Marina Bennett

demo vocalist, songwriter,

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22 Reviews (4 Verified)
Marina Bennett on SoundBetter

I'm a versatile, multi-genre singer-songwriter who loves to sing and write stand out songs. I specialize in creating music for film, tv, and commercials. Credits include Netflix, Amazon, T-Mobile, USA Television, NBC, CBS, CBC, Freevee, FOX, and Freeform. Whatever projects I'm working on I bring a vibrant creative energy and sharp instincts.


Hi there,
I'm a passionate and versatile vocalist/topliner/songwriter/artist from Vancouver BC with over 16+ years of live performance experience. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Jazz Studies as a vocal major, and I love to write songs, arrange vocals, play keyboard, and guitar. If you need harmonies/vocal arranging, I am your girl! I love to collaborate with songwriters and producers from all over the world creating music for sync licensing to commercials and film, and bring my creative joyful spirit with me into every project. I also love to co-write! I have a great ear for lyrics, arranging, hook development and modern production and I'd love to help with anything you need! Let's have some fun and bring your vision to life!

Vocal/Songwriting genres: pop, indie, jazz, classical, folk, singer-songwriter, rnb, country, edm,

RATES: Contact me here for rates :)

TERMS & CONDITIONS:
-Up to two free revisions, once fee is paid in full additional revisions $50/hour
-50/50 split of writer & publishing share on all songwriting jobs unless discussed
-Non-refundable deposit of 50% of the total fee required for time spent
-no use of my name unless discussed

Looking forward to chatting with you!

Click the 'Contact' above to get in touch. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Languages

  • English

22 Reviews - 1 Repeat Client

Endorse Marina Bennett
  1. Review by Richard Curran
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    Marina was an absolute delight to work with. The track was beautiful with a stunning vocal arrangement perfectly executed. All materials were presented to the highest standard, including the string arrangement, fully marked score and separate audio stems.
    A real pleasure to work with and highly recommended.

  2. Review by Ricky S.
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    Marina was a joy to work with again. She's very positive and has a fast turnaround. Will work with her again.

  3. Review by Ricky S.
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    Marina was great to work with and has a lovely voice. She's very fast and responsive to feedback. Would definitely recommend her and look forward to working with her again.

  4. Review by Harriet T.
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    Marina has been fantastic to work with. She did a great lead vocal and BGVs - even added some backing ideas that weren't there in the original demo. Her turnaround was really quick and I'm really happy with the track. I definitely recommend Marina for high quality, professional vocals.

  5. Review by Laura A.
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    Marina was a pleasure to work with. Not only does she have a wonderful voice, but she had creative ideas and also really went the extra mile. I couldn't be happier.

  6. Review by Rachelle Rhienne
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    I have been working with Marina over the last few years and she is one of my favourite musicians to work with. She's insanely talented, hard-working and puts so much love and passion into any project she works on. Her songwriting skills are impeccable; she's a catchy hook queen, paired with a stunningly beautiful vocal that will always deliver what you need in a fast turn-around!

    Looking forward to working with Marina for the next decade ;)

  7. Review by Chris Durkin
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    It was an absolute pleasure working with Marina. She hired me to produce a track for her and had such a clear vision, the communication was great and we had such a fun time! I was blown away by her abilities as a singer and songwriter, but not only that, she was super organised and the process was simple. I would highly recommend Marina!!

  8. Review by Chey Acuna
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    by Chey Acuna

    Marina has a wonderful voice and always goes the extra mile with the song. Very happy with the results.

  9. Review by Simone Nicole
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    It has been an absolute blast getting to work this Marina! She always has great energy when going into a session. The melodies, top lines, lyrics, and overall ideas that flow out of this woman's head are captivating! Her vocals can evolve into so many different flavors! Pop, Jazzy, Soft, Sultry, Fun, Energetic, Angelic, etc. Her writing style is well versed, being able to capture a great hook but also twist in the emotional side, allowing the listener to relate and feel connected to a song. Highly recommend working with this brilliant artist!

  10. Review by Martina W.
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    Marina is a true STAR! I've been lucky to work with her on so many projects now and more to come. She's an incredible songwriter, both lyrically and musically, with endless ideas. Her extensive musical knowledge shines through in all that she does, it really doesn't get more PRO than this. Vocally, I'm always blown away by her emotive, soulful voice that really knows how to tell a story. And I've had the pleasure of having her sing harmonies on some of my songs and it was the most incredible harmonies I've heard, both in performance and in arrangement! She is one of a kind! HIGHLY recommend!

  11. Review by TREVAN
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    by TREVAN

    Marina is an absolute Angel! Beautiful and exquisite in her execution vocally, harmonies, melodies, and most of all personality in her delivery! Love her and so grateful to get to work with her! 💖💖💖

  12. Review by Drew Henmi
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    Working with Marina is an amazing and seamless process every time. On top of her near flawless vocals, her ability to craft catchy and stunning melodies makes her a true asset to any record. Couldn't recommend her more!

  13. Review by Dan Trilk
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    Oh boy, Marina is so great to work with! I've heard her nail vocals in about every style. I recently produced a song for her that had a male vocal lead. The tracks that she sent me took the song to a whole new level. She did gangs, harmonies, and crowd/party tracks. The gangs sounded like 50 different people, the harmonies were tasteful and in tune, and the party tracks were... a PARTY! She also works amazingly fast, is professional, and really sweet. Hire Marina and your song will get to where it needs to go.

  14. Review by Joel Henry Stein
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    Just finished another project with Marina and she knocked it out of the ballpark once again. I wrote and produced a track and needed vocals, so I hired Marina and she KILLED it. She always goes the extra mile and delivers way more than you expect. I couldn't be happier and I can't wait for another opportunity to collaborate with Marina again!

  15. Review by Christopher Sanchez
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    by Christopher Sanchez

    Working with Marina has been such a great experience! She is an awesome songwriter and an amazing singer! Her talent as a musician is only matched by her professionalism. Hire her for your project and you will not regret it!

  16. Review by David Thiele
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    Marina is such a gem! Her voice is so pure and has such a great quality to it. Also, the audio quality of the tracks she provided was stellar. She was so responsive and I was super impressed by how quick she was able to record. She was able to pick out harmony parts from the examples I showed her and pull them off perfectly. From a producer’s standpoint, I didn’t have to do much to the tracks after she sent them to me which saves me valuable time and keeps the project fun. And to top it off, she’s such a sweet hearted, genuine person. Doesn’t get better than Marina.

  17. Review by Joel Henry Stein
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    I've been working professionally with singers & musicians for thirty years, and I can tell you that Marina stands out as an exceptional talent and consummate pro. Her positive attitude is infectious and makes working with her an absolute pleasure. Marina has an uncanny ability to immediately understand what you're going for and she turns around and delivers a top-notch performance within hours. She's fun. She's smart. She's versatile. And she's a vocal powerhouse. Do yourself a favor and hire Marina to sing on your project right now!

  18. Review by Will Evans
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    by Will Evans

    I've had the absolute pleasure of working directly with Marina remotely on all areas of music creation. She's as PRO as it gets. Songwriting/Topline: She's a master wordsmith with smart lyric ideas and catchy melodies and an amazing songwriter/artist as well. Did I mention she's super fast?! If you're looking for a stellar vocal performance, she's extremely versatile and well versed in many genres and has a unique ability to create just the right vibe for the song. Her recordings are always top-notch quality and very organized. No doubt she'll raise the bar on whatever project she's part of.

  19. Review by Richard Grewar
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    by Richard Grewar

    Marina is exceptional. There is simply no other word for it. She is the consummate professional from start to finish - from our initial interactions all the way through until completion, Marina brought her ideas, positive energy and incredible talent to the table. Not only did she deliver on & exceed my expectations vocally, she was also on point when it came to her communication, organization & service. All files were delivered swiftly, were great quality & fit into my mix session like a dream, with very little to do other than balance, ambience & season-to-taste. Marina is the one for you!

  20. Review by Bashford Music
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    I have worked on numerous projects with Marina, and not only is she a stellar vocalist, but a really lovely person to work with. She brings an immense amount of professionalism to every project, and I can always count on her to go above and beyond with her performances, vocal arrangements, and songwriting. Her positivity and can-do attitude are infectious, and most importantly she always delivers. She can nail a really wide range of styles and tones both with her vocals as well as her writing. Highly recommend!

Interview with Marina Bennett

  1. Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

  2. A: I'm extremely proud of a song I wrote with my co-writer Will Evans (The Sea Suns) called "Somewhere" that we released in December. It's a gorgeous haunting song written about where we go when we pass on and questioning life in the in-between. What started as a simple short voice memo he sent me turned into multiple writing sessions fleshing out the lyrics until we really painted a beautiful story that's very poetic. I am a poet at heart and when I have the opportunity to truly tell a story that's unique and memorable, it makes my soul really happy. We both wrote and sang on it together and Will produced. It's one of my favorite songs we've written!

  3. Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

  4. A: I promise to listen, to deliver your vision to the best of my ability and to show up with my best positive energy! I also promise to be honest and give the best guidance I can that will serve the song in order to get it to the best possible level of quality. I am meticulous with details but I also love to write freely and explore. I promise to create a safe space where we can discover the best possible path for your song. When delivering you vocals on a song I am tracking, I promise to sing from my heart and soul, and from an honest authentic place. I really feel this is the gift of music and it allows others to tap in and feel the message of the song.

  5. Q: What are you working on at the moment?

  6. A: I'm working on a full length album as well as a series of upcoming releases with my band The Sea Suns, and my sync project tyi. I have another artist Miss Thea who will be releasing a bunch of music soon and there are a couple of international artists I've been writing for as well as they gear up to get their albums ready. I'm busy but I love it!

  7. Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

  8. A: Kimera Morrell is a friend of mine and she's an absolute legend! She's a killer vocalist, topliner, producer and overall boss. She's a huge inspiration of mine!

  9. Q: Analog or digital and why?

  10. A: I think both have strengths--analog sounds create a palate of nostalgia for me that has a really nice contrast to the crisper textures/frequencies of the digital sounds we use today, but digital also has it's strengths in creating sonic landscapes that hit you really hard. I love when producers combine the two!

  11. Q: What do you like most about your job?

  12. A: I love people! Everyone has a story and I love learning about others through song. It's an honour to get to bring a song to life through my voice, and I don't take it lightly. Getting to feel into these emotions we all share and elevate songs that aren't released into the world is magical alchemy! I love it so much! Hearing a client that expresses their joy when they hear the final product makes my heart really happy!

  13. Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

  14. A: How long I've been doing this for. I would have to say I've been singing since I was in elementary school. I've been singing professionally since I was about 17 years old in various gig situations. This is my ultimate passion!

  15. Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

  16. A: Even the smaller jobs like singing background vocals takes dedicated time and energy, because no matter what every detail counts. Everything that is sung or expressed in your song needs to have intentionality and can't just be thrown on there without thought. This will elevate a song or break it and some people think it's quick to just "throw on some harmonies". I really pay attention to details like how the singer is singing so that I can seamlessly blend my vocals in with them and not just stack a different tone on top.

  17. Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?

  18. A: What do you want the song to convey? Do you have lyrics/melody/a demo of where the song is at now? What specifically are you looking for me to provide? ie writing topline, tracking lead vocals, bgv's, etc What project settings would you like me to bounce the vocals at? (typically I bounce at 48khz/24) What part of the song (in a co-writing situation) are you the most proud of? What part feels the weakest? Who are the artists that you'd compare this song to, and which reference tracks have inspired you?

  19. Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

  20. A: I really thrive with clarity so having reference tracks and notes on the vision you're after will help us get the song to the place that you envision. Communication is key. :) I'm very easy to talk to and open hearted and I want you to feel 100% satisfied with your art!

  21. Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

  22. A: -my Gefell mic -my Babyface interface -my laptop -my Nord electro -my Morgan guitar

  23. Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

  24. A: After studying music and getting my degree I was teaching voice lessons and playing music/writing with my indie band constantly. We were playing shows and releasing albums of music and repeating the cycle. :) This was where the bulk of my real life experience came with writing, tracking, producing, and arranging. During this time I was also working in the film industry as a voiceover actor and an actor. I stumbled upon sync licensing through a songwriting program and it led to writing music in various projects with people all over the world geared towards sync. I've landed multiple rep deals, had a song placed in a film, and I've booked writing work and tracking work with clients from all over the globe. Here I am now! Chatting with you. I plan to continue releasing music under my artist project and The Sea Suns and tyi, and keep honing my craft as a vocalist, writer, and producer. As Ryan Tedder would say, I want to be a 100%-er.

  25. Q: How would you describe your style?

  26. A: I'm a mixture of neo soul meets pop with flavours of singer-songwriter. I have a sensual warmth to my vocal tone but I can change it depending on the song I'm singing. For my artist project I'm really vibe and groove oriented and I like to find ways to tell stories with lyrics that feel like the poems I write. Think H.E.R meets BANKS meets Lauryn Hill for a party and Grimes shows up. I know...weird.

  27. Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

  28. A: I'd absolutely love to write with Ryan Tedder because I just took his songwriting and production course and watching his process, it's very similar to how I write topline melodies. He's very intuitive and sings "gibberish" first from a melodic place prior to evolving the lyrics which is typically how I write too. He's such a badass producer and I would love to get in a writing room with him and crank out some hits! His ability to tie melodic hooks with dynamic and unique production is so inspiring to me. ANDDD let's face it--I'd love to write with Rihanna because...well, it's Riri, lol! Been obsessed with her for a long time and crying that her new album isn't out yet...

  29. Q: Can you share one music production tip?

  30. A: I would say focus on the beat and whether or not it makes you want to move. It doesn't matter if there's a lot of bells and whistles and ear candy on a track, if that foundation isn't there and feels confusing for our bodies to "feel" it won't land the way that it needs to. The beat has to be in the pocket and really align with the vocals. Those two elements are so key to me.

  31. Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

  32. A: I work in a variety of projects at the moment! I write for my Marina Bennett artist project, my indie band The Sea Suns, my sync/pop band called tyi, my other sync pop project RIINA, and a variety of various co-writing collaborations that are geared towards sync licensing. I'm also writing for international artists around the globe looking to build their catalogues of songs. This is my favorite thing in the world to do.

  33. Q: What's your strongest skill?

  34. A: Writing melodies that stand out and captivate.

  35. Q: What do you bring to a song?

  36. A: I bring my positive energy, enthusiasm, open mind, extremely strong harmonic and chord/lyric writing, very fast at hearing melodic ideas off the bat, meticulous with details, skilled at developing grooves for songs, creative use of melodic contour, laser sharp intuitive instincts when it comes to hook writing, good at spotting weak moments in lyric delivery, humour, depth, extreme awareness of rhythmic details and production ideas, the mind of a poet and the heart of a scorpio (we feel a lot lol), I'm also silly and playful and don't take myself seriously. I tend to put people at ease in sessions, if we're having fun, the song will come alive for us.

  37. Q: What's your typical work process?

  38. A: Typically a client will send me the project that they're working on, and if it's a fully written song that they're looking for vocal tracking on, we'll have a conversation to make sure that I know what they're looking for in terms of vocal timbre, delivery, and what the song means to them/what they are trying to emote. This might mean being sent reference tracks for the overall "vibe" they're after--I love this part of the process because I love learning about the vision for the song! The song is queen!;) Once we're ready to get started and I have any notes I need from the client prior to tracking I'll ask for half of the fee upfront as a non refundable deposit for my time and get to work tracking ASAP! Within about 5 -10 days I will send a check in mp3 with the vocals and some basic reverb/processing for the overall feel and see if the client is into the vibe. If not I allow up to 2 free revisions. Once approved by the client and they're happy and the funds have been released to me, I deliver dry, comped, wonderful vocals at 48khz/24bit unless specified otherwise. If for any reason there needs to be other revisions once I've sent the final stems, I charge $50/hour for extra revisions. Typically this is not the case as I'm very meticulous in my work and make sure that we have a really great lines of communication open so that we're on the same page from the get go. :) In other projects an artist will come to me with an idea, but it needs some support in refining the lyrics, the arrangement, the melodic contour, the hook, the concept, and it needs a vision for the production/overall dynamic arc of the song to get it to the modern market. I think very much like a writer and a producer in one, so when I listen to any song I often hear it fully produced, even if it's only on guitar or piano. In these cases I work with writers and artists to develop/co-write the seed of the song until it feels really solid and has depth and excitement. In these cases we will get together for one to two sessions: we will hang out on zoom and get to know each other and chat about the song and see what it needs and get to work discovering what serves the song in the best way. We will have fun and throw paint on the canvas until something feels REALLY good!! This part to me is like MAGIC! I love writing so much and connecting with others. Sometimes these writing sessions only take one meeting and we fix the issues right away, leaving the artist with a completely revised version they're thrilled about. Other times we might spread it out into a couple sessions if need be. As we begin this process and initially connect, after the deposit fee is paid we sign a split sheet in auddly or via a split sheet I can provide. I like to work in Auddly because it allows us to share splits right on the spot. Easy peasy! In any writing scenario I ask for 50% of the publishing and 50% of the writer's share, unless discussed otherwise. Getting the business out of the way means we can really relax and let the muse come. Once the client is thrilled about the song, the remaining fee is paid. :) In some cases a client will send me a beat or some kind of instrumental, and ask me to topline it, in which case I will get to work writing, and send over the client an mp3 of a scratch vocal stem with my ideas after refining the concept that we both chat about together, similar to what I discussed above. Once I know the vision and 50% of the deposit fee is provided, I get to work writing and recording! We can check in periodically to make sure I'm on the right track with the vibe the client is looking for. We sign a contract for the writing splits together in auddly or in a split sheet I provide prior to working on it together. Once I am finished I will send an mp3 of the song for approval by the client, upon which payment is released to me. Sometimes they will also want me to sing the lead vocals in which case, after the final mp3 is approved and the funds are released, I will also send the comped dry vocals. In some cases I will be sent a song to sing bgv's on- in which case the same process occurs. I will chat with you about the song and which kinds of harmonies you're looking for in which section, and see if there's any reference tracks you can show me so that I know the vibe you're after. :) If you have absolutely no idea and want me to write them for your song, I charge a little more (150+) and after chatting with you I'll go ahead and arrange a bunch of beautiful harmonies to elevate the song. This is where my choir nerd comes out full force and all those early morning rehearsals become worth it! This is more time consuming and involves composition, so depending on the amount of work involved and what you're after I will charge 150+ for these vocal arrangements if I am not provided with any guide harmonies. Open to discussion!

  39. Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

  40. A: I use a Daking mic pre one, an RME Babyface Pro FS interface, I run Logic X on a Macbook, and use a Gefell UM70s mic

  41. Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

  42. A: I'm very inspired by Ryan Tedder, Rihanna, Prince, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Lauryn Hill, Erykah Badu, H.E.R, Billie Eilish, Shawn Mendez, Taylor Swift, BANKS, Timbaland, Beyonce, Solange, Jeff Buckley, Tom Yorke, Half Moon Run, Tame Impala, Young the Giant, Radiohead, and many more!

  43. Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

  44. A: My primary work is in toplining, and tracking lead/background vocals for clients looking for polished songs to release to the world. I also love to arrange background vocals as well because they bring a new dimension into songs. Sometimes clients are close to finishing a song and need a hook or something to tie it all together, other times they need a vocalist who can emulate the emotion of the song they've written. Every project has it's unique needs that I'm dedicated to delivering at the highest level possible. It's my absolute passion!

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Terms Of Service

Turnaround time for vocals is typically 5-10 business day depending on the scope of the project.
-comped timed dry vocal stems sent at 48khz/24bit once the job is marked as "Funded"

GenresSounds Like
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  • Sabrina Claudio
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Gear Highlights
  • Neumann KMS105
  • SM7B
  • Daking mic pre One
  • Gefell mt71s
  • RME Babyface pro
  • Nord electro 3
  • Logic X
  • Melodyne
  • Vocalign
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