Interview by Tom Lanham

Perception is a curious thing. To the outside world, Marina Diamandis is the drop-dead gorgeous Greek/Welsh front vixen of Britain’s popular Marina and the Diamonds, with a chart-topping 2010 debut The Family Jewels under her belt and a brand-new, even poppier sophomore set, Electra Heart, to boot. Additionally, the fashionista designed her own window display for overseas department store Selfridges & Co. — for which she also posed as a live model — and has been named the new face of Max Factor for their latest makeup line. So what personal travails could possibly keep this kitten from contentedly purring? Quite a few, apparently. Pretty? Famous? Diamandis snorts, derisively. “Well, I certainly don’t think of myself like that,” she sighs. “But if I see a really beautiful person who appears to have lots of good qualities, you kind of think, ‘Oh, they would never be rejected or lose in love!’ But it all depends on who you fall for. And if you think that person is the most beautiful person in the world, you’ll always feel less than him if he doesn’t feel the same about you.” Romantic problems? She’s had ’em in spades, and utilized the album/alter-ego Electra Heart [and thumping dance-pop ditties like “Lies,” “Primadonna,” “Bubblegum Bitch,” and “Fear & Loathing”] for cathartic release. As they say, Hell hath no fury….