Ukulena is..sweetness. She is music, she is magic, she is art, she is an artist, she is pure, with so much joy, trust, never-ending love, big dreams, goals, and passion. She has innocently pure intentions, towards anyone and everyone, always, with open arms. Even if you break her heart, or shut down her spirit, she has undeniable truth, honesty, and beautiful forgiveness. Nothing can shut out Ukulena's light. But now, remember, Ukulena is just an artist, but behind that artist is a girl, named Marlena, who's been through so much, almost too much, that it's a complete miracle she's still pushing on through life so strong.
In 2013, Ukulena lost her father, when she was only 16. It's been ten years, almost eleven. She's felt a hole inside of her ever since. She didn't speak to her dad the last year of his life, and that tortures her with regret still to this day. Over the years, she's lost more family members than she can even handle, and to such tragedy too, not normal deaths, tragic deaths. She's lost close friends to tragic deaths, not normal deaths. She's lost pets to tragedy as well, not normal passings. And that's not normal! No one should suffer so much. She's been bullied by friends she thought she trusted, who almost cost her her life. She's been abused by lovers she thought she trusted, which cost her her trust. She felt so lost, confused, hurt, and broken through the years having to grow up so young, yet she's still pushing through.
Marlena has been on the verge of giving up one too many times, she goes through moments in life where no emotion is left other than sadness, with no motivation, nothing left. But one day, she swears to everything that exists, that she saw a silhouette of a spirit, but not just any spirit, Bob Marley's, in fact. She started immediately sobbing, falling to her knees. He walked right through her, causing shivers and chills all down her body. Then suddenly she heard her fathers voice behind her, startling her, but immediately drawing her to her piano. She started uncontrollably writing to the point she didn't know if it was even her. Words poured out onto paper, music poured out into song. Creating her song, "Only Daddy Calls Me Marley". They not only saved her by encouraging her to write again, but they probably saved her life in that moment, giving her her passion again. Which then created the song that started her entire albums journey. Her lesson was that, "everything will be alright", music truly saves.
Sadly she attempted suicide in 2018, a second attempt in 2020, and a third attempt in 2022. Strange how it was every two years she attempted. Thus, '222' angel symbols started appearing to her. She went through tremendous spiritual awakenings through channeling, through her psychic gifts as a medium, and suffering through her pain. She turned her pain into poetry, into healing. She chose to start healing. And with healing, she became a healer. And now she wants to finally heal. Healing takes time but she hopes one day to help others who struggle with pain like she has and does. She wants to let people know that there are ways out of darkness, and we need the darkness to find our light, and that that light is within us all. We are light, and that is Ukulena, she is light. Here to share her gifts, her wisdom, her art, her music, and her ways. Teaching others to stay strong in even the hardest times, because that's when you need yourself the most.
Ukulena started recording her upcoming 2nd album in Nov. 2019, and finally finished wrapping up her album in Nov. 2023, coming full circle, a huge weight has been lifted off of her shoulders. So she gifts you her title track (song) of her album, "Only Daddy Calls Me Marley". She chose that title because her dad legitimately used to call her 'Marly', a nickname for Marlena. And Bob Marley literally saved her life with his music, opening up Ukulena to a new world of music. It also is a cute title and play-on words like her stage name, Ukulena, a play-on words of her name Marlena and her main instrument, the ukulele.
Well, sorry for the dramatic sob story, but life is short, it's tough, and comes with baggage. Ukulena, well, Marlena, had to grow up way too young, but that has only made her wise beyond her years. There's no more messing with her. She's felt so much to the point she's felt completely nothing. So she shares her music in hope others can maybe relate to and hear her words. So please, don't give up. Turn to music you love, people you love, and that light, that strength, hold onto it, hold onto yourself. Let go of the things you cannot control, but never let go of yourself. <3 xo
lyrics
The chills down my body
No longer feeling sorry
For myself and all the people
who complicate and worry
Oh, I feel the smoke in my lungs
All alone just waiting for the sun
I feel that cool breeze through my body, my body
I feel his hands press on my heart that is rotting
My words come so clear
Are they his? Is he here?
That cool breeze through my body
Only Daddy calls me Marley
Chorus:
Bob Marley
Mmm, Bob Marley
No longer sorry
With that cool breeze through my body
My body, my body
Bob Marley
I hear their voices is in the wind
So alive and passionate
I got the chills right down my back
Not one bit of confidence I lack
My strings are strumming
My drums are really drumming
That cool breeze through my body
Only Daddy calls me Marley
Chorus:
Bob Marley
Mmm, Bob Marley
No longer sorry
With that cool breeze through my body
My body, my body
Bob Marley
Bridge:
They say “Don’t worry,
About a thing”
Because, every little thing
Makes me want to sing
Chorus:
Bob Marley
Oh, Bob Marley
No longer sorry
With that cool breeze through my body
My body, my body
Only Daddy calls me Marley
credits
released February 6, 2024
Song Musicianship ~
That is Ukulena's's father, Igor Khramov on the phone call in the beginning intro, little Ukulena's voice yelling, "I hear things daddy!", from when she was recording with her dad at a very young age, she heard multiple tracks in the headphones playing at once and it scared her haha, and then Bob Marley's voice and advice saying, "my richness is life, forever"..
Meet Marlena Lorèn Khramova. Making the scene as “Ukulena”. Southern California’s Ukulele Queen, Orange County’s Pineapple
Princess! She’s got a show-stopping, head-turning presence. And has harnessed a passion and creativity that promises to take her everywhere she dreams!
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