In Defense of Melanie Martinez's Unconventional Pop Career

Introduced during the latter half of the Tumblr era, which also introduced the world to acts like Lorde and Halsey, Melanie Martinez has proven herself to be a powerhouse, releasing three albums that have gained her a substantial cult following.

Since making her debut on The Voice in 2012, where, like Morgan Wallen, the show's most successful contestants haven't been any of the winners, Martinez has often been looked upon as a niche artist. Despite a legion of fans who love and adore her, the mainstream music industry has ignored her after the "Cry Baby" era.

It's not like she doesn't have the streams to show up on Billboard charts. Songs off her latest project, Portals, have amassed millions of streams, and her older songs, such as "Play Date," currently sit at more than 800 million.

Not that popularity equals good, but you have to factor that in when talking about why Martinez never seems to get her flowers from the larger music community.

Maybe it's because she never veered toward an electropop sound like fellow sad-girl icon Halsey, whose alternative sound and brutally honest vulnerability made her a success in 2015. She began to follow it up with collaborations with everyone from Dominic Fike, BTS, and Khalid to G-Eazy and Big Sean. She became an undeniable pop star when she worked with the Chainsmokers to release "Closer."

Martinez has only ever worked with one other artist in her career on 2020's "Copy Cat," when underground rapper Tierra Whack decided to hop on the beat. Martinez has never been one to be collaborative; she tends to have her own mission and agenda.

Another unique aspect of Martinez's artistry is that each of her albums has a different storyline and alter egos, with songs that also tap into Martinez's real-life experiences.
When audiences met her in 2015, Martinez played the role of "Cry Baby" who had a turbulent home setup, which included her mother murdering her cheating father on father on "Sippy Cup," while also dealing with body-image insecurities, a terrible love life, loneliness, and self-acceptance. The story was explored atop a production that sounded like rap beats with dashes of pop synths and nursery rhymes, helping transport listeners into the world she was building.

For her next project, K-12, Martinez stepped it up in every aspect with dreamy production and lyricism that battles oppression, control, social issues, rebellion, and more. It becomes all so clear as soon as you watch the accompanying 92-minute film that Martinez wrote and directed with the album. She again embodies her "Cry Baby" alter ego as she helps a band of superpowered kids rebel against the totalitarian school that is imprisoning them.
K-12 reinforced Martinez's dedication to exploring themes and stories beyond just her music. Her wardrobe changes to fit the ideas being expressed and her music videos are full of iconography. It's easy to understand how her fans become so enthralled with her creative ability.

This ability becomes evident with the release of her latest project, Portals, in which she appears as a fairy-like creature with some of the craziest prosthetics, with skeptics calling her a Björk copycat.

While Bjork's influence on Martinez's work is apparent, the prosthetics and outfits this time around centered around the rebirth of Martinez and her newest persona. She's moving away from her younger self and diverging into more mature topics like death and different existential problems that come with growing older.
This highlights why her latest live show, the Trilogy Tour, is so crucial for this era — it holds significant importance for her and her fanbase. She performs tracks from Cry Baby and K-12 to celebrate what they represent to her and her fan base, but she also plays a good portion of Portals to slowly move into the next chapter of her career.

Yes, keeping up with the storyline aspect of Martinez's albums and visuals can be a bit overwhelming, but with music that covers various topics with some great production, there is no reason to leave her out of pop music conversations.

She may not be an easily marketable pop act, but she deserves some recognition for consistently creating great music and the world it encompasses. Whether it be movies, outfits, or elaborate live shows, Martinez keeps changing what the idea of a pop star can be, and hopefully, one day, everyone will begin to catch on.

Melanie Martinez. With Beach Bunny and Sofia Isella. 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 19, at the Amerant Bank America, 1 Panther Pkwy., Sunrise; 954-835-7000; amerantbankarena.com. Tickets cost $45 to $75 via seatgeek.com.