26 Apr 2012

Watch Marina & The Diamonds "Starring Role" (Acoustic Version)

Marina & The Diamonds pours her heart out in a new video featuring an acoustic performance of "Starring Role," a brand-new track taken from her forthcoming new LP, "Elektra Heart."

Marina has been performing special, lo-fi versions of a few of her new songs to warm up fans for the new album. The singer previously charmed us with living room renditions of "Primadonna" and the very good "Lies," a tune originally produced by Dr Luke and Cirkut.

Co-written and produced by Greg Kurstin, "Starring Role" is a gut-wrenching tune about a love gone sour. Marina cries out for attention trying to hold on to a passionate romance that may not be able to survive as it has turned into a struggle for attention and control. "You hard to hug, tough to talk to and I never fall asleep, when you're in my bed," Marina aches. "Sometimes I ignore you so I feel in control cause really, I adore you, and I can't leave you alone (. . .) It almost feels like a joke to play out the part when you are not the starring role in someone else's heart."

"Starring Role" perfectly captures the big theme of "Elektra Heart." In a press release, Marina explains that her new album is "is an ode to dysfunctional love." She explains, "I based the project around character types commonly found in love stories, film and theatre, usually ones associated with power and control in love, as opposed to weakness or defeat. I guess it was a way of dealing with the embarrassment that, for the first time in my life, I got 'played.' Rejection is a universally embarrassing topic and 'Electra Heart' is my response to that. It is a frank album." 

"Elektra Heart" will released in the U.S. on July 17. Her single "Primadonna" is available on iTunes now. Watch the acoustic version of "Starring Role" below.