Marina Łuczenko

Marina Łuczenko-Szczęsna (née Łuczenko; born 3 July 1989), known mononymously as Marina (stylized as MaRina), is a Polish singer.

Biography

1989–2008: Early life and career beginnings Marina Łuczenko was born in Vinnytsia, Ukraine (then the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic). At age two, she moved with her parents and brother to Poland, where her grandparents were originally from before they moved to Ukraine during the Second World War. The family settled in Stalowa Wola, a city located in southeastern Poland in the Subcarpathian Voivodeship. Her talent for singing was discovered by her father, who was a musician himself.

As a child, she participated in numerous singing contests and television music competitions, winning on many occasions. She began her professional career in 2000, appearing in Waldemar Krzysteks television play Ballada o zabójcach. In 2004, she played the lead role of Juliet in Studio Buffo Theatres adaptation of Romeo and Juliet directed by Janusz Józefowicz. In 2007, she took part in the music competition New Wave, and finished third. She was awarded $20,000, and was offered a record deal with Universal Music Germany, which she rejected as she did not agree with its terms. She also received a special prize of $50,000 from one of the organisers, Alla Pugacheva.

2009–2012: Breakthrough: 39 i pół, "Glam Pop" and Hardbeat

In 2009, Marina was cast as Amanda, the daughter of the main character (played by Tomasz Karolak), in the Polish television series 39 i pół. That year, she received the Eska Music Award for Best Debut.

After parting ways with her manager Maja Sablewska in 2011, she began recording new material for her debut studio album. The album titled Hardbeat, which she released independently in November 2011, received positive reviews from music critics. It was preceded by the single "Electric Bass", released a month earlier. Marina was nominated for VIVA Comet Awards in 2011 and 2012, receiving a total of six nominations, including Female Artist of the Year and Album of the Year (Hardbeat).

In 2012, she became Levi's autumn-winter 2012/2013 ambassador in Poland.

2013–present: Hiatus, On My Way, 39 i pół tygodnia and Warstwy In October 2013, while working on new music in a recording studio in London, Marina experienced singing difficulties which proved to be caused by a polyp on her left vocal cord. As a result, she was forced to put her career on hold, and in May 2014 underwent laser microsurgery performed by Steven M. Zeitels to remove the polyp.

Marina's comeback single and the lead single from her second studio album, "On My Way", was released in April 2016. The song was co-written by Arrow Benjamin and produced by Pete Boxta. That year, she also featured on James Arthurs song "Let Me Love the Lonely" from his second studio album Back from the Edge (2016). Released as a single in Poland, it was certified gold by the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry (ZPAV). "Takin' Ya Rock Out" and "Hiding in the Water" served as the album's second and third singles, respectively. Its fourth and final single, "Complete", was released in August 2018.

Marina reprised her 39 i pół role in the show's revival called 39 i pół tygodnia in September 2019. She released her third studio album, Warstwy, in December 2020. The record debuted and peaked at number 50 in the Polish charts, The first two singles were certified Gold and Platinum by ZPAV, respectively. In 2022, she recorded the song "This Is the Moment" in support of Poland at the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Personal life In 2013, she started dating footballer Wojciech Szczęsny. They got engaged on 7 July 2015, and married on 21 May 2016. The couple has a son, Liam (born 30 June 2018), and a daughter, Noelia (born 3 July 2024).

In December 2022, Marina revealed she had been diagnosed with an ovarian cancer, which turned out to be benign.

Discography

Studio albums Title Album details Peak chart positions POL Hardbeat Released: 5 November 2011 Label: independent release (distributed by Fonografika) Formats: CD, digital download, streaming — On My Way Released: 17 November 2017 Label: independent release (distributed by e-Muzyka) Formats: CD, digital download, streaming — Warstwy Released: 7 December 2020 Label: independent release (distributed by e-Muzyka) Formats: CD, digital download, streaming 50 "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Singles As lead artist Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album POLNew "Glam Pop" 2010 — "Pepper Mint" — "Electric Bass" 2011 3 Heart Beat "Saturday Night" 2012 — "On My Way" 2016 — On My Way "Takin' Ya Rock Out" 2017 — "Hiding in the Water" — "Complete" 2018 — "News" 2019 — ZPAV: Gold Warstwy "Nigdy więcej" 2020 — ZPAV: Platinum "Skandal (Odbijam)" — "Nie prowokuj" 2021 — "Lip Gloss" — "This Is the Moment" 2022 — "Forever21" 2023 — "W blasku" — "Baby Mommy" 2024 — "To co czuję" 2025 — "—" denotes items which failed to chart.

As featured artist Title Year Certifications Album "Let Me Love the Lonely" (James Arthur featuring Marina) 2016 ZPAV: Gold Back from the Edge(Polish release)

Other recorded songs Title Year Other performer(s) Album "Sen" 2018 Smallfoot(Polish release)

Filmography 2009: 39 i pół (TV series) as Amanda 2009: I pół (TV movie) as Amanda 2010: Usta usta (TV series) as Emilia Skowron 2019: 39 i pół tygodnia (TV series) as Amanda