Marianna Frenzel is on a mission to revive the essence of the classic pop star, drawing inspiration from early 2000s icons like Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, and Kelly Clarkson. With a passion for full production and cinematic storytelling, she blends dynamic vocal nuances with intricate pop arrangements, creating music that resonates on multiple levels. Frenzel’s commitment to her craft is evident in her attention to detail, from vocal layering to choreography, ensuring that every performance is a complete sensory experience. In this interview, she shares her journey, influences, and vision for bringing back the bold, vibrant energy of the pop era she admires.

Nicolle: Your music draws inspiration from iconic early 2000s pop stars like Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, and Kelly Clarkson. What specific elements of their music or performances do you find most inspiring, and how do you incorporate those into your own sound?

Marianna: I LOVE them.  Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears, and Kelly Clarkson have been some of the most influential artists in my style vocally.  Specifically the way they put so much attention on vocal nuances and dynamics in their vocals.  Every sentence has different characteristics to it, and such a strong fluidity with individuality to each word.  I'm inspired by artists who put focus on the stylistic choices in their vocals and pair and weave them so seamlessly with their pop production.  

Additionally, I also love Ariana Grande, Abba, and Brandy for their riffs and vocal layering.  I put so much attention and care into every choice in each section in my song down to the little details making sure the song is continually building production-wise, and choices of why certain harmonies come in at certain parts and not in others.  It all adds to the moving puzzle pieces of a pop song, trying to seamlessly fit all the moving and changing elements in the song and have them work continuously together, to exemplify the feeling you're trying to convey.  All of these are things I feel I learned and observed from these women and their songs that I pull into my own music.  

Nicolle: You mentioned wanting to bring back full production and the art of live performance with choreography and dance breaks. Can you share more about what you have in mind for your performances in the future?

Marianna: Yes, I can't wait to go on tour.  I danced all growing up.  I went to a dance high school and I'm just imagining the choreography for my songs already in my head, usually as I'm writing the song.  I see the choreography and usually the visuals for the music video as the song is developing and that’s what helps the songwriting process for me too. 

My dream is to eventually have full choreography for each song I perform, very similar to Britney Spears.  Something I love doing is having instrumental breaks or vocal chants in my songs to leave room for a dance break on stage.   I'm still in awe to this day of how Britney Spears made every song she performed a full show.  Sometimes a song needs room to expand to feel it in its entirety and that's where the development on stage of the song comes into play.  

Nicole: In today’s music landscape, where stripped-down production is often favoured, what challenges do you face in reviving the 'full production' approach, and how do you stay true to your artistic vision?

Marianna: I have always had a passion for full-production pop since I was a kid.  And I think one of the reasons for me is, I hear so much of the production in my head after writing the song, and usually whatever I'm hearing for it is never acoustic.  I hear so much more than just guitar.  I like the challenge of puzzle-piecing a lot of production elements together until they are a perfect fit and creating this full pop song at the end.  Almost like working on an art piece.  When you first start a drawing or a painting it looks weird because it's unfinished and you have so many elements that are missing. 

But if you keep working on it and implementing all of your ideas, all of the little details act like glue and bring the piece together.  For me, that's how I see music, and though there is beauty in the simplicity of a song, there is such fulfilment for me in creating a layered piece of pop music with lots of instruments, similar to scoring in a movie, or cinematic songs.  There are so many moving parts but all of those parts contribute to helping exude the emotion in that scene in the movie, and I love applying that same concept to pop music.  I think Max Martin and Abba played a big role in inspiring that in me and how my brain hears music.  

Nicolle: Your music is described as carving a unique space for your dynamic vocal tone. How do you balance paying homage to the 2000s pop era while also ensuring that your voice and sound remain distinct and current?

Marianna: Thank you, what a great question!  I think for me it was really important early on to find my sound as an artist, while still giving myself the space to develop it and not put myself, or let anyone else put me in a creative box. 

I think that my sound pulls from so many elements of the early 2000s that it's almost not pulling from one distinct person, but put it all together along with the characteristics of my voice and the artistry I’ve been developing and it allowed me to create this distinct space.  On this topic, someone I've always thought did an amazing job at crafting this was Michael Jackson.  When you listened to his music his songs sounded different it all sounded like him while very prevalently showing you who he was inspired by or paying homage to.   I've always thought that was so cool, and inspiring how he was able to find that balance and be so true to himself and his creativity.  

Nicolle: As a small-town artist breaking into the larger music scene, how has your background influenced your music and performance style? Do you think it gives you a unique perspective compared to artists from more prominent music hubs?

Marianna: That's so interesting.  You know I was just talking about this with a friend yesterday but on the topic of fashion.  And I was saying how it's interesting how people from different places are usually so influenced by the fashion from where they are from and then some people are completely not. 

I met a girl the other day who was also from the Midwest that just moved here 3 months ago but I would have never guessed that based on her fashion because she didn't dress at all similar to Midwest fashion and it made me so curious to know where she got her style influence from, if it wasn't from where she grew up, because I relate to that fashion-wise.  Whenever I go back home and I'm dressed very LA trend-wise, people are like "Woah why do you look so fancy, where are you going?" or they kind of just stare at you.  And in reality, I'm just wearing something I thrifted, nothing fancy, but it does look different than what's in style there. 

For me in terms of music, I think what influenced me was what drew me in, what sparked some sort of inspiration or fire in me.  And whenever I came across that it made me dive into it even deeper.  I think that I also grew up around people from all over the world because I went to a boarding school for part of high school and I got to listen to what was popular in Europe, in the Middle East, in America, in main media and kind of went through phases of hyper fixating on different artists or genres.  The more I exposed myself the more I was inspired and realized what I liked and what I wanted to discover more of, and that in turn contributed to my style in the long run I'm sure. 

Nicolle: You emphasize the importance of creating songs that feel cinematic, as though listeners are in a movie. How do you achieve that kind of emotional depth and storytelling in your songwriting and production?

Marianna: I think not only does the production convey that, but it's the partnership between the cadences of the sentences paired with the melody.  And when the words mirror that same emotion it creates this perfect synergy.  That's the most satisfying thing to try and accomplish in song for me because then the song can hopefully sit in a place where it evokes an emotional period no matter the genre, age of the person who listens to it, or topic.  If it has that synergy and it pulls out any type of emotion in you, whether it's happy, relatable, cathartic, sad... I know I've created a level of emotional depth in the song.  

Nicolle: Given your passion for choreography and dance in your performances, how do you approach the creative process of blending intricate dance routines with your music? Do you start with the choreography or the song, and how do they influence each other?

Marianna: Kind of touching back on what we were talking about before, for me it all starts with the song.  And I will keep working on the song until it gets to a place where it moves me physically.  Here's the thing about pop music movement and dance evoke feeling and emotion too, and if that's the way the song is reaching you I'm equally as happy.  I just want the music to move you in some type of way and I feel like I've reached someone.  Music is so healing, regardless of the way it's healing you it should be healing.  

Nicolle: The early 2000s pop era was also known for its bold fashion and visual aesthetics. How important is visual style to your overall brand as an artist, and how do you incorporate it into your music videos and stage performances?

Marianna: I love the early 2000's fashion.  It was so original and fun.  I feel like runway and designers took such risks but in such a unique but still classic way.  It inspired me growing up and stuck with me.  I think the visual aspect of my music is inspired by that, and yeah I think it's important to me that visually you felt the genre of my music through my single art for 'YOU KNOW WHERE I'LL BE'. 

It's one of my favourite shoots I've ever done.  I wanted it to look like it came out of a 2000s editorial magazine shoot while also having symbolism of the song.  The water in it represents being cleansed from your past relationship or anything that was holding you back, or any dark energy.  And also through a little inspiration from the movie 'Aquamarine'. 

I wanted the single art to be like a little Easter egg and for it to have themes from the music video as well, which's coming out soon and to look like the idea that the water is going to turn me back into a mermaid and pull me back into the ocean and force me to be with someone that doesn't love me because I can't find true love at the right timing...  but in the music video I'm falling in love with myself so you'll see what happens once it comes out.  

Nicolle In an industry that’s constantly evolving, what do you hope your listeners take away from your music and performances? What legacy do you want to create as you bring back the essence of the classic pop star?

Marianna: I just hope that people take away the importance of learning to love yourself.  Life gets really hard for everyone at different times and I hope people feel like they can turn to my music to feel better, I'm just so excited to share more new music very soon!!!  

Marianna is not just reviving the sound of the early 2000s pop icons she admires—she's reimagining it for a new generation. With a deep respect for the artistry of full production and a dedication to creating immersive, cinematic experiences, Frenzel is carving out a unique space in today’s music landscape. Her commitment to staying true to her artistic vision, while pushing the boundaries of pop music, ensures that her work is both nostalgic and refreshingly modern. As she prepares to share more of her music and vision with the world, Frenzel hopes to inspire others to embrace their individuality and find strength in self-love, just as she has through her own journey.

You can listen to Marianna´s song YOU KNOW WHERE I'LL BE here and follow her on Instagram.

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Nicolle Knapova is a 30-year-old young adult writer and freelance blogger from the Czech Republic. She has a master’s in Creative Writing and Publishing at Bournemouth University. She loves to write about music, books and TV shows. If she’s not writing her fan fiction, she’s writing her poetry and sharing it on her Instagram @elisecaverly.