Laura Marling

born on 1/2/1990 in Hampshire, United Kingdom

Laura Marling

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Laura Marling
Born February 1 1990
Origin Hampshire, England
Genres Alternative, folk rock
Occupations Singer/songwriter
Instruments Voice, guitar, bass, piano
Years active 2006present
Labels WayOutWest, Virgin
Associated acts Noah and the Whale, The Rakes, Mystery Jets, Johnny Flynn, Mumford & Sons
Website LauraMarling.com

Laura Beatrice Marling (born 1 February 1990), is a folk-pop, singer-songwriter from Hampshire, England. Initially prominent within the London folk scene, she has also toured with a number of well-known indie artists in the UK. Her sound is characterised by striking melodies and poetic lyricism.

Early years

Marling was born in Hampshire, England. She was part of the original line-up of indie folk band Noah and the Whale and was romantically linked with singer/guitarist Charlie Fink.[1][2] She is featured as a background vocalist on their debut album Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down; however, she left the group before the album's 2008 release and split up with Fink that same year.[1][3]

She also appeared on The Rakes track "Suspicious Eyes," from the band's 2007 album Ten New Messages. Marling was found by singer Alan Donohoe on the social networking site Myspace, before she was asked to appear on the album. Marling would later collaborate with Mystery Jets, contributing guest vocals to the single Young Love, released 10 March 2008.

Alas I Cannot Swim

She was personally invited to tour with Jamie T after he attended her second-ever solo gig. She has also toured with a number of other musicians from the UK and beyond, including Adam Green from the anti-folk band The Moldy Peaches. She performed at the 2007 O2 Wireless Festival and also performed at the first Underage Festival in August 2007 at Victoria Park, East London, before releasing her debut single "Ghosts" on WayOutWest Records.

Her debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim was released on 4 February 2008,[4] which was later nominated for the 2008 Mercury Prize.[5] The album, as well as subsequent singles, were released on Virgin Records. The third and final single from her album, "Night Terror" was released on 27 October 2008, coinciding with a 6-date "Night Terror tour".[6]

Marling's television appearances include The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and Later With Jools Holland, performing "Ghosts" and "New Romantic" respectively. In 2008 she appeared on Russell Brand's Radio 2 show alongside her sister. She once chose to perform on the street after being denied entry to one of her own performances for being underage.[7][8]

I Speak Because I Can

The follow-up to Alas I Cannot Swim, titled I Speak Because I Can, was released on 22 March 2010. Produced by Ethan Johns, the album has a more mature sound and lyricism, dealing with "responsibility, particularly the responsibility of womanhood."[9] The album is preceded by the singles "Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)", released on iTunes in December 2009[10] and "Devil's Spoke" on 15 March 2010. On 23 March 2010, industry magazine Music Week, the publisher of the official UK Charts, reported that I Speak Because I Can was likely to be the highest new entry in the UK Albums Chart, reporting its midweek position as Number 3, behind albums by Boyzone and Lady GaGa. [11]

Releases

Albums

  • Alas, I Cannot Swim (2008) #45 UK
  • I Speak Because I Can (2010) #4 UK, #7 AUS

EPs

  • London Town EP (2008)
  1. "London Town"
  2. "She's Changed"
  3. "Failure"
  4. "Tap at My Window"
  • Cross Your Fingers EP (2008) [12]
  1. "Cross Your Fingers" (Single Version)
  2. "I'm A Fly"
  3. "Blackberry Stone" (Demo)
  4. "Tap At My Window" (Live From Union Chapel)
  5. "Cross Your Fingers" (Live From Union Chapel)
  • My Manic and I EP (2007)
  1. "New Romantic"
  2. "Night Terror"
  3. "My Manic and I"
  4. "Typical"

Singles

  • "Ghosts" #108 UK
  • "Cross Your Fingers/Crawled Out of the Sea" #113 UK
  • "Night Terror"
  • "Goodbye England (Covered in Snow)" #133 UK
  • "Devil's Spoke" #97 UK

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Fisher, Alice, Tell Laura I love her at least I used to, 'The Observer', 23 August 2009. URL accessed on 2010-01-25.
  2. Fisher, Alice, Little gal with a full-grown talent, 'The Observer', 26 October 2008. URL accessed on 2010-01-25.
  3. Lusk, Jon, Fans of Belle & Sebastian, Arcade Fire and Bill Callahan may well enjoy this disc (review, Peaceful, The World Lays Me Down), BBC, 8 August 2008. URL accessed on 2010-01-28.
  4. Laura Marling
  5. Bearded magazine
  6. The George Lamb Show on BBC 6 Music
  7. Observer interview
  8. YouTube - laura marling busking part 1
  9. NME - I Speak Because I Can, First Listen
  10. Laura Marling - News. URL accessed on 2009-12-13.
  11. Music Week - Boyzone's Brother holds off GaGa's Fame
  12. iTunes: Laura Marling Cross Your Fingers EP

External links

  • Official Website
  • BBC London article
  • Later with Jools Holland: Watch Laura Marling perform My Manic and I
  • Later with Jools Holland: Watch Laura Marling interview, Nov 2007
  • Interview with Rob Townsend
  • Laura Marling at NPR Music
  • Sunday Times article, February 2010
This page was last modified 29.03.2010 12:31:50

This article uses material from the article Laura Marling from the free encyclopedia Wikipedia and it is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.