by Danielle Bulhoes

Marina Lambrini Diamandis, also known as by her stage names of MARINA or Marina and the Diamonds, is a Welsh singer and songwriter who has a long career in music. With about a decade of experience under her belt as well as a few awards, MARINA is set to release her fourth album this year, labelled Love + Fear, with “Superstar” being one of the songs released to the public.

Lyrically, the song is your usual love ballad, depicting a relationship that is supportive, accepting and affectionate. This song should feel a little happier than it does, but thanks to the creative choice to accompany the lyrics with almost gloomy piano-like EDM, the lyrics sort of come off as obsessive and dependent on the subject of the song, maybe even a little stalkerish with lyrics like these:

“And I, I know that you never sleep
Oh, so impossible to dream
When you’re far away from me
Oh, I, I’m all you could ever need
Oh, so impossible to breathe”

Pretty off-putting right? But I have to admit, I can see the other side of this coin too. If I focus on the words, I can imagine a happy couple who are so in love with each other that their worlds revolve around the other. They make each other stronger and happier, capable of taking on life’s challenges together as a team. The singer obviously cares deeply for the subject of the song, calling them their ‘superstar’, a point of strength and admiration.

“You never judge me for any of my fears
Never turn your back, always keep my body near
All of the days that we spend apart
My love is a planet revolving your heart

….

We’ll stick together
Make it through the storm
You and I
Whoever said we couldn’t have it all?”

This song is a contradiction. One one hand, you have a gloomy, borderline spooky and tense song that hints at dangerous obsession. On the other, you can hear the singer’s deep affection for their partner and the love they share for each other. It’s a very appropriate song to introduce MARINA’s latest album, , Love & Fear, coming out this April.