Tim Hughes talks to one of the hottest new acts this year – the sparkling Marina & the Diamonds.

STARTING the summer practically unknown, singer-songwriter Marina ‘Diamond’ is on her way to becoming this autumn’s hot new name.

A committed gigger, the sharp and witty Marina’s success is built on the back of a punishing schedule – including that rite of passage of any up-and-coming artist, the festival season.

And while great fun, she admits there have been lows as well as highs – including that worse fear of any festie-goer… getting stuck in the notoriously grubby toilets.

“It was gross!” she gasps, recoiling in horror at the memory. “I was at the Latitude Festival, in Suffolk, went into one of the toilets, and got stuck in there.”

“The lock was really dodgy. I freaked out. It was my worse nightmare; and there was the worse stench ever.

“It wasn’t very funny. I only got out by unscrewing the lock.”

Marina, 23, – real name Marina Diamandis – is half-Welsh, half-Greek, grew up in the shadow of the Black Mountains in Wales, and now lives in North London – which is where I catch up with her.

With the likes of La Roux, Florence & the Machine, Bat for Lashes and Little Boots all going great guns, this is a good time for sassy frontwomen. Though, despite her name, Marina & The Diamonds, is not so much a band, as, well, just her.

And she is not keen on comparisons with any of the aforementioned girl stars.

Her debut album, being produced by Pascal Gabriel (New Order, Kylie) and Liam Howe (of Sneaker Pimps), is expected early next year. But the buzz has already begun, stoked by debut single Obsessions/ Mowgli’s Road and EP Crown Jewels.

And it shows no sign of abating with her inclusion on the influential Fly53 NME Radar tour. This four-headed feast of new music kicks off at the Oxford O2 Academy next Saturday, and sees Marina sharing a bill with Golden Silvers, Local Natives and US electro pop outfit Yes Giantess.

But it’s Marina, with her mix of theatrical vocals, quirky pop, synth-rock and keys-led ballads, who is tipped to steal the show.

“I have always had a weird feeling that I have to do this,” she explains. “I didn’t tell my parents, and pretended to go to university. I went to four different universities and dropped out each time. But it ensured I had money, which allowed me to hone my songwriting skills. It’s taken a long time but I’m getting there.

“It has been the most exciting time of my life, being in the back of a tour bus. It has been highly, highly enjoyable! And now my mum is proud of what I’ve done.”

Inevitably, the prospect of an interesting, intelligent and beautiful new woman songwriter has got a lot of people excited, not least the style magazines.

“I wouldn’t say I’m a style icon but if you’re a woman you get categorised as one,” she says. “I do dabble in it, and go out and get loads of things, but I don’t want that to be the focus as I like people to listen to my music.”

Shows at the Big Weekend and Glastonbury helped get Marina’s name out at the start of the summer, while a stunning set at Reading and a live televised session sealed her fate as a hot new name.

“After things like that you feel really excited, but there’s no room to be complacent,” she says.

So she’s diving back into the maelstrom with the NME tour.

“It’s great,” she says. “I never thought the NME would be into me, so to have their support is really important.

“Since the age of 14, I was hell-bent on doing this, even though there was no sign I was ever going to be good. But I like taking risks and am strong willed. And if I believe I can do it, I usually can!”

Marina & the Diamonds play the Fly53 NME Radar Tour at the Oxford O2 Academy on Saturday, September 26. Doors open at 6pm. Tickets are £9.50 from nme.com/radartickets or call 0871 230 1094 l See next week’s Guide for more on the Fly 53 NME Radar Tour.