While pop albums nowadays are dumbed down and diluted for mass appeal, Melanie
Martinez shows us that there is still room for creativity and imagination in the mainstream eye. Twenty-one years old, wholehearted, and unafraid to own her own quirkiness, Martinez encourages fans to embrace who they are and to turn negativity into something bright and positive.
Melanie Adele Martinez began her music career in 2012 when she auditioned for the
television show The Voice, a competitive singing program similar to American Idol. With Adam Levine as her coach, she made it to the Top 6 before she was eliminated by audience vote. After the show, she went on to spend the majority of 2013 writing songs and working independently. On Feb. 9, 2014, she released her debut EP Dollhouse, followed by a release of her first album, Cry Baby, on Aug. 14, 2015.
Martinez describes her own music as “very dark and honest” and “hip-hop/trap
inspired beats with creepy nostalgic childlike sounds such as baby pianos, music boxes, and toys.” She blends adult themes and “uncomfortable and depressing” subjects with a lighthearted, juvenile, innocent sound and aesthetic, giving her music the perfect mix of somber and pep.
Her song Dollhouse is about a family who appears perfect on the outside that keeps
dark secrets inside of the walls, such as drug abuse, infidelity, and neglect. Another entitled Carousel depicts a relationship going in circles, never truly headed anywhere meaningful. Milk and Cookies is another batch of insanity, telling a tale of how Melanie’s character ‘Cry Baby’ becomes abducted and how she poisons her captor with – yes – milk and cookies.
On writing her music, she said, “Music is therapy for me and I always want my music
to be that for other people as well.”
She aspires to create relatable music for everyone, not just one particular group of people. She keeps true and connects with fans of all ages, all backgrounds, and from every story. She said, “it doesn’t matter if people like it or they hate it. I got to express myself.”