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Laura Marling has described the writer's block she experienced prior to the release of her fifth album as "undignified."
The singer has been fairly prolific since the release of her debut album, Alas I Cannot Swim, in 2008. There was a two-year gap though, between the release of her fourth LP Once I Was An Eagle, and her fifth, Short Movie, which is out today (23 March).
Speaking to news.com.au of this gap, during which Marling moved to LA, was rejected from a poetry course and worked a regular job to pay the bills, she said, "I had little choice in the matter. It didn't seem to want to happen. It was undignified - that's exactly what it felt like."
She continued, "My music and my ability and my confidence in my ability were a huge part of my persona. Because that’s such a grounding thing to be confidently doing what you are lucky enough to be good at. And I didn’t have that — for the first time ever. It was horrible."
Watch Laura Marling perform 'I Feel Your Love' below
Speaking of her decision to leave LA, Marling said, "Interestingly I never felt lonely in the entire time I travelled around America — not once did I feel disconnected from humanity. Only living in Los Angeles for eight months without much purpose. And purpose gives so much dignity — I hadn’t paid much attention to that. So I was living without the dignity of purpose basically and that’s when I felt lonely."
“I had to sort of slightly admit defeat in the end and retreat back to where people knew me in my true sense. But it wasn’t that I was beaten out of Los Angeles, it was more that I exhausted my resources or something."
Marling kicks off her UK tour in April. See full tour dates, and buy tickets, below.
Tue 21 Apr - UK, London - Queen Elizabeth Hall
Wed 22 Apr - UK, Cambridge - Corn Exchange
Fri 24 Apr - UK, Manchester - Albert Hall
Sat 25 Apr - UK, Glasgow - O2 Academy
Mon 27 Apr - UK, Birmingham - Institute
Wed 29 Apr - UK, London - Queen Elizabeth Hall
Thu 30 Apr - UK, London - Queen Elizabeth Hall
Mon 04 May - UK, Southampton - O2 Guildhall
Tue 05 May - UK, Bristol - Colston Hall
Thu 07 May - IE, Dublin - Olympia
Fri 08 May - UK,Belfast - Waterfront Hall
Click here to read out 9/10 review of Laura Marling's Short Movie.
