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Ukulena is a Russian-American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.

Under the pseudonym of Ukulena, Marlena Khramov has fast become ‘Southern California’s ukulele queen’ and ‘Orange County’s pineapple princess’. Drawing on past personal experiences, and earworm 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 sixteen-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 open for 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”. A play-on words of her name, Marlena, and her main instrument, the ukulele.

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 release of Ukulena’s first full-length original album, “Don’t Let Go”, in 2018, and her pandemic EP, “I Hurt”, in 2020.

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 Reggae & Cumbia and hints of a more siren-like mermaid aesthetic. Ukulena’s second album, “Only Daddy Calls Me Marley”, released July 2024, features that whole new vibe from her musical world. With 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 something for everyone to enjoy. She honors every client hiring her with whatever they may need for events, venues, etc. 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 beautiful siren voice and dreamy music, or blow the roof off any downtown venue with her soulful voice and vibrant full band and original lyrics. She can even perform an entire Selena experience in Spanish with her 6-piece Cumbia band. She can do it all! Don’t miss the opportunity to see Ukulena. Look now!

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