Electra Heart

After returning from the United States after the launch of her debut studio album The Family Jewels (2010), Diamandis considered creating a character which would become the centerpiece of her follow-up project. She commented that she was inspired by the "Tumblr generation" to photograph herself in several places across the United States, appearing as a different persona in each picture to mimick the anonymity of the "mini-stars of the internet". The final product became "a cold, ruthless character who wasn't vulnerable", which she later named "Electra Heart" and detailed as a tool to represent a combination of elements associated with the American Dream and Greek tragedy, and added that visuals would merge the differing concepts into a cohesive idea. Diamandis originally planned to release the record as a "side project" under an entity separate from Marina and the Diamonds, although her management disapproved. The track "Living Dead" was the first recorded during its production, and approximately 22 songs were recorded for potential inclusion on the album. She later commented that the record was dedicated to "dysfunctional love", elaborating that "rejection is a universally embarrassing topic and Electra Heart is my response to that." Diamandis stated that Electra Heart was influenced by Madonna, Marilyn Monroe, and Queen of France Marie Antoinette; she described Madonna as being "fearless" and felt that she showcased a desire to be a successful artist beyond fame and wealth. Diamandis told Glamour that Britney Spears influenced a "double-sided" theme for the record of both "innocence" and "darkness". She described the final product as being "a bit cringe" and reflective of her personal experiences, although noted that its promotional campaign would be "pink and fluffy". ==Composition==

Electra Heart is a pop, electropop, record with inflections of new wave, pop-punk, dubstep, rock, and Italo disco. She later commented that the album was specifically designed as a pop record to allow her to establish a greater prominence in the contemporary music industry. Alexis Petridis from The Guardian compared the lyrical content used throughout the pop punk-inspired opener The following track "Primadonna" is a pop number that contains a "surging beat" and an "anti-chorus structure", which according to James Christopher Monger from AllMusic blends styles reminiscent of Swedish singer Lykke Li and the British band Coldplay. "Lies" is an electro ballad, which Michael Cragg from BBC Music felt that allowed Diamandis to "deal directly with her emotions", and opined that contributions from producer Diplo gave the song "extra gloom wobble sadness". while Laura Snapes from Pitchfork commented that Diamandis repeatedly delivers the lyrics "I am weak" with an "increasingly ephemeral voice" as it progresses. Snapes also felt that "Living Dead" was a more "vulnerable moment" from Electra Heart, and compared it to the "snappy [and] taut" works of English duo Soft Cell. Electra Heart closes with its 12th track "Fear and Loathing", which experiments with electronic music styles; Petridis made particular note of its minimal production, which according to him, places emphasis on Diamandis' "coolly enunciated and slightly folky" vocals. ==Release and promotion==

On 1 March, Diamandis unveiled the album artwork for the standard version of Electra Heart, which depicts a blonde Diamandis wearing several hair rollers. The singer later revealed that because of the dye, her hair started to fall out, so she got a boy's haircut and wore a wig. Becky Bain from Idolator complimented its "retro film stock look" and opined that it "is just a snapshot from some 1970s exploitation movie", while Bradley Stern from MuuMuse jokingly referenced the album track "Homewrecker" when stating that she "looks like a proper Suzy Homemaker! (Or should I say Suzy Homewrecker?)" The artwork for the deluxe version features the same picture of Diamandis, although it is tinted purple. The track listing for the standard version was confirmed on 1 March, while the track listing for the deluxe version was announced on 5 March. A limited edition box set of Electra Heart contained the deluxe version of the record, four photo art cards, a ring, perspex, necklace, and pocket mirror. The first, titled "Part 1: Fear and Loathing", was released on 8 August 2011, and sees Diamandis cutting her long brown hair and singing the track on a balcony during the nighttime. It was followed by "Part 2: Radioactive" on 22 August, which depicts a blonde-wigged Diamandis travelling across the United States with her romantic interest. The track was released through the iTunes Store on 23 September, and peaked at number 25 on the UK Singles Chart on 15 October. The black-and-white clip "Part 3: The Archetypes" shows the close-up of a blonde Diamandis while the introduction of "The State of Dreaming" is played; it introduced the archetypes "housewife", "beauty queen", "homewrecker", and "idle teen" on 15 December. "Part 4: Primadonna" served as the music video for the lead single from the record on 12 March 2012. Uploaded on 18 May, the black-and-white "Part 5: Su-Barbie-A" is set to the introduction of "Valley of the Dolls" with overlapped commentary mentioning "Quick-Curl Barbie" and "Mod-Hair Ken"; it depicts Diamandis standing on the porch of a house with her back to the front door. It was followed by "Part 6: Power & Control" on 30 May, where Diamandis is seen engaging in a series of mind games with her romantic interest. Diamandis alleged that Atlantic Records delayed the premiere of "Part 7: How to Be a Heartbreaker" because they felt she was "ugly" in the clip; it was made publicly available on 28 September, and sees Diamandis interacting with several shirtless men in a community shower. "Part 8: E.V.O.L." introduced the previously unreleased track "E.V.O.L" on 14 February 2013. The black-and-white visual shows a brown-wigged Diamandis looking about a room with white-tiled walls. "Part 9: The State of Dreaming", premiered on 2 March, presents Diamandis lying on a bed while "alternating between sad eyes and a big smile". It begins with a black-and-white filter, although transitions into color after the first minute. It was followed by "Part 10: Lies" on 17 July, and employs a similar black-and-white to color technique. Diamandis is first seen looking into the camera wearing little makeup, and is later shown walking into the woods and sitting at a dinner table in the rain. The final music video "Part 11: Electra Heart" introduced the previously unreleased title track; the clip itself contains footage from the earlier music videos. It symbolically ended the promotional era for Electra Heart, with Diamandis having tweeted "Goodbye, Electra Heart!" on 8 August, the same day the video was released. Singles Inspired by the six-single promotional campaign for Katy Perry's Teenage Dream (2010), Diamandis planned to release six singles from Electra Heart; however, three tracks were released before she finished promoting the album. "Primadonna" was announced as the lead single from the record on 13 March 2012, Robert Copsey from Digital Spy spoke favourably of the track, complimenting its overall production and Diamandis' portrayal of its female archetype. It peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Diamandis' fifth song to enter the top 40 in the United Kingdom. "Power & Control" was released through the iTunes Store in the United Kingdom on 20 July 2012 and served as the second single from Electra Heart. It peaked at number 193 on the UK Singles Chart. In July 2012, it was announced that "How to Be a Heartbreaker" would be released as the second single in the United States and the third single in the United Kingdom. Diamandis commented that she had written the track while Electra Heart was being pressed in the United Kingdom, and consequently missed the cut-off for initial inclusion on the record; however, it was featured in the revised track listing for the American version. The song was released through the iTunes Store on 7 December 2012, and peaked at number 88 on the UK Singles Chart. Tour In February 2012, Diamandis announced the launch of her headlining the Lonely Hearts Club Tour. It ran alongside the Mylo Xyloto Tour headlined by Coldplay, for which Diamandis served as the supporting act. The Lonely Hearts Club Tour was initially scheduled to begin on 4 May at the Manchester Cathedral in Manchester, although it was delayed after Diamandis sustained a vocal cord injury, and ultimately began on 18 June at the Waterfront in Norwich. The American leg of the tour began on 10 July at the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles, while the tour itself ended on 29 May 2013 after a performance at the Rumsey Playfield in New York City. ==Critical reception==

Electra Heart received mixed reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 57, based on 16 reviews. Writing for AllMusic, James Christopher Monger compared the record to the works of American singers Kesha and Lady Gaga, and favourably summarised it as "a brooding, sexy, desperate, overwrought, and infectious record that's both aware and unashamed of its contrivance." Rolling Stone magazine listed it among the 50 Greatest Concept Albums of All Time. ==Commercial performance==

Electra Heart debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with first-week sales of 21,358 copies. It became Diamandis' first chart-topping album in the United Kingdom, although it was additionally distinguished as the lowest-selling number-one record of the 21st century in the country. Electra Heart performed moderately on additional record charts in Europe. The record peaked at number 11 on the Swiss Hitparade, On 13 April 2019, the album was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments in excess of 500,000 units in the United States. In 2021, the album's opening track "Bubblegum Bitch"—despite never having been released as a single—experienced a resurgence on social media platform TikTok and subsequently was certified Gold in the United States. ==Track listing==

Notes • signifies a co-producer. • signifies an additional drum producer. • signifies an executive producer. • signifies a remixer. ==Personnel==

Credits were adapted from the liner notes of the deluxe edition. Musicians • Marina Diamandis – vocals (all tracks); piano (tracks 9, 12, 16) • Rick Nowels – keyboards (tracks 1, 4, 6, 10, 11); electric guitar (track 4); piano (tracks 6, 11) • Dean Reid – drums, bass, keyboards (track 1); electric guitar (tracks 1, 6) • Rusty Anderson – electric guitar (tracks 1, 4, 6, 10, 11); bouzouki (track 10) • Tim Pierce – electric guitar (tracks 1, 6, 11) • Dan Chase – keyboards (tracks 1, 4); drums, bass, programming (track 4) • Dr. Luke – all instruments, programming (tracks 2, 3) • Cirkut – all instruments, programming (tracks 2, 3) • Diplo – additional programming (track 3) • Greg Kurstin – keyboards, programming (tracks 5, 7, 8, 14); piano (track 5); guitar, bass (tracks 7, 8, 14) • Devrim Karaoğlu – keyboards, drums, programming (tracks 6, 10, 11); strings (track 6); bass (tracks 10, 11) • David Campbell – string arrangements, string conducting (tracks 6, 10) • Liam Howe – santoor, Philicorda (track 9); synthesisers (tracks 9, 12); Mellotron, telegraph key, all programming (track 12) • The Elite – additional drum programming (track 9) • Matt Chamberlain – drums (track 11) • Lambrini Kaklamani – additional vocal (track 12) • Mikkel S. Eriksen – all instruments (track 13) • Tor Erik Hermansen – all instruments (track 13) • DJ Chuckie – all instruments (track 13) • Fabian Lenssen – all instruments (track 13) • Ryan Rabin – all instruments, programming (track 15) • Ryan McMahon – all instruments, programming (track 15) Technical • Rick Nowels – production (tracks 1, 4, 6, 10, 11) • Dean Reid – co-production, recording (track 1) • Kieron Menzies – recording (tracks 1, 4, 6, 10, 11) • Nigel Lundemo – additional engineering (tracks 1, 4, 6, 10, 11) • John Ingoldsby – additional engineering (tracks 1, 4, 6, 10, 11) • Trevor Yasuda – engineering assistance (tracks 1, 4, 6, 10, 11) • Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing (tracks 1, 4, 6, 10, 11) • Matty Green – mixing assistance (tracks 1, 4, 6, 10, 11) • Dr. Luke – production (tracks 2, 3) • Cirkut – production (tracks 2, 3) • Serban Ghenea – mixing (tracks 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 14) • Clint Gibbs – engineering (tracks 2, 3) • Jon Sher – engineering assistance (tracks 2, 3) • Irene Richter – production coordination (tracks 2, 3) • Katie Mitzell – production coordination (tracks 2, 3) • John Hanes – mix engineering (tracks 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 14) • Tim Roberts – mix engineering assistance (tracks 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 14) • Phil Seaford – mix engineering assistance (tracks 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 14) • Diplo – co-production (track 3) • Greg Kurstin – engineering (tracks 5, 7, 14); production (tracks 5, 7, 8, 14) • Jesse Shatkin – additional engineering (tracks 5, 7, 14) • Devrim Karaoğlu – production (tracks 6, 10, 11) • Charlie Paakkari – engineering (tracks 6, 10) • Liam Howe – production; mixing (tracks 9, 12, 16) • The Elite – additional drum production (track 9) • Stargate – production (track 13) • DJ Chuckie – production (track 13) • Fabian Lenssen – production, recording, additional engineering assistance (track 13) • Mikkel S. Eriksen – recording (track 13) • Miles Walker – recording (track 13) • Phil Tan – mixing (track 13) • Damien Lewis – additional engineering assistance (track 13) • Tim Blacksmith – executive production (track 13) • Danny D. – executive production (track 13) • Ryan McMahon – production, recording, engineering (track 15) • Ryan Rabin – production, recording, engineering (track 15) • Dan Parry – mixing (track 15) Artwork • Casper Balslev – photography • Big Active – layout ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==