ARTIST SPOTLIGHT: Melanie Martinez

Melanie Martinez is a rising star in the music industry, known for her unique songwriting style and signature sound that blends pop, alternative, and indie genres. With her deep lyrics, quirky fashion sense, and captivating performances, she has earned a dedicated fanbase that spans the globe.

Martinez was born in Astoria, Queens, NYC, as Melanie Adele Martinez but moved to Long Island when she was just 4 years old. From a young age, she knew she wanted to be a singer and songwriter. At age 14, she wrote her first song and taught herself how to play guitar by looking up chord diagrams of her favorite songs online. In 2012, during her junior year of high school, Martinez tried her luck in the MSG talent competition "Varsity Talent Show" but was eliminated in the second round.

Her breakthrough moment came when she auditioned for the third season of the reality TV show "The Voice" at 16 years old. Her performance of Britney Spears's hit song "Toxic" impressed 3 of the 4 judges -- Adam Levine, CeeLo Green, and Blake Shelton -- who hit the "I Want You" button for her. She chose Levine as her coach and wowed the audience with her unique covers of songs like "Lights" in the battle round and "Hit the Road Jack" in the live playoffs.

Although Martinez did not make it to the finals and was eliminated in the semifinals, her time on "The Voice" helped launch her music career. She reflected on the differences between being on the show and being an artist in her own right in a later interview with Wonderland magazine, saying that being a songwriter made it difficult to cover songs on the show and that she wanted to put out original music and play her own songs.

In 2014, Martinez released her debut single "Dollhouse", which was fan-funded by an Indiegogo campaign. Two months later, she announced that she had signed with Atlantic Records and released her debut EP, also titled Dollhouse. The EP included the singles "Dead To Me", "Bittersweet Tragedy", and "Carousel", which was featured in the trailer for "American Horror Story: Freakshow".

Her debut album, Cry Baby, was released in August 2015 and debuted at #6 on the Billboard 200. In creating the album, Martinez developed a character named Cry Baby, who she describes as representing her own struggles with being called a crybaby and made fun of for being overly sensitive and emotional growing up. The album's videos bring this character to life and tell the story of Cry Baby's life through her songs. Though, not many of the songs in the album represent her, as she revealed in an interview with Vogue: "There are some songs, like 'Dollhouse', 'Tag, You’re It', and 'Milk and Cookies', those songs I don’t personally connect with the actual subject. I have a great family life and my parents are super-supportive of everything that I want to do, and I’m grateful for that. But I had a lot of friends who had issues with their families, so I’ve always loved writing songs about things that a lot of people don’t usually write about because it’s an uncomfortable subject or just depressing or whatever. To me, I think it’s really important that everyone has music that they can connect to and music that will help them. Because music is therapy for me, and I always want my music to be that for other people as well."

Along with her album, Melanie Martinez released a commercial for her fragrance called Cry Baby Perfume Milk. The perfume was described on the official website as "capturing the spirit of a playfully innocent girl with an irreverent edge." In addition to the perfume, Martinez also released two "exclusive" lipsticks: a blue lipstick called Cry Baby in August 2015, and a brown lipstick called "eddy Bear in March 2016. One of the singles from the deluxe version of the album, "Play Date", gained popularity on TikTok in 2020 due to its use in an edit of actor Timothée Chalamet dancing in a scene from the movie Call Me By Your Name, becoming one of the top 100 most-played songs on Spotify in the U.S. that year.

On September 2019, Melanie released her sophomore album, K-12, accompanied by a full-length film of the same name, which was released in the same date and was previously described as a surrealist dark comedy musical. The EP After School, which released later, was confirmed to be in line with her album K-12 but featured more personal and vulnerable songs. In October 2020, Martinez received her first major music industry nomination when she was nominated for Top Soundtrack for The Billboard Music Awards for her album and film K-12.

In March 2023, Martinez released her third studio album, PORTALS, featuring her unique sound and presented in an unusual, supernatural look. Atlantic Records promoted the album by sending packages containing eggs with snippets of a track from the album inside to big fan accounts.

Melanie Martinez has established herself as a unique and innovative artist in the music industry. Her distinctive sound, visual style, and willingness to explore personal and vulnerable themes have earned her a devoted fanbase and critical acclaim. With the release of her latest album PORTALS, she continues to push boundaries and showcase her creativity. As she continues to grow as an artist, it will be exciting to see what new sounds and visuals she will bring to her fans in the future.