Music has had a big impact on the world and us. Music is more than just good beats and catchy rhythms. Music is a way for people to express themselves or bring people together. One artist in particular named Melanie Martinez is someone who demonstrates how music can express thoughts and positive messages on serious topics. If you haven’t heard about her then I’ll explain why she is very important to me and others. 

Who?

Melanie Martinez was born in Astoria Queens on April 28th, 1995 and raised in Baldwin, New York. She started her career in 2012 on the hit American television show The Voice where she was one of the top 6 finalists in season 3. Sadly, she was eliminated but everyone saw that she had an amazing voice that wasn’t going to stop singing. In the following years, she released her first album Cry Baby in 2015, as well as many singles. In 2019 she made a big comeback with her album K-12 and a film alongside it which shows in detail what her songs on the track mean through her main character Cry Baby. 

Why is she famous? 

Through her meaningful lyrics and fairytale-like music videos with dark endings, Martinez garnered a huge fanbase. Her music can be described as alternative and electropop with nostalgic childlike sounds such as music box tones and baby pianos. She attracts this amount of attention not only for her cute child-like themes but also for her twist on darkness and brutal reality. She turns themes of abuse, toxic relationships, body issues, etc., into masterpieces.

She has said in interviews that she uses her past experiences and trauma in her music which many people who have gone through the same thing can relate to. This creates a safe community for her fans to express their past traumas and open the discussion of mental health. She’s not afraid to express herself in eccentric ways and be labeled as weird because she embraces it with no shame. 

One aspect of Martinez that is important to note is her cute quirky style. She is often rocking her split dyed hair that she at first dyed black and blonde which was inspired by Cruella de vill from 101 Dalmatians. She also is known for her baby doll-like fashion which could be inspired by lolita fashion. 

Timeline

• September 7th, 2012: Auditioned for The Voice by singing Toxic by Britney Spears. Appeared on season 3 and was one of the 6 finalists but was eliminated. 
• February 9th, 2014: Released her first EP Dollhouse. The tracklist included: Dollhouse, Carousel, Dead to Me, and Bittersweet Tragedy. 
• April 7th, 2014: Signed a record deal with Atlantic Records.
• June 31st, 2015: Released her single Sippy Cup.
• August 1st, 2015: Released her single Gingerbread Man. 
• August 14th, 2015: Released her first album Cry Baby.
• September 6th, 2019: Made a comeback with her album K-12 alongside with a short film. 
• February 10th, 2020: Released her single Copy Cat featuring Tierra Whack. 
• June 26th, 2020: Released her single Fire Drill which was played at the end of her K-12 film. 
• September 25th, 2020: Made her EP After School.  

Why should you care?

Melanie Martinez is someone whom we could all relate to or rely on to make us feel better when it comes to our bad experiences from childhood or feeling like an outsider. Touring was what really connected her with her fans. From an interview with Flaunt she said “I was very similar to them at least. They’re very creative, they’re very introverted” and “a lot of them struggled with anxiety, a lot of different things that I really relate with them on.”

 She produces great music and writes the most creative and meaningful songs that tackle personal topics from how we negatively view ourselves to toxic relationships or friendships. What she shows us is that it’s okay to be different