Marina V (www.marinav.com) is an unique combination of east and west. Born and raised in Moscow, she grew up listening to both Tchaikovsky and the Beatles. Her father was a communist nuclear physicist and her mother a psychologist, who sent Marina to music school every evening after regular school.
She began writing songs in early childhood, often working with her grandmother. To this day, she continues the tradition by including a Russian song in each set and on each CD she has recorded (five so far!)
Marina won a prestigious scholarship through the FLEX program at the mere age of 15 and immigrated to the United States. After attending the University of Illinois, she moved to Los Angeles, where I first met her in 2002.
Marina considers herself a Cultural Ambassador and is active in such charities as the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life and Amped 4 a Cure, which supports cancer research through music.
Beginning in 2003, she spent almost two years playing every Friday and Saturday at Borders stores in the Los Angeles and Orange County area, slowing building up a fan base and polishing her performing chops. Since then, she has performed at such venues as the Kodak Theater and the Hotel Cafe', to name a few. Her music has been used in films ("Fallen Idol" and "Truth about Kerry"), as well as on television ("Days of our Lives" and "The Good Wife") and in video games.
Her most recent CD, My Star, was entirely funded by her fans, and produced by world renowed producer Guy Erez (Gipsy Kings, Ryan Cabrera). It was officially released on January 18, 2011.
Marina submitted one of the songs on her new CD, "You Make Me Beautiful," to the folks at YouBloom.com. After several qualifying rounds of fan voting, the song was selected as one of the Top 4 songs (out of more than 1200 submitted). As a result, Marina has been invited to London to perform for Bob Geldorf and Nigel Green, as well as winning a nice pot of money (about 3,000 pounds). Check out the official music video at www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwsgsdwdvh4.
So, what is in store for Marina in 2011? She has a new manager, Marty Marmor of Enteramente Artist Services, and has secured the booking services of Jan Storey (mother of Nina Storey, previously profiled). In addition, she has recently received endorsement deals with Daisy Rock Girl Guitars and Sennheiser microphones. Marina wants to tour even more than she did in 2010, and play as many festivals as she can.
For those living in Los Angeles, Marina will be performing at 7 p.m. on February 26, 2011 at the Hotel Cafe', opening up for the EP Release of another Twenty to Watch artist, David and Devine (www.davidanddevine.com).
If you want to keep up with Marina, you can follow her on Twitter @marinav, on her website, or www.facebook.com/marinavmusic. You can email her at Marina@marinav.com.
Keep your eyes on this redheaded Muscovite. The sky is the limit for her in 2011.
Comments