Melanie Martinez tackles ex, false allegations over new album ‘Portals’

Renzo Fuentes

March 31, 2023

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  Photos: Melanie Martinez

  “Death is life is death.”

  She ditched baby doll dresses for an alien-fairy alter ego – a new era, indeed!

  On Friday, March 31 – Melanie Martinez, the “Playdate” alt-pop singer, came back into the music industry with the 13-track melancholy, art-pop album.

  Throughout her career – her breathy, baby-girl vocals are still the least notable aspect of a music career that has centered everything around the visual.

  She started her career sporting a red bow every performance; her visuals revolved around babydoll dresses during her “Dollhouse” and “K-12” eras. However, there were always dark undertones to her “crybaby schoolgirl” character; for one, sippy cups were filled with alcohol, and dollhouses concealed a broken family. Martinez was always known for her eccentric looks – split-dye hairdo resembling the Disney villain Cruella.

  On her third release ‘Portals’ – she buries her “crybaby” character and reveals more of herself than ever. In her reintroduction video, the high-concept dark-pop artist emerges from an egg as an alien creature with four eyes, a cat’s mouth, fairy wings, and enormous crimped ears.

   

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  A post shared by melanie martinez ⟡ (@littlebodybigheart)

   

  View this post on Instagram

   

  A post shared by melanie martinez ⟡ (@littlebodybigheart)

  PORTALS’ cover art and lead single “DEATH” signified a change; the lyrics and themes are darker and feel more real compared to her previous songs lacquered in metaphor, but the artistic reinvention promised with its fantastical and imaginative cover art fails to go all the way.

  The songs also tackle reinvention, mental health struggles, angst, looking back on mistakes, being a bad b**ch, emotional manipulation, toxicity, and more. She also addressed the serious allegations against her – eventually proven untrue, through “BATTLE OF THE LARYNX.” Martinez was previously (now, wrongly) accused of sexual assault. Somewhere along the way, she might’ve written about her ex, “Life Goes On” singer Oliver Tree.

  “Portals” is her first full-length release in nearly four years.

  Listen to the album here:

  Melanie Martinez is a 27-year-old singer-songwriter born in New York City, USA. Currently signed under Atlantic Records, she is recognized as the 2017 Female Artist of the Year, Alternative/ Indie Recording & Album of the Year, by Music Society Awards. More so, she is best known for singles “Play Date,” “Pity Party,” and “Dollhouse” – to name a few.

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