words and interview by Ashley Jones

“Growing up in a conservative, military household made being part of the LGBTQ+ community completely unheard of. So, for me, writing about bisexuality in an unapologetic, bold way makes me feel empowered, it’s such a taste of freedom.” 

Based in the Northwest, MARiMARi is an up-and-coming independent artist using her platform to creatively tackle taboo topics such as grief and sexuality in order to empower both herself and anyone out there who may be able to relate.

“Teenage me would be blown away at my confidence and she probably wouldn’t believe a word of this.”

In her latest release ‘No Regrets’, Mari takes influence from artists such as Charli XCX and Grimes musically. Through these influences she’s able to unapologetically express her bisexuality, disregarding the prejudice surrounding her sexuality and confidently owning the way she feels in the face of bigotry.

When asked about the impact her sexuality has had on her songwriting, Mari said: “Teenage me would be blown away at my confidence and she probably wouldn’t believe a word of this.”

Growing up in a conservative family made being openly bisexual tricky, she explained, but being able to freely express herself with music helped the young artist feel secure in her sexuality. 

“In 6 months, I’ve grown my following to around 15,000 from zero.” 

Like many others, I found Mari and her music from the video sharing app, TikTok. Under the username, @xomarichan, Mari has cultivated a following of over ten thousand users of the app. 

According to her, social media is the most accessible way to market music in 2024.

“Posting TikTok Videos and Instagram posts have become part of my daily routine. It definitely takes time to adjust to but it’s definitely worth it. In 6 months, I’ve grown my following to around 15,000 from zero.” 

Marketing her songs ‘No Regrets’ and ‘Aerosol’ via the app led the alternative-pop artist having her music played on BBC Radio 1, as an independent artist, this is a success she believes was made possible due to her social media presence. 

Despite ‘No Regrets’ and ‘Aerosol’ being her most popular songs statistically, Mari says that her personal favourite is Itaba-Cho. “It’s my least streamed song but my absolute favourite, and I think will always be.”

She continued: “I didn’t promote it on socials as much as my other songs as it’s a personal song with my experience with grief, and I felt comfortable with it being a hidden gem.”

When talking about the pressure of statistics Mari said that this year, she is aiming to be more conscious about what her body needs, giving the numbers less power over how she feels about her work. 

When discussing the success of her latest release ‘No Regrets’, the singer-songwriter expressed great pride in her work:

“It feels so sweet thinking about how a song that me and my best friend wrote in our uni accommodation, is really connecting with strangers! Sharing this song with my family was a huge deal to me and I’m so relieved I did because it’s brought me closer to my dad. Which if you know about the song – you know why.”

Mari also explained that due to how well the song was received, she feels even closer to her audience, often receiving fanart as a result! 

Fans of Mari will be pleased to know that she has no plans of slowing down as she is currently working towards releasing her debut EP and performing a 45 minute set live for the first time.  

Follow MARiMARi here: 

Tiktok: @xomarichan

Instagram: @xomarimari 

Spotify: MARiMARi