Melanie Martinez is a popular artist who is most well known for her songs “Crybaby”, “Pacifier,” and “Play Date.” She recently came about with her 2023 album, Portals, which was released after taking a long hiatus from singing. 

One of the ways Portals is better than another album, called K-12, is because of the new feel. Her aesthetic has completely changed. During the K-12 album, she had a baby doll-type style; many thought this style was bizarre and downright creepy. During that time, she used a mix of baby clothes and lyrics to speak about the misogyny and fetishization of young girls. To complete this look, Melanie took on the alias “Crybaby.” Melanie has also said that she chose the name Crybaby because that was what she was called from childhood. The progression from K-12 to Portals is quite interesting when you learn the story that goes on in her music. The Portals album is the rebirth of “Crybaby”, which tells the story of her dying and then resurrecting after being buried, but now she is in a whole new body. This now brings us to the Portals album that was released last March. Her songs’ emotional nature and hidden meanings drew me to listen to her music. 

Martinez’s lyrics may be grim, but that is her way to get her song’s point across, almost like a signature. I enjoy this album better because of her new darker earthy feeling aesthetic. Another point is that her lyrics feel more grown up now and she has moved on from the baby style. 

She also recently came out with a new perfume line. It is a capsule with four vials of different scents based on the four elements: wind, fire, earth, and water. Right now, it retails for about $275 for 60ml. Later in 2024, the different fragrances will be able to be purchased separately for a lower price. 

Some of my all-time favorites from this album are “VOID,” “LIGHT SHOWER,” “WOMB,” and “THE CONTORTIONIST, but I do love all of the songs. The ones listed above are my favorite so far because I can relate to the lyrics better and I just like the overall sound better. Because of these reasons, I would recommend listening to her new album. The lyrics may be quite gruesome yet I believe it is worth it to listen to. On a last note, I have been listening to it on repeat for the last couple of weeks, and I hope it will be in my Spotify-wrapped next year.