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LOVE + FEAR

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

LOVE + FEAR is the fourth studio album by Marina Diamandis, released under her current stage name 'MARINA' on April 26, 2019.

It is her first release without her former stage name 'Marina and the Diamonds'.

Background[]

In April 2016, the FROOT era ended,[1] and only a few months later, in October, Marina was back in the studio,[2] in December Marina met with her manager;[3] however, we don't know what this was related to. Through late 2016, and early 2017, she continued co-writing and producing songs. In a 2019 Q&A, she explained she was unsure about releasing new music herself,[4] and planned to give songs like You and Karma to other artists.[5]

On June 23, 2017, Marina performed at Glastonbury, which triggered an epiphany. She recalled the moment in an interview with Entertainment Weekly:[6]

❝ "I remember thinking, oh sh—, this doesn’t feel the same," adding that a dark cloud of apathy crept into her consciousness. "Perhaps the negative reasons of wanting praise and wanting acceptance disappeared. I didn’t need it anymore. But, as an artist, that freaked me out. Why am I doing this, then, if I’m not doing it from a place of ego? Does that mean I’m not going to be a good artist anymore? I just thought, I’ve done three albums, and that’s enough." ❞

Marina then took a break, limiting her time on social media as it negatively affected her mental health.[7] She took a psychology course[8] on Attachment Theory,[9] and learnt about Elisabeth Kübler-Ross' theory on "love and fear".[10] During these courses, Diamandis had a change of heart about her feelings on her music career, she recalled:[11]

❝ That was actually the first time that I thought, "Shit, maybe I actually can come back to music". I felt like something had shifted in me. It was a really positive experience… I didn’t care what people thought about me anymore. I didn’t need for people to say, "You’re good," in order to feel good about myself. ❞

By late October, she was making music again;[12] and through late 2017 and 2018, Marina started creating music with the intention of making a studio album, with some pre-break songs being reworked.[5]

Name Change[]

On August 25, 2018, Marina announced her name change in a series of tweets,[13] and then further clarified:[10]

❝ Changing my artist name to the single "MARINA" is something that feels natural to me and helps me to feel more able to present myself authentically, as a multi-faceted individual as opposed to an artistic persona. It's something I've struggled with in the past when so much of what defines an artist is tied up in their visual and musical identity. Sometimes the more nuanced aspects, or non-music related parts of a person, get lost within that.

I was signed to Warner Records at 22 years old and much of my self-definition has been explored through my work. Marina and the Diamonds was my artist name for 10 years but as I've developed in my work it's become important for me to present myself in a way that feels natural and human. Going under my first name is my way of achieving that. ❞

Inspiration[]

In Atlantic's press release she said:[10]

❝ LOVE + FEAR are two 8 song collections that are part of an album set – my fourth full-length release of music.

LOVE is filled with a longing to enjoy life and a desire for unity. FEAR explores subjects that have been a lot harder for me to work through and understand, such as purpose, insecurity in love and major shifts in our social conscience regarding the systematic misogyny and sexual abuse employed by powerful figures in the media. A companion to LOVE, these ideas cross to showcase and explore the polarising sides of human nature.

My songwriting has always been inspired and shaped by traditional storytelling and social shifts in our culture. As a society, we have experienced such major social change in the past three years - politically, digitally and psychologically. 'LOVE + FEAR' reflects this. ❞

Name[]

Marina with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross' son, Ken Ross, president and founder of the EKR Foundation'"`UNIQ--ref-00000019-QINU`"'

Marina with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross' son, Ken Ross, president and founder of the EKR Foundation[14]

During her break in 2017, Marina took a Psychology course, and learnt of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, which went on to inspire the album title:[10]

❝ Elisabeth Kübler-Ross said "there are only two emotions: love and fear. All positive emotions come from love, all negative emotions from fear."

I can trace a lot of my behaviour back to these two emotions, particularly in relationships. When thinking about an album title to encapsulate the record, I played the 16 tracks and listened closely for sonic or lyrical themes that appeared to crop up again and again. I quickly sensed a very clear, concise divide of songs that came from a feeling of love and songs that stemmed from a feeling of fear. I also used this process to name my last album 'FROOT'. It's a simple way of deciphering the main messages running through an album, as I often only recognise an album's main message once it's completed and I'm able to look at it from afar. ❞

Composition[]

Diamandis described the album to Nylon as "contemporary, effortless pop", explaining:[15]

❝ I say effortless because I definitely didn't think I was going to do a record like this. In the beginning, I thought I was going to write another one all on my own and record it with a super-simple, live band in two weeks. But then it ended up that I started to really love collaborating. ❞

Writing[]

Marina started writing shortly after FROOT, Emotional Machine was the first song to be written, which she described as a "bit of a mess" and enlisted the help of Broods to co-write.[5] She decided to co-write extensively, something she previously hadn't enjoyed as she felt it was a "solitary pursuit",[5] and explained to Billboard:[11]

❝ I went hard and did loads of writing with people who I’d struck up good relationships with. It wasn’t like Electra Heart, when I really experienced co-writing on a large scale, working with people who were a lot older than me in a different peer group. That didn’t feel as comfortable. This time, it was my peers, all the same age and some of whom were friends. ❞

Marina in the studio (January 2017)

Marina in the studio (January 2017)

Marina said the album was highly collaborative on the songwriting, because at that time of her life she felt "very unsure about everything." She added, "I was coming off two years of just feeling very depressed in ways where I started to doubt my decision-making."[16]

Although there are uplifting songs such as Enjoy Your Life, Diamandis confessed, "I was in such an unhappy place, I'd completely lost my bearings."[5] Reflecting in 2021, "I felt so deeply depressed and so lost for a good two years that I tried everything to get out of it. [..] Songs like 'Orange Trees' and 'Enjoy Your Life,' they were just desperate attempts to create happiness in my life because I didn't have it."[17]

Two of the songs were not initially written for the album, Baby was written without intention,[5] and End of the Earth was for an unknown movie.[18] Enjoy Your Life, Believe in Love, Orange Trees and True were written when she believed the album to be "done".[19] After writing You and Karma, Marina felt "almost certain" she was going to give them away to other artists.[5]

Production[]

The album was re-produced at least once. In 2019, Marina explained after her post-break she "stripped them ["You", "Karma"] back to piano songs before re-producing them and falling back in love with them."[5] Handmade Heaven also has a home demo and a studio piano "demo", possibly suggesting the same thing. Diamandis felt she has not had "space" on her previous records, so specifically spoke to each producer about including it, believing would help her write "sparse, simple songs".[5]

In May 2018, Marina believed the album to be "done" but went on a writing trip and wrote Enjoy Your Life, Orange Trees, Believe in Love and True,[19] Baby was also written around this time. This possibly prompted parts of the album to be produced again as Karma's final version is sonically similar to Baby and Orange Trees.

Release and Promotion[]

Main Article: Critical Reception, Commercial Performance, and Charting of LOVE + FEAR

Initially Marina said:[20]

❝ I want to tell people details all the time but I can't because I have been planning it for ages. It's not really conceptual in ways like Electra Heart was but there is a loose... there is a concept in terms of how it's going to be released and... That you will find out in April! [laughs] But I am going to release a new song in January after Christmas. (What's the vibe of that song?) Well the first few songs are actually really different to the singles we’re going to select for the album, but they're really important to me. The production of this album is very different on this record. ❞

However, due to unknown circumstances, Handmade Heaven's release was pushed back to February, and the singles picked for the album were the first three tracks on the record. (Karma was released as a promotional single in response to fan campaign #ProjectKarma)

On April 4, 2019, Marina released the LOVE tracks, ahead of the full album:[21]

❝ I created "LOVE + FEAR" as 2 separate records to be listened to individually. I'm releasing "LOVE" today so you can listen to it in full before we move onto "FEAR". There are only two emotions: Love and Fear. All positive emotions come from love, all negative emotions from fear. We cannot feel these two emotions together, at exactly the same time. They're opposites" - Elisabeth Kübler-Ross ❞

However, on the 26th, when the album was released in full, the "LOVE" portion was no longer available to stream separately. At an unknown date, it was made available to stream again.[22]

Singles[]

Handmade Heaven was released as the lead single, followed by Superstar, then Orange Trees.

To Be Human was released as a promotional single on Spotify, and premiered the same day as its music video, however it received no artwork, and is no longer available to stream outside of the album. Karma was released on Spotify in response to fan campaign "#ProjectKarma", and was performed live on Jimmy Kimmel, however the video has since been made private.[23] Similarly to To Be Human, Karma also received no artwork and is no longer available to stream outside of the album.

Tour[]

Main article: Love + Fear Tour

The album was announced alongside a tour, which visited the UK, the US, Canada and several European countries. It officially began in April 2019 in the UK, and concluded on the 18th of November, 2019.

Artwork[]

Love + Fear digital album artwork
Credits
Photographer
Zoey Grossman
Designer
Andy Renton
Full Photoshoot
Photoshoot
Media

The digital editions of LOVE + FEAR (streaming, digital downloads) uses the "FEAR" photo, whilst the physical editions (CD, Vinyl) uses the "LOVE" photo, the vinyl version also uses the "FEAR" photo but with the title "FEAR + LOVE".

When asked why she picked black and white covers,[24] Marina laughed, "I just don't know." To the follow-up question regarding her synesthesia and what other colours she now associated with the records,[25] Marina said for LOVE "pops of Neon, like orange and lime green," and "purple, lilac" and for FEAR "reds, blues, dark greens."

She also mentioned that for the album she "wasn't thinking about colours for once" and "there's like no logic behind it though, I just fancied it" on the colours she associates with the different records. Marina had used lime green[26] and orange[27] in early marketing on her website. In an interview for Refinery29, she cited Cindy Crawford as a key key inspiration for her new aesthetic, also saying:[28]

❝ In my [new] album shots, I’m wearing Levi jeans and some spotty top. But that’s cool. That’s where I was at when I was shooting it. I’m a big fan of being able to select clothes that say something about where you’re at. And that can just be a black top and trousers. It doesn’t have to be fashion. ❞

Scrapped Concepts[]

Version One[]

On November 2, 2018, Marina's website updated following the release of Baby,[29] still under marinaandthediamonds.com at this point. The photo shoot for the album was done in October 2018 by Zoey Grossman, in which orange is the predominate colour in the photos shot in colour.

Fans were quick to point out the similarity to the logo of Polish singer MaRina[30] and this was most likely why it was scrapped.

Version Two[]

In February 2019, a designer posted cover art for "Handmade Heaven" that was quickly deleted, but the logo remained up.[31] This led to speculation that this was the previous concept for the album with "Handmade Heaven" being the lead single and title track, like "Froot". Marina later said in her YouTube Q&A she had 16 tracks, split them and relistened as she did not know what she was trying to say. Additionally, she did not plan the Love + Fear concept, only coming up with it after all the tracks were written and done with production.[32] Marina said she was in the middle of mixing the record on the 13th of December 2018.[33]

The photoshoot for the era was shot in the middle of October 2018, with Zoey Grossman, the concept art is from the same shoot as Superstar, at least two months prior to her coming up with Love + Fear. A fan who met Marina on the 20th said the single would be coming out in February instead of January, the delay is most likely due to the switch in concept and the visual portion of the album had to be redone. Marina also said she "didn't know why" she picked black and white covers[34] and due to her synesthesia she saw "pops of Neon, like orange and lime green," and "purple, lilac" for Love and "reds, blues, dark greens" for Fear. The photoshoots for the era are much more colourful (and in swimsuits) than the cover art, along with earlier promotional images, which used orange and green. Backdrops for the Love + Fear Tour are nature-inspired, with projected images of water, flowers and neon patterns.

Even if this is the single cover and not the album cover, the different logo suggests this is a completely different artwork to the finalised album artwork.

Website Changes[]

Album Trailer[]

Main article: Album Trailer
Video Credits
MARINA_-_Love_+_Fear_Album_Trailer
Title Love + Fear (Album Trailer)
Premiere 08 Mar 2019
Length 2:30
Filmed Dec 2018
Director Anna Patakarina
Production company PRETTYBIRD UK


On March 7, Marina tweeted that the next day the "LOVE + FEAR" album trailer would be revealed.[35] On March 8 at 5:00PM GMT, the album trailer was uploaded on YouTube. It was shot in Kyoto, Japan and was directed by Anna Patakarina with drone shots provided by Luke Patterson.

Tracklist[]

Main Article: LOVE + FEAR physical and digital editions
No.TitleCo-Writer(s)Producer(s)Length
1.Handmade HeavenN/AJoel Little3:29
2.SuperstarCaptain CutsSam de Jong • Captain Cuts3:53
3.Orange TreesJacob Jerlström • Oscar Görres • Erik HassleGörres3:07
4.BabyMatthew Knott • Jason Evigan • Luis Fonsi • Jack Patterson • KamilleClean Bandit • Mark Ralph3:25
5.Enjoy Your LifeNoonie Bao • Oscar HolterGörres • Holter3:36
6.TrueBao • Görres • HolterGörres3:29
7.To Be HumanN/ALittle4:06
8.End of the EarthJames Flannigan • Joe JaniakFlannigan3:41
9.Believe in LoveGörresGörres3:32
10.Life Is StrangeLittleLittle3:16
11.YouJaniak • Pattersonde Jong3:31
12.KarmaCaptain Cuts • PattersonPatterson • Ralph3:24
13.Emotional MachineBroods • de Jongde Jong3:15
14.Too AfraidJustin Parkerde Jong3:23
15.No More SuckersAlex Hope • FlaniganFlanigan • Hope3:14
16.Soft to Be StrongRick Nowelsde Jong3:47
Total length:56:08

Outtakes[]

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

Pre-Break[]

In late 2016, and through 2017, before her break, Marina co-wrote and produced many songs:

It is not known how many of these Diamandis wished to "keep" for herself, as she described being "almost certain" that she was going to give You and Karma to other artists, and it wasn't until reproducing them after her break that she "fell back in love" with them.[5]

Post-Break[]

Demons and Angels, Water Under the Bridge, and Please Don't Call Me were reproduced in 2018 (like You and Karma); therefore, it can be reasonably assumed they were actually considered for the album, opposed to the other 2017 tracks.

If It's Worth It was originally registered with with Jesse Saint John as a co-writer as "Worth It", then reregistered without him after her break under "If It's Worth It", meaning Marina re-wrote the song as she wanted to use it without his attachment. This is the only outtake to have been registered.

It is possible some of the other 2017 tracks were also reproduced in 2018, but currently they only have one leaked version.

Dedication[]

T H A N K Y O U

My manager Jess Keeley - for always having my best interests at heart and helping me translate my thoughts into art. You're a rare human being and I am so happy to be on this journey together.

The ladies at Maverick Management - I never take it for granted that I've somehow ended up working with a team of superwomen. Couldn't do it without you all.

Briony Turner - I wouldn't have made this record if it weren't for your help. I know how hard you work and how much you care about music. And it' sbeen so FUN!

Derek Davies & Lizzy Plapinger - For your vision, friendship and loyalty.

Atlantic Records - Max Lousada, Ben Cook and every single person who helped me build this record from the ground up - big thank you. I'm grateful that you have been my home since the start of my career and I'm really proud of the solid relationship we've built.

Warner Chappell Publishing - thanks to my whole team, especially Mike Smith. I'm so happy to be working with you on this record.

Nick Worthington - for seeing what I had to offer from the start.

My collaborators - Jack Patterson, Captain Cuts (Ryan Rabin, Ben Berger and Ryan McMahom), Joe "Boiled Alien" Janiak, Sam De Jong, Joel Little, James Flannigan, Oscar Gorres, Oscar Holter, Noonie Bao, Rick Nowels, Erik Hassle, Jakob Jerlstrom, Alex Hope, BROODS and Justin Parker.

My family - Mum, Dad, Lafina - You'e all inspired me in ways you may never be aware of. I'm so proud of how far we have come as a family and I'm so grateful to all three of you.

Jack - The love and support you have me through the best and worst times of shaped this whole record. Forever grateful. And forever laughing!

Lana - For your inspiring views on life. I appreciate our friendship so much.

Emily - We've grown so much, together! I'm so grateful for the joy you bring to my life.

All of my friends - You know who you are. Thank you for all the support the past 3 years.

Mavis & Jupiter - You don't even know your own mother is a singer or songwriter. You'll never even read your names in these credits. But you are sweet furry grey angels and I love you.

Final and biggest thank you - To my fans, young and old. I'll never be able to thank you enough. The connection between an artist and the people that see themselves reflected in their work is very special. All I know is life on this planet has been a whole lot better knowing that there are people out there who have shared the shame thoughts and feelings as me. I hope my music brings something positive into your life.

Thanks for sharing the ride with me!

Love,

Marina

References[]

  1. ↑ MarinaDiamandis Twitter Published: 05 Apr 2015
  2. ↑ MarinaDiamandis Twitter Published: 07 Oct 2016
  3. ↑ MarinaUpdates Tumblr Published:
  4. ↑ https://youtu.be/7TPFbRuSSLA?t=1335
  5. ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 Apple Music
  6. ↑ Entertainment Weekly Published: 25 Apr 2019
  7. ↑ MarinaBook Tumblr Published: 24 Sept 2017
  8. ↑ MarinaBook Tumblr Published: 10 Sept 2017
  9. ↑ MarinaBook Tumblr Published: 10 Dec 2017
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Atlantic Records This is a docx file so it will download as soon as you click the link.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Billboard Published: 04 May 2019
  12. ↑ https://marinaupdates.tumblr.com/post/166948978894
  13. ↑ https://twitter.com/MarinaDiamandis/status/1033421674824310784 https://twitter.com/MarinaDiamandis/status/1033399455335280640
  14. ↑ https://marinaupdates.tumblr.com/post/185160324049/elisabethkublerross-ekr-president-ken-ross-had-a
  15. ↑ Nylon Published: 22 Apr 2019
  16. ↑ Vogue Published: 18 Nov 2020.
  17. ↑ People Magazine Published: 11 Jun 2021
  18. ↑ https://youtu.be/7TPFbRuSSLA?t=2936
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Harpers Bazaar Published: 16 Sept 2019
  20. ↑ PopBuzz Published: 11 Dec 2018
  21. ↑ MarinaDiamandis Twitter Published: 04 Apr 2019
    MarinaDiamandis Twitter Published: 04 Apr 2019
  22. ↑ https://open.spotify.com/album/4Rm0jYGkzILeJxt2uzMe09
  23. ↑ https://marinaandthediamonds.fandom.com/wiki/File:Marina_-_Karma
  24. ↑ https://youtu.be/7TPFbRuSSLA?t=2621
  25. ↑ https://youtu.be/7TPFbRuSSLA?t=2645
  26. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20190209124754/http://www.marinaofficial.co.uk/
  27. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20181225120744/http://marinaandthediamonds.com/
  28. ↑ Refinery 29 Published: 24 Apr 2019
  29. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20181127094834/http://www.marinaandthediamonds.com/
  30. ↑ http://www.marinaofficial.com/
  31. ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/BtxWe5GlYx4/
  32. ↑ https://youtu.be/7TPFbRuSSLA?t=2538
  33. ↑ MarinaDiamandis Twitter Published: 13 Dec 2018
  34. ↑ https://youtu.be/7TPFbRuSSLA?t=2621
  35. ↑ https://twitter.com/MarinaDiamandis/status/1103707955831164930
LFindexlogo
Tour ♢ Merch ♢ Photography ♢ Collaborators
Discography
Releases LOVE + FEAR ♢ LOVE + FEAR (Acoustic)
LOVE Tracklist Handmade Heaven ♢ Superstar ♢ Orange Trees ♢ Baby ♢ Enjoy Your Life ♢ True ♢ To Be Human ♢ End of the Earth
FEAR Tracklist Believe in Love ♢ Life Is Strange ♢ You ♢ Karma ♢ Emotional Machine ♢ Too Afraid ♢ No More Suckers ♢ Soft to Be Strong
Non-Album
Pre-Break Holiday ♢ Absent Love ♢ Cause I'm A Woman ♢ Cruel ♢ Doubt Your Love ♢ Worth It ♢ The Art of Letting Go ♢ There's Nothing Wrong With You
Post-Break If It's Worth It ♢ Demons and Angels ♢ Please Don't Call Me ♢ Water Under the Bridge ♢ What I Wanna Do
Unleaked Beautiful World ♢ Unknown Song ♢ Unknown Song (w/ Lizzo and James Flannigan)
Misc If I Left The World ♢ About Love ♢ Etsi Einai I Zoi ♢ Only Want You ♢ With a Little Help from My Friends
Other Eras
Mermaid vs. Sailor • The Family Jewels • Electra Heart • FROOT • LOVE + FEAR • Ancient Dreams • PRINCESS OF POWER
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