Along with her duties as a keyboardist and lead vocalist for Ladytron, Helen Marnie makes thoughtful synth pop as Marnie. Born and raised in Glasgow, Marnie grew up listening to '80s pop stars such as Madonna, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, and the Bangles as well as artists like Joni Mitchell, Kate Bush, and Maria Callas. She studied classical piano at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and earned a B.A. in pop music from the University of Liverpool in 1999. That year, she formed Ladytron with Daniel Hunt, Reuben Wu, and Mira Aroyo; when the band went on hiatus in 2011 after releasing five albums, Marnie began her solo career. Working with Hunt and Bang Gang's Barði Jóhannsson in Reykjavik, Iceland, she recorded her debut album, Crystal World, which Les Disques du Crépuscule released in 2013. The following year, The Hunter Remixed single, which featured remixes by Stephen Morris, Mark Reeder, and Roman Nose, arrived on Record Store Day. Another single, "Wolves," appeared that September (a limited edition of the single with a Marsheaux remix was issued as a Record Store Day release in 2015). Following collaborations with Bang Gang and RM Hubbert, Marnie returned in 2017 with her second full-length, Strange Words and Weird Wars, which Disco Pinata released that June. ~ Heather Phares