Anya Marina
Encyclopedia
Anya Marina is a singer-songwriter
based in San Diego
, California
. Her music has primarily gained notice after being on a variety of television sitcoms and has been featured on prime time dramas.the ABC television drama Grey's Anatomy
as well as CBS's How I Met Your Mother
, MTV's The Real World
, ABC's Castle
, Showtime's United States of Tara, CW's Gossip Girl
, The Vampire Diaries
, and Supernatural
and has a song featured on the Twilight "New Moon" soundtrack.
, Michigan
and was raised in the Silicon Valley
area of California
, as the eldest of two sisters. Her parents are both University professors, who teach Psychology and Russian Literature. Marina moved to Los Angeles as an aspiring actress. She attended classes at the British American Drama Academy
, taught by Richard Dreyfuss
, and Eli Wallach
among others, and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
in Pasadena, California, Marina also acted in television and film (in 2001, she acted in the feature film, 100 Girls
). She moved back home to earn a college degree in English composition at Santa Clara University
, where she continued to work in acting, musical theatre
, music, improvisation and comedy, working as a DJ on KSCU, the University's radio station.
in San Diego. She was first hired by Mike Halloran, initially at another studio, Y107 in Los Angeles before they both moved to Premium Radio
in San Diego's North San Diego County, California
. After leaving KSOQ both disc jockey
s worked at FM 94/9.
In San Diego Marina played her first open mic night and began to write her own songs. She developed a live stage act using what she learned as an actress, comic and impressionist. Her recorded debut was a five-song EP called Exercises in Racketeering, which eventually led to a full-length album, Miss Halfway, which was released January 25, 2005. Anya subsequently opened for Jason Mraz
and Rhett Miller
. She was named one of the "Best Unsigned" acts by the San Diego CityBeat
.
The songs on Miss Halfway talk about her upbringing and ex-boyfriends. The album was produced by Scott Russo, the frontman for rockers Unwritten Law
, and Peter King from The Surfers. The record eventually earned a San Diego Music Award
for Best Recording. The title track also landed on Grey's Anatomy and was featured as the fifth song on the second Grey's Anatomy (soundtrack)
disc along with The Fray
, KT Tunstall
, Gomez
and Snow Patrol
.
On January 20, 2009, Marina released her second album, Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II. The album was produced by Brian Karscig
from Louis XIV
and Britt Daniel from Spoon
. The music video for the album's first single, "Move You", was directed by Scott Coffey
. On June 8, 2009
the video for "All The Same To Me", directed by Josh Forbes, premiered exclusively on Spinner.com.
Anya Marina performed songs from Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II at BETA Records TV
studios in Hollywood, California. A video was posted of a personal interview and her small intimate performance of "All The Same To Me" directed by Eric MacIver and produced by Chris Honetschlaeger. (Links included in References)
In the summer of 2009, Anya was nominated for 3 San Diego Music Awards: Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (Slow and Steady Seduction: Phase II), and Song of the Year ("Move You"). On September 10, 2009, "Move You" won the award for Song of the Year, beating out fellow nominees including Jack Tempchin and Jason Mraz.
Her song "Satellite Heart" was featured on the New Moon soundtrack
. "Satellite Heart" was released October 8, 2009, with the video (directed by Scott Coffey), released on November 3, 2009. Later that same month, she performed the song at multiple venues on the nationwide 'New Moon Talent Tour'. Marina co-hosted the live MySpace broadcast of the New Moon premiere. Anya was highlighted in an article by CNN.com as an artist poised on the edge of breakout success due to her involvement in the soundtrack.
Marina's cover of "Whatever You Like", originally by rapper T.I.
, was featured on the November 9, 2009 episode of Gossip Girl, "They Shoot Humphreys, Don't They?
".
Marina has toured with Jason Mraz
, Chris Isaak
, Greg Laswell
, Eric Hutchinson
, Lissy Trullie
, and Joshua Radin
.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
based in San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Her music has primarily gained notice after being on a variety of television sitcoms and has been featured on prime time dramas.the ABC television drama Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
as well as CBS's How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother
How I Met Your Mother is an American sitcom that premiered on CBS on September 19, 2005, created by Craig Thomas and Carter Bays.As a framing device, the main character, Ted Mosby with narration by Bob Saget, in the year 2030 recounts to his son and daughter the events that led to his meeting...
, MTV's The Real World
The Real World
The Real World is a reality television program on MTV originally produced by Mary-Ellis Bunim and Jonathan Murray. First broadcast in 1992, the show, which was inspired by the 1973 PBS documentary series An American Family, is the longest-running program in MTV history and one of the...
, ABC's Castle
Castle (TV series)
Castle is an American comedy-drama television series, which premiered on ABC on March 9, 2009. The series is produced by Beacon Pictures and ABC Studios. On January 10, 2011, Castle was renewed for a fourth season...
, Showtime's United States of Tara, CW's Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl (TV series)
Gossip Girl is an American teen drama television series based on the book series of the same name written by Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, and premiered on The CW on September 19, 2007...
, The Vampire Diaries
The Vampire Diaries (TV series)
The Vampire Diaries is an American supernatural drama television series developed by Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec, based on the book series of the same name written by L. J. Smith. The series premiered on The CW Television Network on September 10, 2009, and is currently in its third season that...
, and Supernatural
Supernatural (TV series)
Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they...
and has a song featured on the Twilight "New Moon" soundtrack.
Early life
Anya Marina was born in Ann ArborAnn Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
and was raised in the Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
area of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, as the eldest of two sisters. Her parents are both University professors, who teach Psychology and Russian Literature. Marina moved to Los Angeles as an aspiring actress. She attended classes at the British American Drama Academy
British American Drama Academy
The British American Drama Academy is a drama school in the United Kingdom.Background=The British American Drama Academy was founded in 1983 to enable students from around the world to study classical theatre with leading actors and directors of the British theatre...
, taught by Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Dreyfuss
Richard Stephen Dreyfuss is an American actor best known for starring in a number of film, television, and theater roles since the late 1960s, including the films American Graffiti, Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Goodbye Girl, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, Stakeout, Always, What About...
, and Eli Wallach
Eli Wallach
Eli Herschel Wallach is an American film, television and stage actor, who gained fame in the late 1950s. For his performance in Baby Doll he won a BAFTA Award for Best Newcomer and a Golden Globe nomination. One of his most famous roles is that of Tuco in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly...
among others, and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts
American Academy of Dramatic Arts
The American Academy of Dramatic Arts is a fully accredited two-year conservatory with facilities located in Manhattan, New York City – at 120 Madison Avenue, in a landmark building designed by noted architect Stanford White as the original Colony Club – and in Hollywood, California...
in Pasadena, California, Marina also acted in television and film (in 2001, she acted in the feature film, 100 Girls
100 Girls
100 Girls is a 2000 comedy film written and directed by Michael Davis. It tells the story of a college student's efforts to find a mystery girl with whom he had sex on an elevator during a black out.-Plot:...
). She moved back home to earn a college degree in English composition at Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara University is a private, not-for-profit, Jesuit-affiliated university located in Santa Clara, California, United States. Chartered by the state of California and accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, it operates in collaboration with the Society of Jesus , whose...
, where she continued to work in acting, musical theatre
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
, music, improvisation and comedy, working as a DJ on KSCU, the University's radio station.
Career
After graduating in 1997, Anya worked at radio station XHRM-FMXHRM-FM
XHRM-FM is an Urban Adult Contemporary radio format licensed in the Mexican state of Baja California, broadcasting at 92.5 MHz...
in San Diego. She was first hired by Mike Halloran, initially at another studio, Y107 in Los Angeles before they both moved to Premium Radio
KSOQ
KSOQ-FM, broadcasting in FM at 92.1 MHz is the simulcasting partner of San Diego country music station KSON, 97.3 MHz. The main studios are located near Mission Valley in San Diego....
in San Diego's North San Diego County, California
North San Diego County, California
North County is a region in the northern area of San Diego County, California. It is the second most populous region in the county after San Diego, with an estimated population of 826,985. North County is well known for its affluence, especially in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, Carlsbad, Del Mar, Rancho...
. After leaving KSOQ both disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
s worked at FM 94/9.
In San Diego Marina played her first open mic night and began to write her own songs. She developed a live stage act using what she learned as an actress, comic and impressionist. Her recorded debut was a five-song EP called Exercises in Racketeering, which eventually led to a full-length album, Miss Halfway, which was released January 25, 2005. Anya subsequently opened for Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz , also known as Mr. AZ and Mr. Raz, is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy ", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, "Mr. A-Z", in 2005, that Mraz achieved...
and Rhett Miller
Rhett Miller
Stewart Ransom Miller II , better-known as Rhett Miller is the lead singer of the alternative country band Old 97's and a successful solo musician. He graduated from St. Mark's School of Texas, a private boys' school in Dallas in 1989 and briefly attended Sarah Lawrence College on a creative...
. She was named one of the "Best Unsigned" acts by the San Diego CityBeat
San Diego CityBeat
San Diego CityBeat is an alternative weekly newspaper in San Diego, California that focuses on local progressive politics, arts, and music. It is published every Wednesday and distributed around San Diego county, although with a focus on the city of San Diego itself, with a weekly circulation of...
.
The songs on Miss Halfway talk about her upbringing and ex-boyfriends. The album was produced by Scott Russo, the frontman for rockers Unwritten Law
Unwritten Law
Unwritten Law is an American rock band formed in 1990 in Poway, California and currently recording for Suburban Noize Records. They have released seven full-length studio albums and have toured internationally, including performances on the Warped Tour...
, and Peter King from The Surfers. The record eventually earned a San Diego Music Award
San Diego Music Awards
The San Diego Music Awards are an awards show held annually in San Diego, California to recognize the best bands and artists in local music. The awards have been held since 1991 and were originally organized by the city's main local music publication, , which eventually became the alternative...
for Best Recording. The title track also landed on Grey's Anatomy and was featured as the fifth song on the second Grey's Anatomy (soundtrack)
Grey's Anatomy (soundtrack)
Grey's Anatomy Original Soundtrack is the soundtrack album series for the television series Grey's Anatomy, with three volumes released in the series...
disc along with The Fray
The Fray (band)
The Fray is an American rock band from Denver, Colorado. Formed in 2002 by schoolmates Isaac Slade and Joe King, they achieved success with the release of their debut album, How to Save a Life in 2005, which was certified double platinum by the RIAA and platinum in Australia, Canada, New Zealand...
, KT Tunstall
KT Tunstall
Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall is a Scottish singer-songwriter and guitarist from St Andrews, Scotland. She broke into the public eye with a 2004 live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later... with Jools Holland...
, Gomez
Gomez (band)
Gomez are an English indie rock band from Southport, comprising Ian Ball , Paul "Blackie" Blackburn , Tom Gray , Ben Ottewell and Olly Peacock . The band is distinguished for having three singers and four songwriters, employing traditional and electronic instruments...
and Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol
Snow Patrol are an alternative rock band from Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland. Formed at the University of Dundee in 1994 as an indie rock band, the band is now based in Glasgow...
.
On January 20, 2009, Marina released her second album, Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II. The album was produced by Brian Karscig
Brian Karscig
Brian Joseph Karscig is a musician, songwriter, and record producer, but is mostly recognized as the co-singer/guitarist/songwriter for the American Rock and Roll Band LOUIS XIV. He also is the singer/songwriter of American Rock Band The Nervous Wreckords...
from Louis XIV
Louis XIV (band)
Louis XIV was an American rock band from San Diego, California.-Beginnings: :Lead singer/guitarist Jason Hill, guitarist Brian Karscig, and drummer Mark Maigaard formed the group in April 2003 while living in Paris, France. Bassist James Armbrust soon joined after.Louis XIV, the band's first album,...
and Britt Daniel from Spoon
Spoon (band)
Spoon is an American rock band formed in Austin, Texas. The band is composed of Britt Daniel ; Jim Eno ; Rob Pope and Eric Harvey .-History:...
. The music video for the album's first single, "Move You", was directed by Scott Coffey
Scott Coffey
Scott Coffey is an American actor, director, producer, screenwriter. His acting credits include films such as Shag, Some Kind of Wonderful, Dream Lover, and Mulholland Drive...
. On June 8, 2009
2009 in music
The following is a list of notable events and releases in 2009 in music. Susan Boyle's album I Dreamed a Dream became the biggest selling album in the world for 2009, selling 8.3 million copies in five weeks; more than any other artist's in the whole year...
the video for "All The Same To Me", directed by Josh Forbes, premiered exclusively on Spinner.com.
Anya Marina performed songs from Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II at BETA Records TV
BETA Records TV
BETA Records TV / BETA TV - is a nationally syndicated weekly music-centric TV series filmed and produced in the heart of Hollywood, showcasing at least 3 acoustic artist videos from newly signed and Indie bands in episode format...
studios in Hollywood, California. A video was posted of a personal interview and her small intimate performance of "All The Same To Me" directed by Eric MacIver and produced by Chris Honetschlaeger. (Links included in References)
In the summer of 2009, Anya was nominated for 3 San Diego Music Awards: Artist of the Year, Album of the Year (Slow and Steady Seduction: Phase II), and Song of the Year ("Move You"). On September 10, 2009, "Move You" won the award for Song of the Year, beating out fellow nominees including Jack Tempchin and Jason Mraz.
Her song "Satellite Heart" was featured on the New Moon soundtrack
New Moon (soundtrack)
The Twilight Saga: New Moon soundtrack is the official music for the 2009 film The Twilight Saga: New Moon. The score for New Moon was composed by Alexandre Desplat while the rest of the soundtrack was chosen by music supervisor Alexandra Patsavas, who also produced the Twilight soundtrack...
. "Satellite Heart" was released October 8, 2009, with the video (directed by Scott Coffey), released on November 3, 2009. Later that same month, she performed the song at multiple venues on the nationwide 'New Moon Talent Tour'. Marina co-hosted the live MySpace broadcast of the New Moon premiere. Anya was highlighted in an article by CNN.com as an artist poised on the edge of breakout success due to her involvement in the soundtrack.
Marina's cover of "Whatever You Like", originally by rapper T.I.
T.I.
Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr. , better known by his stage name T.I., is an American rap artist, film and music producer, actor and author. He is also the founder and co-chief executive officer of Grand Hustle Records....
, was featured on the November 9, 2009 episode of Gossip Girl, "They Shoot Humphreys, Don't They?
They Shoot Humphreys, Don't They?
"They Shoot Humphreys, Don't They?" is the 52nd episode of the CW television series, Gossip Girl. It was also the ninth episode of the show’s third season. The episode was written by Amanda Lasher and directed by Alison MacLean. The episode was considered very polemic according to the Parents...
".
Marina has toured with Jason Mraz
Jason Mraz
Jason Thomas Mraz , also known as Mr. AZ and Mr. Raz, is an American singer-songwriter. Mraz released his debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, which contained the hit single "The Remedy ", in 2002, but it was not until the release of his second album, "Mr. A-Z", in 2005, that Mraz achieved...
, Chris Isaak
Chris Isaak
Christopher Joseph "Chris" Isaak is an American rock musician and occasional actor.-Early life:Isaak was born in Stockton, California, the son of Dorothy , a potato chip factory worker, and Joe Isaak, a forklift driver. Isaak's mother is Italian American, originating from Genoa...
, Greg Laswell
Greg Laswell
Greg Laswell is a musician, recording engineer, and producer from San Diego, California. He has released four studio albums: Good Movie in 2003, Through Toledo in 2006, and Three Flights from Alto Nido in 2008, and Take a Bow in 2010, as well as several EPs and special singles...
, Eric Hutchinson
Eric Hutchinson
Eric Hutchinson is an American singer-songwriter. He signed with Madonna's Maverick Records, but the label shut down before his album was released. Hutchinson recorded and released the album Sounds Like This on his own...
, Lissy Trullie
Lissy Trullie
Elizabeth "Lizzy" McChesney, better known by the stage name Lissy Trullie, is an American singer-songwriter and former model. She released her debut EP, Self-Taught Learner, in February 2009, and as of 2009, performs with a band named Lissy Trullie...
, and Joshua Radin
Joshua Radin
Joshua Radin is an American recording artist, songwriter and actor. He was born and raised in Shaker Heights, Ohio, and is of Swedish, German, Polish, Russian, and Austrian descent. He studied drawing and painting at Northwestern University, following his college years with stints as an art...
.
Discography
- Miss Halfway (January 25, 2005)
- Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II (January 20, 2009)