Ukulena—is a Russian-American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and entertainer whose name blends her own—Marlena—with her signature instrument, the ukulele.
U-K-U-L-E-N-A
(yoo-koo-lei-nuh or oo-koo-lei-nuh).
Photo by Matt Marble of The Hula Girls
(Spike and the Camera)
Hair by His Vintage Touch
RECENT INTERVIEW with ALDORA BRITAIN RECORDS
Meet Marlena Lorèn Khramova, making the music scene, as “Ukulena”.
Under the pseudonym of Ukulena, Marlena has fast become ‘Southern California’s ukulele queen’ and ‘Orange County’s pineapple princess’, or so she’s been called. Drawing on past personal experiences, and melodies that she hears in her head, Marlena carves exquisite snapshots of rootsy music wonder, tapping into the golden worlds of rock and roll, soul, reggae, ska, and so much more. This enticing sonic homebrew has been captured gloriously on her Only Daddy Calls Me Marley LP, a recently released song collection that draws listeners in with an alluring mystique and a punchy quality. Listeners will definitely get the impression that this is the sound of Marlena overcoming struggles and finding a new, empowered space to call her creative home.
Marlena was born in Santa Monica, a city within Los Angeles County, California, in 1997, and raised in La Palma, the smallest city in Orange County, California. One of her earliest musical memories was learning to play the ukulele in Maui when she was about six. She learned how to tune the strings before she played any chords. This stuck with her, and ever since she has the gift of tuning anything by ear. Falling in love with Hawaii and being on the island really made an impact and influenced her aesthetic, so the island vibes are here to stay. Marlena was always a really shy child, but early on would say it was her grandma and her dad who first noticed she could sing. If anyone wanted her to sing publicly, she would shy away, but her dad tested her gift and realized she could match pitch. He would play any little jingle and her voice could match the notes. He would record music she wrote on her own, even if she felt it sucked, he’d mix it and make it into something. Her grandma got her started playing piano on her family’s one hundred+ year old Hamilton upright piano which features a piano stool that Jimmy Durante had given her great-grandmother, Theone Davis, the ‘Mysterious Mrs. Calabash’! The story of that piano stool is a legend in her family that truly is special. Sitting on that piano stool and practicing since before she can remember, singing along with her dad live or in the studio, playing ukulele in Hawaii, these are Ukulena’s early childhood musical memories that ignited her passion for music.
Marlena has been performing professionally since age thirteen, beginning with her band's third-place win at La Palma’s Battle of the Bands. In 2012, she and her sister Mikayla Theone Khramov formed The Rad Cats, leading to them performing at various Southern California events. They were known around town as "Orange County’s Collins Kids," the sisters eventually even got to meet Lorrie and Larry Collins that year, which led to numerous opportunities to perform with more prominent bands like Big Sandy.
In 2013, the Khramov sisters lost their father, Igor Khramov, a remarkably talented and gentle individual deeply cherished by all who knew him. Born in Yegoryevsk, Russia in 1962, Igor immigrated to the United States from Ukraine in 1991 following the Soviet-American peace walk from Odessa to Kiev. He toured the country with his band, Limpopo, ultimately settling in Santa Monica, California. Janelle Frese, a published author, writer, teacher, and drummer, met Igor at a wedding and later married him, facilitating his green card. She became Limpopo's manager, securing appearances at festivals like SXSW and on shows such as Star Search, where they won the 1993 international band competition. They performed at Santa Monica Pier and Main Street Promenade and featured in a regularly aired Kit Kat commercial, becoming Venice favorites. Red Elvises formed out of Limpopo. And Janelle happened to be the Red Elvises first drummer. After Janelle and Igor separated in 1997, six months after Marlena was born, the sisters grew up leading largely separate lives with both Russian and American households. Following their father’s passing in 2013, they honored their Russian heritage by renaming their band from ‘The Rad Cats’ to ‘The Nesting Dolls’. But when Marlena’s older sister left for college, she picked up her father’s ukulele at 16 years old and thus, Marlena created the persona of “Ukulena”.
Down the road in 2015, her and her sister finally released their debut EP, From The Nesting Dolls With Love, embracing many of their father’s instruments, including trombone, balalaika, and ukulele. They performed local events around Orange County and Los Angeles through the years, befriending many mentors along the way, including Kieth Monkey Warren, later leading to the distinguished opportunity to open for The Adicts at the original Anaheim House of Blues in 2016. That same year, Marlena released her first Ukulena EP, and has been blossoming ever since, generating seasonal music over the years for special holidays like many favorites, Halloween (Spook-A-Lena) & Christmas (Have Yourself a Ukulena Christmas), plus extra little singles, EP’s, and album’s through the years, including the 2018 release of Ukulena’s first full-length original album, “Don’t Let Go”.
Her musical style has beautifully grown and developed over the years, from Rockabilly to “Tikibilly” to “Tiki-Soul-Rock-and-Roll” with a splash of new influences, including Pop, Reggae, and hints of a more siren-like mermaid aesthetic. Ukulena’s second album, “Only Daddy Calls Me Marley”, released July 2024, also features some ska energy on her new single with Monkey of The Adicts on their original duet, “Without You”, written by both Monkey and Marlena. She has a very universal vision. Pouring all of her soulful inspirations into her music. She doesn’t live by one genre alone. She incorporates all inspirations, genres of interest, and naturally reinvents herself as her musical styles go through transformation constantly. When she writes, it’s usually a sudden impulse of emotion. When there’s that moment of clarity, sometimes her spirit connects and channels a power that just pours her feelings or experiences onto paper. Ukulena offers a fresh creative sound that highlights many styles of music with hopes of having something for everyone to enjoy. She feels like she’s a dreamer, who was put on this earth to help people learn that dreams do come true. Wherever she performs, Ukulena keeps true to herself. She makes a grand entrance like a vintage Hollywood starlet, strolls like a beauty queen swaying with the ocean waves, singing sweet songs while she strums along on the strings of her ukulele. She can light up any tiki room with her siren voice and ukulele, or blow the roof off any venue with her vibrant full band and original lyrics.
Ukulena has always followed the currents of her musical journey, and now they’ve brought her to the sound she’s long dreamed of—a vintage, timeless aesthetic that carries the warmth of the past and the soul of the present. In the studio at Lolipop Records in Boyle Heights, she and producer Wyatt Blair, along with her band, have recently recorded 14 tracks live on an 8-track tape reel, capturing the magic and immediacy of the 1960s. Her new original songs shimmer with mermaid-inspired themes, blending pop-rock, island rhythms, and the heart of Ukulena into a world entirely her own. The forthcoming album, “Mermaid Kisses, Starfish Wishes”, is her third debut, a collection of siren songs that invites listeners to dive into her dreamlike soundscape. Coming soon.
Don’t miss the opportunity to see Ukulena. Look now!