Originally from the Netherlands and now rooted in London’s creative undercurrent, MARLEY is carving out her own lane with unapologetic honesty, lush vocals, and a clear-eyed commitment to self-expression. Her latest single “Good Times” features velvet-smooth production, and soul-leaning grooves, and though disguised as a carefree anthem, beneath the surface there is a deeper, thought-provoking message.
“Good Times” sees MARLEY poke fun at the success-obsessed world we live in, and those who believe money equals happiness. The songwriter is here to challenge narratives and remind us that real riches are found in the moments we can’t buy.
Noctis Magazine spoke with MARLEY about the new single and her experiences that lead to its conception, and about how embracing imperfection has become the backbone of her artistry.
“Good Times” has this smooth, soulful sheen to it, but the lyrics dig into something deeper. What sparked the idea for the song, and how did it evolve in the studio with PENGWIN?
“Good Times” is inspired by society’s idea and perception of success. In the song, I wanted to use humour to play with that idea. I feel like a lot of us grow up with the illusion that whenever you have money or fame, that you will be happy. And I feel like a lot of us are very focused on only getting to that goal. And sometimes we tend to forget to live in the now and we forget that there’s so much more to life than being rich and famous. In the song, I just kind of wanted to play with that and say: ‘Look, you can have all the money in the world, but you can still not be happy’. I would say that the song is a reminder for people to also focus on their inner happiness.
You’ve said the track was inspired by your time working closely with wealthy clients. Can you talk a little about what that experience taught you about happiness and identity?
A lot of the time it’s a bit of a taboo to speak about your wealth and stuff, so I feel like a lot of people tend to think that once you get to a certain amount of wealth in terms of financial wealth, that that automatically makes you a lot happier and that you have less problems. However, working with people and also growing up in an environment where a lot of people had quite a lot of money to spend, I think I saw at a very young age that money can make you happy, but that money can also bring a lot of problems. It can also actually create problems between people. So I feel like it has shown me at a very young age that money isn’t everything.
You’re very open about your journey with self-love and perfectionism. Has writing and releasing this song brought any personal breakthroughs?
I wouldn’t necessarily say it has brought me any personal breakthroughs. However, I do feel like it challenged my writing skills, because I’m using a lot of new words and references. I also feel like the melody is quite fast and I don’t have a lot of time to breathe in between sentences. I would say it has brought me a breakthrough in terms of songwriting, but on a personal level not really.
What’s one “good time” you had recently that reminded you money can’t buy joy?
I mean, the weather in London has lately just been so amazing and there’s just nothing that can compare to that feeling of being outside late at night, when there is still that warm breeze. When you see people having drinks, laughing and when everyone is just in a very good mood, because of the weather. I feel like that’s something that’s so unbeatable.
You’re originally from the Netherlands — has your background there influenced your sound or approach in any way? And are there any Dutch artists you think we should be paying more attention to right now?
I mean, I do feel like Dutch culture is very direct and honest and I think that’s definitely reflected in my songwriting. In the Netherlands, we don’t really shy away from saying stuff just as it is and I feel like in my songs I kind of do the same. But apart from that not really.
There are so many great Dutch artists. One of my favourites is Frenna. I am so happy that he’s starting to build more international success now, but I’ve been a fan of his music for years. I think he’s very versatile. I would even call him the Dutch Burna Boy. He’s just so versatile. I think he writes amazing melodies and what I admire about him is that it looks like he has a lot of fun making music and tapping into different sounds.
Your live performance of “Me, Myself, and I” in just your underwear on the streets of Camden was such a bold, beautiful statement on body confidence. What gave you the courage to do that, and how did it feel in the moment — both during and after?
I mean, me and my manager had been thinking about this idea for a previous single, but that idea was supposed to be executed in a bit of a different way. But personally, I always love to challenge myself. I think life is made for learning and challenging yourself and I’ve struggled for such a long time with the way that I looked. It’s only recently that I’m starting to realise that at the end of the day, no one can really have an opinion on my body but me. In some people’s eyes, my body might be the best body ever and in other peoples eyes, it’s not the best body. I just wanted to show people that you need to embrace who you are. There’s so much other amazing stuff we can focus on in life and there is already so much negativity around. So that’s why it was so important for me to do this to show other women and also men that you should just embrace yourself and try to love yourself. In that moment I felt really good. I had an adrenaline rush. I felt inspired. Afterwards it felt amazing to speak to everyone and I was just really proud of myself.
“Good Times” feels like a strong step in a new direction. Can you give us any hints about what’s coming next — whether that’s new music, visuals, or another bold performance?
I mean, I’m working on loads of amazing music. I want to release an EP by the beginning of next year. I want to release more singles this year. I also want to write more amazing songs with other creatives and yeah just really make sure that the stories that I’m trying to tell in my songs, are also being captured in my visuals. Hopefully I get to do a lot more performances and I will definitely be on the streets to do more busking.
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Words: Alexander Williams