[REMINDER] Don’t Miss Marina w/ LPX | Sept. 20 @ The Ryman

Out in support of great new double album Love + Fear, her first in four years and first under her newly shortened moniker, eclectic pop singer Marina (formerly Marina and the Diamonds) is set to make her headlining debut at Nashville’s own Ryman Auditorium tonight, Sept. 20. One of the most unique and interesting pop artists of the last decade, we can’t think of a more perfect room in town to see the singer live, and with support from LPX, another must-know, genre-bending pop singer on the rise (and, notably, the co-founder of tastemaking label Neon Gold), it’s sure to be one of the coolest shows off the year. You can still get tickets here while they last, and read on for more about the show!

MARINA

Born Marina Diamandis in Wales to Welch and Greek parents, Marina, who rose to fame over the last decade under her former marker Marina and the Diamonds, relocated to London as a teen, funneling an eclectic mix of musical influences and a lifelong love of pop into the off-kilter, synth-soaked, new wave, dance, and indie pop primed sound that would propel her to international acclaim. After her 2009 debut EP and early radio and festival appearances, as well as an initial wave of online buzz, Marina inked a deal with Atlantic Records ahead of her 2010 first full-length, The Family Jewels. Though a breakthrough, commercially successful hit in her native UK, the album failed to really resonate stateside, but with 2012 followup Electra Heart, featuring breakout tune “Primadonna,” and dropping amidst increasingly larger tours like an arena run with Katy Perry, the singer rose to true worldwide recognition. Largely self-sufficient, and a product of little formal training, taking influence from everyone from Britney Spears to The Distillers, Madonna to Fiona Apple, Marina’s powerful, unique voice and unwillingness to conform to a single style, jumping between new wave electropop dance tunes to earnest keyboard ballads and beyond, Marina has cemented her status as one of the most unique artists to arrive this decade, and enjoys a rabid cult following, even if her works still seems somewhat under-appreciated at the mainstream level. Following 2015’s especially personal and poppy third full-length Froot, Marina took a bit longer to craft her latest, shortening her moniker (and reclaiming her feeling of authenticity) in the interim, and pondering the duality of human nature and emotion, ultimately writing a double album divided into two sides representing Love + Fear. One of the most interesting and talented contemporary pop artists around, The Ryman feels like the most perfect place in town to host Marina amidst the latest chapter of her compelling musical journey.

LPX

While we previously mentioned Marina’s signing with Atlantic early on, before that major label interest, a boutique indie label, Neon Gold, released her first EP, and has stayed involved in her career in the years since. The tastemaking New York label has similarly had a hand in helping break beloved artists like Passion Pit, Ellie Goulding, Charli XCX, Gotye, and Tove Lo, among others, and was co-founded by Lizzy Plapinger, a college student at the time. When not serving as an in-demand label boss, Lizzy previously made music as one half of dream pop duo MS MR, and more recently has embarked on a solo career under the moniker LPX. With her own distribution apparatus, you might be inclined to assume something like this could be a vanity project, but you’d be gravely mistaken- LPX is, in fact, one of the most underrated, compelling, and refreshingly unique American pop singers around, fusing a love of punk, indie rock, and alternative with huge, hook-driven, synth-primed electropop. Seriously, LPX should be gigantic, and if you’re a discerning pop fan who hasn’t yet dug into her work, there’s no matter time than the present. A perfect and distinct compliment to Marina, this is an opener you’ll want to be extra punctual for.

Marina and LPX will perform tonight, Sept. 20 at The Ryman Auditorium. The show is all ages, begins at 8 p.m., and tickets are available to purchase for $38.50-53.