Laura Marling

Laura Beatrice Marling, born 1 February 1990, is an English folk singer-songwriter and musician. Recognized as a key figure in the British nu-folk music scene, she has released multiple solo studio albums and earned critical acclaim for her songwriting, which frequently explores themes of relationships, trauma, loss, psychoanalysis, and modern womanhood.

Raised on a farm in Eversley, Hampshire, Marling is the youngest of three daughters. Her mother worked as a music teacher, and her father, Sir Charles William Somerset Marling, 5th baronet, ran a recording studio. Introduced to folk music by her father, who taught her guitar at age five, she wrote her first song, "Failure," at fourteen. Marling attended Waverly Primary School and Leighton Park School on a scholarship. At sixteen, after completing her GCSEs, she moved to London to pursue a music career.

In London, Marling became involved in the burgeoning nu-folk movement, collaborating with various acoustic-leaning bands. She contributed background vocals to the indie folk band Noah and the Whale's debut album before leaving the group, provided guest vocals for Mystery Jets and The Rakes, and performed with future members of Mumford & Sons. Following tours with artists like Jamie T and Adam Green, as well as early festival performances, she released her debut EP, London Town, in 2007.

Marling released her debut studio album, Alas, I Cannot Swim, in February 2008 on Virgin Records, featuring her early track "Failure." She followed this with I Speak Because I Can in 2010 and A Creature I Don't Know in 2011. Her fourth album, Once I Was an Eagle, arrived in 2013, created with a minimalist approach where she recorded all songs without a band. She subsequently released Short Movie in 2015, which she co-produced, and Semper Femina in 2017.

In 2020, Marling released her seventh solo album, Song for Our Daughter, which was issued early due in part to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to her solo career, Marling formed the band Lump with Mike Lindsay, releasing a self-titled debut album in 2018 and Animal in 2021. She has also collaborated with Ed O'Brien and contributed covers to the television series Peaky Blinders. Following the birth of her daughter, she released her eighth studio album, Patterns in Repeat, in October 2024, followed by a children's album, Laura Sings Raffi, in June 2026.

Throughout her career, Marling has received widespread industry recognition. She won the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist in 2011 and received nominations for the same award in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018. Four of her solo albums—Alas, I Cannot Swim, I Speak Because I Can, Once I Was an Eagle, and Song for Our Daughter—were nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. Additionally, Semper Femina and Song for Our Daughter earned Grammy Award nominations in the Best Folk Album category.

Outside of music, Marling co-starred in the short film Woman Driver, winning Best Actress at the 72-Hour National Film Challenge. She lived in Los Angeles before relocating to Stoke Newington, London. Marling completed a master's degree in psychoanalysis in 2024. She gave birth to a daughter in 2023 and a son in December 2025.