Greek-Welsh singer, songwriter and poet Marina Lambrini Diamandis, formerly known as Marina & The Diamonds but now MARINA, has been around since the 2000s. Famous for making music that shaped the teenage years of many Tumblr users, she released five albums between 2010 and 2021. After a short hiatus, during which she focused on her poetry and released her book ‘Eat the World’, Damiandis began teasing new music in May 2024. At the end of January, fans could scan a QR code that would lead them to a location where they could pick up a colouring book page and actual, living caterpillars that would turn into butterflies. The snippet turned out to become her latest single ‘BUTTERFLY’, released on the 21st of February 2025.
The song opens with a soft rhythm, like that of a xylophone repeatedly being played, with a tingling sound added halfway through the first verse. Together, they create a magical atmosphere, as if the listener is in some sort of dreamland. “Sometimes people gonna let you down” is the first line Diamandis sings in this track, immediately stating that she will not be sugarcoating anything. She continues this by stating that while she has enough “of being on [her] own”, she will have to make it on her own anyway because other people are not treating her right. The track then moves into its first pre-chorus, where the fast snapping of fingers can be heard as Diamandis says “Goodbye, goodbye, watch me grow from afar as I turn into a butterfly.” The singer has shared that this track is about the metamorphosis of the main character, becoming a butterfly after having sat in their cocoon.
The track’s chorus is very interesting, where synthesised vocals take centre stage, stating how she is a butterfly that is “already high”, backed up by a more intense drumbeat. This could be interpreted as the singer stating how she’s achieved what she wanted alone. Throughout the chorus, Diamandis’ vocals also shine through in some of the lines. The same structure is followed for the second verse, pre-chorus and chorus before the song grows into its bridge. “Red, gold, orange, blue, white, green, violet too” the singer sings, referring to the beauty of the butterfly she has transformed into that the people she left behind will never get to see. The track receives one final chorus before it ends with the outro, where we can imagine Diamandis flying away for the last time – “I’m gonna fly, gonna fly like you’ve never seen”
As stated by Diamandis herself, this specific song is the lead single and first part of the story of her upcoming album, of which the title is yet to be announced. The same goes for the release date, although fans are already widely speculating about both – and the tracklist. Diamandis has gone in a different direction with this track, working together with CJ Baran – known for working on tracks of Aly & AJ and Carly Rae Jepsen – to create a mystical track about independence and inner growth.
Written by: Mandy Huibregtsen
Edited by: Ilse Muis
