Laura Beatrice Marling (born 1 February 1990) is a British folk singer-songwriter. She won the Brit Award for Best British Female Solo Artist at the 2011 Brit Awards, and was nominated for the same award at the 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 Brit Awards. Born in Berkshire in southeast England, Marling joined her older sisters in London at 16, to pursue a career in music. She played with a number of groups, and released her debut album Alas, I Cannot Swim in 2008. Her first album, her second album I Speak Because I Can, and her fourth album Once I Was an Eagle were nominated for the Mercury Music Prize in 2008, 2010, and 2013, respectively. Her sixth record, Semper Femina, was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Folk Album category.