Laura Marling

Marling joined her older sisters in London at age 16 to pursue a career in music. She played with a number of groups and released her debut album, Alas, I Cannot Swim, in 2008. Her first album, her second album I Speak Because I Can, her fourth album Once I Was an Eagle, and her seventh album Song for Our Daughter were nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2008, 2010, 2013, and 2020, respectively. Her sixth record, Semper Femina, was also nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Folk Album category, as was Song for Our Daughter.


Her songwriting is associated with sex and relationships, the modern concept of womanhood, and trauma.^[2]

Early life[edit]

Marling is the youngest of three daughters. Her mother is a music teacher.^[3] Marling's father, Sir Charles William Somerset Marling, 5th baronet^[4][5][6] ran a recording studio, introduced her to folk music, and shaped her musical taste,^[7] an experience that Marling later described as, "a bit of a blessing and a bit of a curse. ... [because] I couldn't slot myself into the age-appropriate genre".^[8] She learned guitar at an early age.


Marling was privately educated at Waverly Primary School in Finchampstead, Berkshire and Leighton Park School, a Quaker school in Reading, Berkshire.^[9] During her secondary school years she felt uneasy around other people and was afraid of death.^[7][10]

Acting[edit]

Marling co-stars in the short film "Woman Driver", which was filmed in Marfa, Texas, and directed by Chris Perkel. The movie was shot and edited in 72 hours. Marling later won "Best Actress" at the 72-Hour National Film Challenge. The film was shown at the London Short Film Festival on 14 January 2015 and premiered on Vimeo the following month. The film also featured new music from Marling.^[61]