Melanie Martinez is an artist with such a creative mind and knack for worldbuilding. Throughout the past decade, she’s been building up this character, Crybaby, and the world around her with so much thought and diligence. The end of this fun-filled journey was marked with her release of her newest album, Portals, where we say goodbye to Crybaby as we know her as she is “rebirthed as a spirit in the cosmos.” As Melanie goes on her Trilogy Tour, to share the complete story of Crybaby with her fans, it’s important to remember the story Melanie was creating for this character’s life.
The debut album, Crybaby, was released in August of 2015. After Melanie’s appearance on The Voice (her rise to stardom), longtime fans were taken aback by the new vibe that was emitted from this album. It had its own unique sound and feel to it, unlike anything people had experienced at the time. Crybaby’s goal was to introduce us (the listeners) to Crybaby as a character, and the struggles she went through during early childhood. Melanie Martinez describes Crybaby as “a child who has experienced adult things,” which I feel comes across alarmingly well throughout the album. Tackling sensitive topics, the album includes hints of a difficult home life for Crybaby, on top of the fact that she is a very emotional person (hence her name). Dollhouse is one of the biggest indicators of this, as it talks about how terrible her family truly is behind closed doors. Melanie wanted to use this album as an opportunity to not only tell Crybaby’s story, but also relate to listeners who may have experienced similar struggles in their growing up years. She had written and recorded her plans for the next two albums (the next two segments of Crybaby’s story), but had decided to scrap them and allow herself to grow as an artist alongside Crybaby.
K-12 was released on September 6 of 2019, in both album and film form. While Melanie Martinez was no stranger to making beautifully directed music videos for her songs from the first album, she had released a full, feature-length film with this album. Fans were ecstatic, as this was a much more personal way for us to experience Crybaby’s journey in real-time. K-12’s focus is on adolescents/adulthood and the struggles that come with it. She wanted to use school as a metaphor for how our society is structured, and I honestly think she nailed it! She covers various topics in this album, such as friendships, relationships, dictators, rules, and the overall oppression society seems to have on youth now-a-days. Just like in school, society has different groups to fit into and roles to play. She released an accompanying EP with this album labeled Afterschool, which included bonus songs that didn’t quite make it into the album. These were an overall fan favorite, being the most relatable for her audience as well as having the most content to consume out of the two main segments thus far. The movie ends with Crybaby deciding whether she wants to stay on earth, or go somewhere that she will be more appreciated for who she is. “The growth in her music style is very interesting and somehow it makes the story of her music even more compelling and beautiful,” Lynx Allen (12) shares her thoughts on Melanie’s musical journey up to this point.
The release of Portals had fans in an uproar of sorts, as Melanie strayed from her usual cute/creepy style of songwriting into a more spiritual vibe. This new era for both Melanie and Crybaby was released on March 31, 2023. Melanie shared that she had written a lot of the songs in her “portal room” in her home, hence the title of the album. She believes that room had a special connection to the other realms of reality, making it a portal for those spirits who wished to communicate with her. Since this album officially marks the “death” of Crybaby, she wanted this album to give hope to her fans that there IS an afterlife. Crybaby lives on in this world, experiencing new feelings and thoughts that are beyond normal human comprehension. This album also holds a lot of healing for both artist and character, as I feel this was a way for Melanie to truly say goodbye to this beloved project. The songs range from pop, indie, to straight up fairy music. It’s the most whimsical album by far, and it’s so neat to see how far Melanie Martinez has grown as an artist with this album. You can feel that she’s truly found herself, and in that self-discovery, it’s time to let Crybaby go. She has all of the explanations for each song in Portals on her instagram, so you can get an in depth view into each track from the artist herself.
Melanie Martinez stands as a captivating and enigmatic figure in the music industry, captivating audiences with her distinctive sound, visual storytelling, and unapologetic authenticity. From her humble beginnings on The Voice to her evolution into a boundary-pushing artist, Martinez has defied conventions and embraced her unique vision, resonating with a diverse fan base around the globe. While controversy has occasionally surrounded her work, her ability to channel personal experiences and societal themes into thought-provoking artistry remains undeniable. As she continues to evolve and innovate, Melanie Martinez’s impact on music and pop culture promises to endure, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of contemporary music for years to come.
