Marina Verenikina

Marina Verenikina
Marina Verenikina
Birth name Marina Gennadievna Verenikina
Also known as Marina V
Born October 3, 1982 (1982-10-03) (age 29)
Origin Moscow, Soviet Union
Genres Pop, acoustic
Occupations Singer, musician
Years active 1999–present
Website Marina V's Official Website

Marina Verenikina (known as Marina V) is a Russian-American singer/musician. She was born in the city of Moscow in the Russian SFSR to a nuclear physicist father and a child psychologist mother. She now lives in Los Angeles and tours internationally.

Contents

Early life

Marina started singing at an early age. Her mother arranged for formal music education. At age 10, Marina performed one of her original compositions for her piano teacher, who dismissed it as "nonsense".[1][self-published source?] Marina was discouraged and stopped writing for a while. At the time, the Soviet Union was still under control of the Communist state, and Western culture was forbidden; the only music Marina was exposed to as a child was classical and Russian folk songs. After a friend gave Marina a bootleg cassette of The Beatles, she was inspired to write songs again. She learned many Beatles songs, which also helped to improve her understanding of the English language.[2]

At 15, Marina won a national competition for a scholarship (FLEX/Freedom Support Act - sponsored by US Senator Bill Bradley) to study in the United States. After living in Springfield, Illinois for a year, she returned to Russia, and started working to save enough money to return to the US, where she felt a greater freedom for individual creativity. At the same time, Marina learned that her mother was moving to Australia, and that the Russian school system would give her no credit for her time studying in America. After graduating from high school at 17, Marina returned to the US and Springfield, where she enrolled at Illinois College. She graduated cum laude with a combined degree in international studies and economics-business and a minor in Spanish.[3][page needed] During this time, she began to write songs about her experiences and relationships, channeling her emotions into music.

Music career

Shortly after she turned 19, Marina met guitarist Nick Baker, who inspired her to take her musical talents seriously; she sold her pickup truck and bought a piano. She entered in her college's talent competition and sang her original composition "Leaving", winning first prize. She decided then to start recording her music and was able to finance a recording session for her debut CD Let Me Dream through paid pre-orders from students and faculty members. Her first show, at a coffeehouse in Jacksonville, Illinois, was filled to capacity. Marina and Baker began writing songs together and began touring around Illinois, enjoying considerable success. They decided to move together to Los Angeles, California where they currently reside. Virtually unknown in Los Angeles, Marina and Baker accepted any gigs they could find — including a successful tour of several Borders Bookstores[1][self-published source?] — and sent out hundreds of demos to anyone and everyone in the music industry. Eventually they caught the attention of David Krebs, a manager who has worked with Don McLean, Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Aerosmith, among others. In 2005, Marina joined forces with Jack Douglas, whose discography ranges from John Lennon and George Harrison to Aerosmith. Douglas produced two tracks for her Simple Magic album: "Underneath Your Sky" and "Killing My Dream".[1][self-published source?][4]

Accomplishments

  • Marina has received acclaim from numerous print and online publications; The Washington Post calls Marina's music "melodic and passionate"[5] Marina has been named as one of the "Hot 100 Unsigned Artists" by Music Connection Magazine and is a proud recipient of the ASCAP popular award three years running.[citation needed]
  • Marina's music has been licensed in film and TV, including MTV.[citation needed]
  • Marina's song "Pesnya o Tebe" appears in Direct Contact, a 2009 Danny Lerner film starring Dolph Lundgren.[6]
  • In 2006, Marina and Nick Baker toured the Czech Republic and Slovakia.[7]
  • She regularly performs at Hollywood's Hotel Cafe, and on January 15, 2008, Marina V appeared at the Kodak Theater for the North American Chinese New Year Festival.[citation needed]
  • In spring 2009, Marina's song "Sunshine Guaranteed" appeared on Tap Tap Revenge 2, a popular iPhone game
  • In November 2009, Marina's song "You Make Me Beautiful" was nominated for Hollywood Music Awards[8]
  • In March 2010, Marina released her new studio album, My Star. She raised almost $30,000 from her fans[9] to record it with Guy Erez (famous for his work with Gipsy Kings, Ryan Cabrera, Karmina, Keaton Simons, etc.)
  • Famed guitarist Bruce Kulick appeared on My Star as guest guitarist. Ryan Hoyle appeared on Marina's record as guest drummer.
  • Marina is a member of NARAS, SESAC, and the Grammy Museum.
  • Several of Marina's songs have appeared on NBC's famed show, Days of Our Lives. Sony Pictures / Days of Our Lives Official Website

Discography

Albums

  • Something Of My Own (2003)
  • Simple Magic (2005)
  • Marina V : Live at SoundMoves (2006)
  • Modern Fairytale (2008)
  • My Star (2011)
  • Small Collection of Interesting Songs (2011)

References

  1. ^ a b c "From Russia to L.A. to London with Love: Soviet-Born Singer/Songwriter Marina V Relishes the 'Simple Magic' of Being a Cultural Ambassador with 3 Shows in London April 5th, 6th & 11th" (Press release). Los Angeles. 2007-03-29. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2007_March_29/ai_n18767014/. [self-published source?]
  2. ^ Pasadena Weekly, October 4, 2007[page needed]
  3. ^ Illinois College website, IC News & Events[page needed]
  4. ^ "Error: no |title= specified when using {{Cite web}}". SonyPictures. http://www.sonypictures.com/tv/shows/daysofourlives/specials/music_detail_5277.html. 
  5. ^ The Washington Post, July 30, 2009 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/29/AR2009072901539.html
  6. ^ IMDB - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1182609/soundtrack
  7. ^ Illinois Times, December 21, 2005
  8. ^ Hollywood Music Awards Official Website http://www.hmmawards.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=36&Itemid=107
  9. ^ Artist Official Website, http://www.marinav.com/sponsor.html

External links


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