Marina Verenikina
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| Marina Verenikina | ||
|---|---|---|
| Background information | ||
| Birth name | Marina Gennadievna Verenikina | |
| Also known as | Marina V | |
| Born | October 3, 1982 | |
| Origin | Moscow, Russia | |
| Genre(s) | Pop, Acoustic | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, Musician | |
| Years active | 1999–present | |
| Website | Marina V's Official Website | |
Marina Verenikina (also known as Marina V to her fans) was born in Soviet Russia to a nuclear physicist father and a child psychologist mother.
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[edit] Life in Russia
She grew up singing and making up her own melodies even before she could talk. Sensing her musical talents, Marina's mother insisted that she take up formal musical education which she did for 8 years.
The time spent in the Soviet Regime music school was hard on Marina as she was not permitted to fully express her musical talents. At the age of 10, she decided to perform one of her original compositions to her piano teacher but was told that her music was 'simply nonsense'. She was upset at the teacher's comment as it made a lasting impression on her formative years. She decided to suppress her musical talents by putting her song writing talents on hold. She loathe attending the music classes and often skipped it. She turned to reading, skateboarding, torn jeans, karate and swimming and went figure skating in winter instead.
At the time, Russia was still under Communist Rule and anything Western were considered contraband, the only music that she was exposed to where Russian Folksongs and Classics. Her life changed when she chanced upon the The Beatles. She began listening to their music and started playing them on the piano. That was when she was exposed to Western music and that rekindled her interest in music.
At the age of 15, being a bright student, she enrolled in a national competition for a year-long scholarship to study in the USA and won beating thousands of her Russian peers. That year made Marina realize that the American culture was more nurturing to individual creativity and she decided to move by herself to America - whatever it took. Her time in Springfield, Illinois was a life-changing one as her yearning to return to America was cemented.
When she returned to Russia, she found out that her mother was moving to Australia and that her year-long education in the USA did not count academically in Russia. She knew she needed to get back to America. Being a hard worker that she is, she took on several jobs to finance her trip back to the US and at the same time to support her family and complete her high school education in Russia.
[edit] Coming to America
Her dreams came true when she was 17, leaving her family behind, she set off by herself back to the shores of America to Springfield as it was the only place she knew. Life didn't come easy for her as she needed to struggle through hardships of being on her own in a new environment. She struggled through several bad relationships and other life-alternating experiences and things did not appear to go her way. While studying at Illinois College, she found solace through her songwriting as she penned her experiences.
[edit] Marina's Music Career
Shortly after she turned 19, she met Nick Baker who became her soul mate and inspired her to take her musical talents seriously which she did. She sold off her pick-up truck and bought a piano and began playing and singing her songs daily. At that time, she entered in her college talent competition and sang her original composition 'Leaving' and took home first prize. After getting compliments and praises from her fellow students on how much her song moved them, she decided to start recording her music and with pre-orders coming in from fellow students and faculty members, she was able to finance the whole recording session and manufacture of her debut CD 'Let Me Dream'. Her first show in a little coffeehouse in Jacksonville, Illinois, was filled to the fire capacity. That was 1999.
She started collaborating with Nick Baker and together they co-wrote songs and they toured together playing to packed crowds in and around Illinois. Nick Baker is an accomplished guitarist in his own right and can be seen performing with Marina. He is a great inspiration to her and together they are a match made in heaven.
In 2001, during their CD release 'LIFT' concert, the ceiling collapse right before they went onstage to perform. If they had been onstage five minutes earlier, they would have been either injured or killed but with divine intervention, only some of their drumkit and guitarist's gig were damaged. At the time, the band were greeting their fans and have just completed their soundcheck.
In 2002, after exhausting their options in Illinois, both Marina and Nick decided to moved to Los Angeles, California where they are currently residing. Being virtually unknown in Los Angeles, both Marina and Nick, took on any gigs they could find including playing at Borders and made one fan at a time. They began sending out hundreds of demos to anyone and everyone in the music industry.
In July 2003, their first break came when they caught the attention of David Krebs, who has been instrumental in building the careers of Don McLean, Trans-Siberian Orchestra and Aerosmith, among others.
In the spring of 2004, Marina joined forces with Jack Douglas, whose discography ranges from John Lennon and George Harrison to Aerosmith.
Marina has received noteworthy mentions from numerous prints and online publications and was recently featured in Keyboard Magazine, which called her "one of the most promising singer/songwriters of the year". Marina has also 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. She is officially endorsed by AUDIX microphones, PEAVEY products and YAMAHA digital pianos.
Despite her successes, Marina V is a very approachable girl and can be seen on MySpace where she makes time to communicate with her fans. She loves camping & hiking in the wild, traveling, reading, learning Yoga, eating all kinds of international food and going to the opera, theatre & the movies. She is described as a fun-loving girl which a passion for life. She is a determined girl who does not let any barriers or obstacles get in her way.
In 2006, she received her US Citizenship. Despite being an American now, she has not forgotten her family in Moscow whom she keeps in contact with and visits regularly. Not forgetting her roots, she includes a Russian track with each of her albums.
Marina continues to write, record and tour locally in the US and Europe while looking for an artist-friendly record label.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Let Me Dream (1999)
- LIFT (2001)
- Something Of My Own (2003)
- Simple Magic (2005)
- Marina V : Live at SoundMoves (2006)
