Arlo Parks facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Arlo Parks
Parks performing in 2019
Background information
Birth name	Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho
Born	(2000-08-09) 9 August 2000 (age 25)
Origin	London, England
Genres	Indie pop indie folk R&B
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Years active	2018–present
Labels	Beatnik Transgressive

Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho (born on August 9, 2000), known as Arlo Parks, is an English singer and songwriter. She became famous for her unique music style. Her first studio album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, came out in 2021. It was highly praised and reached number three on the UK Albums Chart. This album helped her win the 2021 Mercury Prize for Best Album. She also received nominations at the 2021 Brit Awards, including for Album of the Year and Best New Artist.

Early Life and Background

Anaïs Oluwatoyin Estelle Marinho was born on August 9, 2000. She grew up in Hammersmith, a part of West London. Her family background is quite diverse. She is part Nigerian, part Chadian, and part French. Her mother was born in Paris, and Arlo actually learned to speak French before she learned English!

Music Journey

Parks performing in 2022 at Somerset House

Arlo Parks chose her stage name because she wanted something special and personal. She was inspired by other artists like King Krule and Frank Ocean.

Starting Out: 2018–2019

In 2018, Arlo started sharing her demo songs on BBC Music Introducing. These demos caught the attention of radio hosts across the UK. They shared her music with Ali Raymond, who soon became her manager.

Her first song, "Cola," was released in November 2018. She said the song was about how people can sometimes let you down. Critics liked her singing style, saying her voice was "delicate" and her writing was "creative." By November 2019, "Cola" had been streamed over three million times on Spotify!

After "Cola," Arlo Parks signed with Transgressive Records. She then released the song "Super Sad Generation" in January 2019. This song showed her thoughtful and creative way of using words to describe young feelings. Her third song, "Romantic Garbage," came out in March 2019. These songs were part of her first collection of songs, called an EP, titled Super Sad Generation. She recorded it at home and in a rented place in London.

Arlo performed her first live show at The Great Escape festival in May 2019. She also played at big festivals like Glastonbury Festival and Latitude Festival. Later in 2019, she released more songs like "George," "Second Guessing," "Sophie," and "Angel's Song." These songs were part of her second EP, called Sophie. This EP explored feelings about life and growing up.

Breakthrough Success: 2020–2022

Parks performing in 2021

Arlo Parks started her first headlining tour in Europe in early 2020. However, she had to stop it because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2020, she released the songs "Eugene" and "Black Dog." "Black Dog" was especially popular during the lockdown and was named "Tune of the Week" by BBC Radio 1.

In August 2020, Arlo won the AIM Independent Music Award for "One to Watch." She released her first full album, Collapsed in Sunbeams, on January 29, 2021. The album's title was inspired by a book called On Beauty by Zadie Smith, an author Arlo admires.

After her album came out, Arlo performed on popular TV shows like The Graham Norton Show and Later... with Jools Holland. In May 2021, she won the Breakthrough Artist Award at the 2021 Brit Awards.

A big moment for Arlo was on September 9, 2021, when Collapsed in Sunbeams won the Hyundai Mercury Prize for Album of the Year. The judges said she had a "singular voice" and used "lyrics of remarkable beauty."

After her own tour, Arlo Parks opened for famous artists like Harry Styles, Billie Eilish, and Clairo in 2022. She also performed at Glastonbury Festival again in June 2022. During the festival, she even read a story for CBeebies Bedtime Stories, which is a show for young children! In September 2022, she needed to take a break for her well-being and canceled some tour dates.

New Music and Projects: 2023–Present

On January 18, 2023, Arlo Parks announced her second studio album, My Soft Machine. It was released on May 26, 2023. The album's title comes from a line in the 2019 movie The Souvenir. The first song from the album, "Weightless," was released with the announcement. Other songs like "Impurities" and "Blades" followed.

On May 10, 2023, she released "Pegasus," which featured artist Phoebe Bridgers. Arlo said "Pegasus" is about feeling the "warmth and lightness of good love for the first time." She toured in South Korea, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand after her new album came out.

In June 2023, Arlo Parks shared that she would release her first poetry book, The Magic Border, in September 2023. She started her European tour in Dublin in September 2023.

In March 2024, Arlo Parks received writing credits for the song "YA YA," which was performed by Beyoncé on her album Cowboy Carter.

Personal Life

Arlo Parks lives in Los Angeles. She finished her high school exams in early 2019. She has shared that during her school years, she felt like an outsider and enjoyed listening to emo music.

Arlo has mentioned that artists like Elliott Smith, Sylvia Plath, Radiohead, and Joni Mitchell have influenced her music.

Music Releases

Studio Albums

Extended Plays

Singles

As Lead Artist

As Featured Artist

Promotional Singles

Guest Appearances

Music Videos

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Arlo Parks para niños