Hey there, Natalie!
Interview with Marloma, the Natalie LP Release Show 29APR26
It’s release week! How have you been feeling? What are you most excited about sharing with the audience about the Natalie EP?
I am so excited to share the entire story of "Natalie" with a live show audience, but especially the message it serves. "Natalie" is an extended metaphor warning against the dangers of addiction and substance use, and I think it is extremely important to share with my younger fanbase in a way that is engaging to them with songs they can enjoy and characters they can relate to coming to life on stage.
Who are the lil’ Martians???
"Martians" are what I call my fans - sometimes "Lomies" if they prefer it. The term "martian" initially came from my name, Marloma, and became gradually more fitting as I wore bright shiny green to every show. I'm happy we all get to be a part of this together.
I love the stories you build with your music - What is your origin story!
My name comes from a teeny tiny town in the middle of the redwood forest called "Loma Mar" where my ancestors built a tiny log cabin that's remained essentially the exact same since then. It is a family inheritance passed down through generations. I moved around a lot as a kid, but the one constant location I had in my life was Loma Mar - the place my family spent every Summer. No phones, no outside influence, just the family in nature. I wanted to dedicate my project to the people who supported me the most which is my family.
Loma Mar's direct translation is "Hills and Sea" which I think also really reflects the ups and downs I write about in my music.
My origin story when it comes to music kind of started the moment I could talk - I would be singing everything I could. After a year of begging I got my parents to get me a little casio keyboard and got into piano lessons. I took choir and got my first songwriting assignment when it clicked - this is what I had to be doing. I took that energy further and wrote songs every day. It became a coping mechanism, an outlet, and a processing tool for me.
Can you tell me about the Natalie Saga? How much of you, your story, your personal life is in Natalie?
Natalie is mostly a fictional story but it came based off of a real life experience I had! When I was 16, that was a period of my life where I truly felt like I didn’t have any friends. I had a dream that I reconnected with a childhood friend of mine who lived across the street from my Grammy, and her name was Natalie. I think, I can remember we were in a park in the dream as 16 year olds and our energy was just so in sync. We got along like nothing I can remember in reality. She was beautiful, but I wasn’t jealous or insecure about it. I was just in awe. When I woke up I remember wishing I could stay asleep forever. That’s when I knew my mental health was at an all time low.
I remember watching a TikTok that morning, I wish I could remember this boy’s account but he had a shaggy brown haircut, an acoustic guitar and he was out in a half forest half field. He began his song describing the urge he had to immediately tell someone close to him about this girl he saw. Describing her beauty and energy in pure admiration. That’s the way I felt about Natalie. But I didn’t have anyone to tell about it. This enamored state had me curious about what my answer would be if I was given the option to live in my dream forever.
I was deep in a “Gravity Falls” kick at this point, and a lot of the lore-based aspects and animation of my project are definitely hugely inspired by this adored show. I remembered the ending, where one of the main characters Mabel had been given the choice to stay in her absolute fantasy world, or go back to reality where everything was falling apart. There was a whole trial where her brother had convinced her to come back to reality. That also kind of hit home for me because my brother and I never had the type of relationship where we expressed love for one another or talked about our emotions at all really. So I wrote in what it would look like for a friend to be the convincer.
I think this was also around the time that folklore by Taylor Swift came out, an album that genuinely forced people to take her seriously as an artist and touched a lot of peoples’ lives. The love triangle specifically, with three songs from the perspectives of three different characters was an absolutely fascinating concept to me and I wanted to weave something together in a similar, subtle way. However, it always kind of pulled me out of the story that she was the vocalist in all of these songs. I wanted to include different voices in my projects anyways, especially to uplift my local community. I didn’t want to go full-on musical mode, but I really wanted to collaborate with these artists anyways and allow people to really hear that these are different perspectives. The instrumental for “Natalie” I think is also somewhat inspired by the overall soundscape of folklore.
The logline I wrote for the story was "Three musically prodigious teenagers find themselves involved with dark energy after troubles in their personal lives lead to isolation". Each of the characters was based around 1 fatal flaw which gave me the freedom to explore what each character's achilles heel could potentially be - what could they be most vulnerable to? What did they want most? That is why the tagline for the EP "WHAT WOULD YOU LOSE YOURSELF FOR" exists - to encourage self reflection in each individual listener.
About the characters:
Polly Cadenza (16) is a reserved girly girl who has trouble making friends - she hasn’t made one since she met Jackson Green as a young child. Jackson Green (17) is a wealthy, goofy, impulsive kid who immediately takes an interest in Lucia DaCapo. Lucia DaCapo (17) is a self-assured young adult who is new to Ledger Vista, home of prestigious music school Legato Academy. They each primarily play a different instrument and are represented by a different color, Lucia on piano with a golden aura, Jackson on electric guitar presenting dark green, and Polly on the ukulele represented by pastel pink, and of course, they all sing.
Lucia and Jackson begin dating as Lucia finds herself growing jealous of his and Polly’s friendship. He begins to subconsciously pull away from Polly, driving her into isolation. It is here where she is at her most vulnerable, with nobody to talk to except for her verbally abusive mother. She becomes the perfect victim for Natalie.
Natalie is a sinister creature who creates her victims' ideal world within their dreamscape. She presents as whatever they desire most. In Natalie’s most authentic human form, she is redheaded and fairy-like. She chooses an emotionally vulnerable target and visits them night after night, each dream becoming slightly less vivid than the last. After repeating her pattern, she asks them to join her in their dreams forever, hoping they will replace her in the eternal orange void she calls home.
Polly confides in Jackson about what she saw, and he warns her to resist the calling. He had a run-in with Natalie at a younger age when Natalie morphed into Lucia’s form, before Jackson had ever met her. When Polly overhears Jackson describing her mental illness as a liability for him, she internalizes her role as a burden to the only person who has ever shown her care, and seeks comfort in Natalie. Polly succumbs to Natalie’s request and it is implied that she overdoses to be with her forever.
They say when someone has a child, it’s accepting that a part of their heart is forever walking outside of their body. Can you give me an example of a particular song that feels like a part of you out on its own in the world now? Vulnerable or with excitement, but a part of your heart and soul that is out there?
That's really beautiful. The first song that comes to mind for this is Taste of Red. It was such a shameful song for me to write, reckoning with these feelings I was having that I knew were bad for me. I hated that I felt the way I did and I couldn't understand why. Taste of Red is about the psychology behind the cycle of abuse, and how the brain is drawn to the rollercoaster of emotions and uncertainty of a bad relationship. Those are certainly some of my most vulnerable lyrics and I'm really proud of the guitar part I composed & played as well. It feels so strange to play that one live because those aren't feelings I ever felt proud enough of to share.
Marloma kneels center stage to perform “Taste of Red”
Your donating profits from tonights show to the Arizona Women's Recovery Center, why is this organization close to your heart?
The "Natalie" EP is basically a story of someone falling into an addiction, and the extended lore comic book makes this a lot more obvious of a connection. Whenever I write about extremely serious topics, I do my best to make a genuine impact in the realm which I am working off of. AWRC's representative, Linda Donaldson truly changed my life. She is so incredibly giving, optimistic and kind. The light within her inspires me to always be doing better, and to be doing more.
I see all of your stories and video content, do you feel like social media is helping you connect with your audience and reach new fans? What are the positives and negatives to being more available to folks? Does it help you develop music and lyrics?
I certainly hope it is, but it's hard to truly tell. My instagram demographics are actually so scary, they are not my target audience at all. It is nearly 90% men above 25 and I write for young women. Instagram definitely helps me connect most to my local Phoenix community, though so I can appreciate that. Social media certainly has nothing to do with my artistic process, but I enjoy being able to share lots of parts of my musical world.
How do you feel about the Phoenix music scene? Are you from here/living here , and what are the benefits to this city?
I'm obsessed with the Phoenix music scene. I'm not from here, but I've been here the longest of any of the cities I've lived in. I wish I knew about the Phoenix music scene sooner, because the thing I find really special about it is how supportive and interwoven it is. Once you know someone who is deep into the scene, you start to know everyone else, and everyone wants to see you succeed. It's beautiful. What are you doing to ensure you continue to grow and develop as an artist? Do you structure your day, explore new music from others, where do ideas and inspo come from?
This project has definitely been the biggest challenge for me in the sense that I involved so many different people from different worlds. I can be really protective over my art and it was a big goal of mine to loosen the grip on complete creative control. I still had a lot of say but allowing other people to get their hands into the project was truly a game changer. I want to take this energy into my next project for sure.
In your wildest dreams…what is the next venue, next city, and next plane you want to get on to perform?
My next venture is definitely going to be the West Coast. Besides the NAMM Show in 2026 and private Loma Mar shows, I haven't really played outside of AZ and I want to hit up the heart of Los Angeles. I saw a show at The Lodge Room this spring that really spoke to me and it has a similar capacity to Crescent Ballroom, so that would be an ideal next step!
