team a lot, and I think that came from a lack of experience and maybe not being very self-assured, whereas now... I tried a lot of different things. ❞

In the same interview, she said she felt FROOT was a "much more reflective" album, adding "it's also centred around extremely different things; half of the album is about a relationship that I had to end."

Writing

Marina started writing for her third album two months after the release of Electra Heart. After releasing a high collaborative album, she wanted to write in a different way. Instead of being at her piano and trying to do the chords, melody and lyrics she would make the music by itself and then do the melody and lyrics on top of that. She said the best experience about the album was writing the album entirely by herself and not answering to anyone, and believed it improved her confidence as a songwriter as she listened to her instincts and believed in her own abilities. Diamandis called the record "effortlessly honest," and "easy and a joy" to write. Telling Vice:

❝ I think that’s something about being anxious when you’re co-writing with other people because you saying deepest things about you, or things that are painfully true, and that’s hard enough to say to your mum, let alone some random 40-year-old dude. ❞

One of the first songs to be written was Better Than That, along with Gold, which was written in September 2012 whilst on tour. Savages was written after the Boston Bombings in April 2013. Froot, despite being the title track, was one of the last to be written, in January 2014. Forget would also be a last minute song, as it was written in February 2014, following the BRIT awards.

Diamandis stated she wrote 15 tracks for FROOT, but only recorded 14. It is not known whether Saviour or When You Take Away Control was part of the 14 tracks recorded for FROOT; and which was recorded at a later date.

Production

In an interview with VICE, Marina revealed that she worked on the album for "months" with a producer she had worked with before, but came to the realisation she wanted to make a "live sounding" record. In an interview with Line Of Best Fit, Diamandis called her sound "a fusion of alternative and rock music", and explained her frustration at the disconnect between recorded and live versions of her songs:

❝ It always really frustrated me that I wasn't able to achieve the consistency, so when I started writing this album and I was looking for a producer, I remember saying to my A&R that I need to be produced as a band, because that's how I feel on stage. I feel like I'm the frontwoman of a band and in two albums, that's not been communicated. ❞

Initially, like The Family Jewels, Marina made her own home demos, and was recommended "three or four" producers that she researched and met, ultimately deciding to work with David Kosten, as she felt he understood what she wanted to do with the album. Kosten recalled this meeting in an interview with Nylon:

Marina and David Kosten in the studio

❝ I told her I wanted to make a record that says, 'Back off, motherfuckers'. Something that is hopefully untouchable in a creative way. She liked the idea, and that line—'Back off, motherfuckers'—is immortalized in song now ['Can't Pin Me Down']. [..] We made an album paying homage to Pat Benatar or Like a Prayer-era Madonna. ❞

To fix the problem of the sonic gap between the recorded and live versions, specifically disliking the sound of electronic drums, the decision was made to record with a live band. She told her A&R that she needed to be produced as a band. Through David Kosten she met Everything Everything, and members Alex Robertshaw and Jeremy Pritchard went on to play the guitars for the album.

The album was recorded in London over three months, and midway through, a conflict rose between Marina and her label. They refused to pay for the mixing of the album for four months, leading Marina to make the decision to pay for it herself.

Release and Promotion

For information on the Critical Reception, Commercial Performance, and Charting of FROOT click here.

The album's title track, Froot, premiered on Marina's 29th birthday, on October 10, 2014, and was released digitally on November 11. On November 9, the tracklist was revealed and the album cover was unveiled the following day.

Froot of the Month

On November 11, 2014, with the official announcement of her third studio album, Marina launched her "Froot of the Month" club:

❝ My new album is called "FROOT". I've come up with a plan which I hope you'll love, it's called "Froot of the Month"...

When you pre-order "FROOT" I'll send you a new track every month up until album release. So, 6 new "Froots" over 6 months. 🍒🍋🍊🍇🍏🍓 Our first "Froot of the Month" =🍇!

You'll get the song "Froot" right away when you pre-order the album on iTunes, Amazon or on my Official store (you can find links on my Facebook page). I want to create an experience we can all take part in together, so no matter where you live in the world you'll all recieve the same track on the same day. ❞

Diamandis initially wanted to issue "two songs a month that were polar opposites sonically, like double A-sides," but had issues with iTunes, she had also intended to release a Spotify playlist each month, but only released the first 'La Dolce Vita.'

Whilst the singles were assigned a "froot" with with the Froot of the Month campaign, the non-singles were then given a 'froot' on Marina's Website.

11 Nov 2014
Froot

12 Dec 2014
Happy

01 Jan 2015
Immortal

02 Feb 2015
I'm a Ruin

03 Mar 2015
Forget

04 Apr 2015
Gold

Froot
Can't Pin Me Down

Happy
Better Than That

Immortal
Blue

I'm a Ruin
Solitaire

Forget
Weeds

Gold
Savages

Note:

For an unknown reason, the vinyls have a completely different pairing, that contradicts the 'Froot of the Month' campaign.

Singles

For more information on the singles go to their respective pages linked below, to see any charting information click here.

Out of the six Froot of the Month songs, only four were officially released as singles, with Blue being released separately from the campaign a few months later.

11 Nov 2014
Froot

12 Dec 2014
Happy

02 Feb 2015
I'm a Ruin

03 Mar 2015
Forget

13 Jul 2015
Blue

Scrapped Repackage

In April 2015, Marina said she wanted to add seven additional songs, which could possibly mean she wanted to add another song for each of the six 'froot' and perhaps a song that didn't fit or would embody all of them, such as True Colours.

In May, she expressed her plans to repackage FROOT, with a "new name" and 4-5 more songs. Mentioning she had "a few" unfinished songs that didn't make it onto the original tracklist, but would be "really fitting" for the repackage. I'm Not Hungry Anymore was recorded for the original tracklist but didn't make the cut, both Saviour and When You Take Away Control were also written for the album but only one of them was recorded with the others. It is unknown if Disconnect was also intended for the repackage, as it was written in late 2014, performed in 2015, and did not receive much promotion when it was finally released in 2017. On the 21st, Diamandis posted to Instagram: Writing in Dallas.

In June, in response to a fan's question asking if the songs would be ready for the Neon Nature Tour, Marina said:

❝ Tbh, I don't know. I'm always writing- and you will definitely get one more song from the FROOT sessions (hehe..) - but I'm undecided about whether I will do a repack or start a new piece of work/ new projects. We'll see!!! ❞

In July, Marina was in the studio, likely for the repackage, however the repackage was scrapped shortly afterwards. In August, when asked about the repackage by a Hungarian newspaper, she said:^[translated]

❝ In the end, no re-release will be made. The idea for this came up three months ago concerning a few songs, but then a month ago, I decided not to go through with it. I want to start something new. Froot was created during a special period in my life, but now I have to let it go. ❞

On April 5, 2016, the FROOT era ended through her announcement on Instagram and Twitter.

Ten Year Anniversary Release

In March 2024, in an Instagram post celebrating the album's ninth year anniversary, Marina said she plans on "releasing something special next year". In August, she liked a comment asking her to put I'm Not Hungry Anymore on the anniversary edition.

Neon Nature Tour

Main Article: Neon Nature Tour

After announcing a number of festival dates in February 2015, Marina announced the first dates of her third headlining tour, the Neon Nature Tour, in the summer of 2015. The show was split into 3 different "acts" as to include songs from each of her studio albums.

Artwork

Credits Photographer Charlotte Rutherford Designer Sam Coldy Full Photoshoot

Photoshoot Unedited Scan Unedited Outtake Polaroid Polaroid Media Album artwork

The visuals for Electra Heart were partly inspired by internet stars. Who or what has inspired the concept behind FROOT?

❝ I’ve been really obsessed with the idea of using shapes and symbols from nature—like certain flowers and trees and fruits—and representing them in almost a “cyber” way. So that translates more to what I’m going to be doing on stage. But in terms of beauty and styling, I’m kind of taking really classic feminine references and interpreting them in a modern way, via different fabrics and colors. At the moment, I’m really loving pantsuits, so I’m looking at a lot of ’70s fashion photography. Essentially, anything that allows you to be feminine but also feel strong. ❞

In 2021, Marina revealed she paid for the photoshoot herself due to conflicts with her label.

Booklet & Credits

• CD Booklet
• Cassette Booklet
• Credits

All tracks Written by Marina Diamandis

Produced by David Kosten and Marina Diamandis

Marina Diamandis: keyboards, lead vocal, backing vocals on all tracks
David Kosten: keyboards, percussion, programming on all tracks
Jason Cooper: drums on all tracks except Gold
Jeremy Pritchard: Bass on Happy, Better Than That, Blue, I'm A Ruin
James Ahwai: Bass on Forget, Immortal. Solitaire, Weeds, Froot, Can't Pin Me Down
Chris McGrath: Bass on Savages
Fyfe Dangerfield: Piano on Happy
Fyfe Dangerfield: Guitar on Better Than That
Keith Bayley: Guitar On Weeds, Immortal and Forget
Alexander Robertshaw: Guitar on Happy, Froot, Better Than That, Blue, Can't Pin Me Down, Forget, Gold, I'm A Ruin, Savages, Solitaire

Recorded at Mutley Ranch, London
Drums recorded at Kore Studios, London and Assault & Battery Two, London

Engineered by David Kosten. Additional engineering by Mo Hausler
Assistant drum recording engineers: Al Lawson and Drew Smith

All tracks mixed down and additional programming by Wez Clarke*
All tracks mastered by Lewis Hopkin at Star Delta Mastering
*Happy mixed by David Kosten

Management by Jess Keeley at Quest Management
Marina Diamandis published by Warner/Chappell Music Publishing Ltd
Photography By Charlotte Rutherford
Artwork by Sam Cody

Thank You

References: CD. Cassette.

Tracklist

	Label: Atlantic Format: Digital download • Streaming • CD • Vinyl Released: 13 Mar 2015 Region: International Link: iTunes • Spotify Photography: Charlotte Rutherford Design: Sam Coldy

Standard Edition
No.	Title	Co-Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	Happy	N/A	David Kosten • Marina Diamandis	4:01
2.	Froot	N/A	Kosten • Diamandis	5:31
3.	I'm A Ruin	N/A	Kosten • Diamandis	3:44
4.	Blue	N/A	Kosten • Diamandis	4:18
5.	Forget	N/A	Kosten • Diamandis	4:10
6.	Gold	N/A	Kosten • Diamandis	4:14
7.	Can't Pin Me Down	N/A	Kosten • Diamandis	3:26
8.	Solitaire	N/A	Kosten • Diamandis	4:37
9.	Better Than That	N/A	Kosten • Diamandis	4:36
10.	Weeds	N/A	Kosten • Diamandis	4:08
11.	Savages	N/A	Kosten • Diamandis	4:16
12.	Immortal	N/A	Kosten • Diamandis	5:25
Total length:				53:09

Outtakes

Note:

This is an abridged version of events, for more (sourced) information, go to each song page.

In March 2015, Marina stated that she wrote 15 songs, but only recorded 14, this matches the recording list for FROOT, which only has 14 tracks. In 2019, Diamandis again stated she only had 14 songs for FROOT, which she cut to 12.

I'm Not Hungry Anymore was planned to be included on the repackage, but Marina expressed difficulty in producing the track.

When You Take Away Control and Saviour were both on the initial recording list for the album. However, it is not known which song was taken off the list in favour for Forget, and which was recorded at a later date.

Standalone Releases

True Colours, a cover, was released on Marina's YouTube channel on January 5, 2016. The original file gives an date of "2014" and has been speculated to have been for Marina's campaign for World AIDS Day in December 2014. It has also been speculated to have been on the repackage, though there is no evidence for this.

Disconnect was written in collaboration with Clean Bandit during the FROOT era. Initially performed at Coachella in April 2015, it would not be released for two years due to difficulties with production, and is released under Clean Bandit, with Marina as the feature.

Unknown Songs

"Pop Cemetery" sessions, in October 2013, Marina tweeted she was recording in a studio called "Pop Cemetary". None of the FROOT songs were officially recorded here, meaning this could possibly be for Marina's home demos.

Unknown Song with Little Mix, Marina featured on an outtake for Little Mix's third studio album Get Weird.

Unknown Song with Dan Dare, in 2013 and 2014, producer Dan Dare claimed to be working with Marina, however, Marina responded to a fan that the pair had only worked together once, for Just Desserts. Dan then went onto delete his tweets, it could be assumed that Dan was lying for an unknown reason.