what's happening with Melanie Martinez

Melanie Martinez Announces New Album, ‘Portals’

Last week, Melanie Martinez started teasing new music, to the great pleasure of her fans who have been waiting for her to make her long-awaited return.

She cleaned out her Instagram and posted a tease of a new song accompanied by an image of a butterfly and a video of a big toadstool, carved with RIP CRY BABY, thus officially marking the death of her alter-ego.

The character, created by Martinez in 2015, embodied a mix of childlike innocence, vulnerability, and strength. She represents the experiences and emotions of young people growing up in today’s world. Cry Baby is often depicted as an outsider or misfit who struggles with the challenges of adolescence, such as bullying, heartbreak, and insecurity.

In 2019, Melanie Martinez released the follow-up to Cry BabyK-12, which was accompanied by a full-length film of the same name. That was then followed by the After School EP in 2020 to close that era.

This week, Martinez continued posting images and videos of an eccentric creature being developed.

She also released a 12-second snippet on Spotify in which she sang “I’m back from the dead”.

Now, the American singer-songwriter has announced the release of her upcoming album, titled Portals. The album is set to drop on March 31st via Atlantic Records and fans are eagerly anticipating what the former contestant on The Voice has in store for them.

Martinez has always been known for her distinctive aesthetic, and it looks like Portals will be no exception. The album’s cover art features Martinez as an otherworldy creature in a whimsical and surreal world, surrounded by toadstools and flowers.

It’s a fitting visual representation of the magical and otherworldly themes that she is going to explore on the album.

The record can be pre-ordered here.

Check out the trailer for Portals below and let us know whether or not you are excited!

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Eva van den Bosch Head Editor, Photographer
Eva van den Bosch combines concert photography with a prominent editorial role at Strife Mag.