Anya Marina was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan and was raised in Cupertino, CA, as the eldest of two sisters. Her parents are both University professors, who teach Psychology and Russian Literature.[citation needed] Marina moved to Los Angeles as an aspiring actress. She attended classes at the British American Drama Academy, taught by Richard Dreyfuss, and Eli Wallach among others, and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena, California, Marina also acted in television and film (in 2001, she acted in the feature film, 100 Girls). She moved back home to earn a college degree in English composition at Santa Clara University, where she continued to work in acting, musical theatre, music, improvisation and comedy, working as a DJ on KSCU, the University's radio station.
With her uniquely breathy vocals and diverse résumé, Anya Marina is a modern day Renaissance woman: actress, comic, disc jockey, and songwriter. Marina was born in Ann Arbor, MI, a town she eventually left in order to pursue an acting career in California. After appearing in the film 100 Girls (a role that required her to shave her eyebrows), she replaced her film aspirations with radio. She decamped to San Diego to work as a DJ for 92.5 FM, and the increased presence of music in her everyday life helped fuel her songwriting skills. Before long, Marina had racked up a list of musical accolades in San Diego. Miss Halfway, her debut album, cemented her status as a promising local musician, while a spot on the Grey's Anatomy soundtrack helped spread her music to a national audience. Alexandra Patsavas, the music supervisor for Grey's Anatomy, also signed Marina to Chop Shop Records, which prompted Marina to leave her DJ gig and focus on her own music. The sophomore album Slow & Steady Seduction: Phase II arrived in early 2009, following Marina's inclusion in the all-female leg of the Hotel Café Tour.