An Emerging Musician You Should Know About: Marina V

I spend a lot of time listening to new music and helping emerging artists get the good stuff into the hands of decision-makers in the music industry -- so get ready for a series of introductions.
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Look back on the past few years of your life and take stock of how much music radio listening you do. Is it as much as it used to be? Chances are you've phased music radio out of your life and you haven't missed it too much. I know that's the case for a lot of people. Listening statistics show it but exactly 100% of the people I asked before I started writing this piece told me it was the case for them. OK, it wasn't a scientific poll but it was enough for me to feel like I'm on solid ground when I point it out here on The Huffington Post.

What you probably have missed however is the discovery of some great new music. There's a lot of it out there. In fact, there's more out there than ever before. A recent article in the Los Angeles Times noted that there are over 13 million musician profiles on the social networking site Myspace alone. If you calculate that each of those artists may have 4 to 5 songs posted for your listening pleasure, there's more music available for free online than you could listen to in a lifetime. Add to that the fact that there are likely more than a million new songs created and posted each year and you've got yourself a real content management problem. But, only a small fraction of it will be quality music in the genres you personally will enjoy -- emphasis on the word "quality."

More and more, music lovers turn to taste-makers, podcasts and bloggers to learn of music that is available. Sure, you have to do a little work to find the taste-makers that actually target your taste but if they're good and consistent they develop very loyal followings. As part of my business, I spend a lot of time listening to new music and helping emerging artists get the good stuff into the hands of decision-makers in the music industry -- the people who decide which music makes it into movies, advertisements, video games and yes, onto the radio and other mass exposure vehicles. A by-product of that is that I come across some real gems and I've been storing them up in anticipation of the new Arts section here on HuffPo so get ready for a series of introductions to some really great emerging musicians you should know about.

I'm kicking this off with Marina V:

Born in Soviet Russia to a Communist nuclear physicist father and a child psychologist mother, Marina grew up in Moscow singing and making up her own melodies before she could talk. When Marina turned 15, she entered a national competition for a scholarship to study in the U.S.A. for a year and won, beating thousands of Russian peers. "I can't quite explain it, but I feel like I bloomed during that year in America. American culture has this relaxed yet 'go for it' attitude, which I think allowed me to just be myself." That was when Marina decided to move to America, by herself, no matter the difficulties.

Years later, Marina is now releasing her newest album which she recorded after raising $30,000 through her website from her fans to fund the project. The first track, "You Make Me Beautiful," starts off the album with its catchy pop sound. Marina V has a smooth and somewhat flirtatious voice. Click on the button below to launch the song and video player. I really like this track and hope you do too. Enjoy!

"You Make Me Beautiful" by Marina V

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