But I don't fucking care."
Melanie Adele Martinez (born April 28, 1995 in New York City, New York) is an American singer-songwriter known for producing pop with an eclectic array of influences and a recurring thematic use of childlike imagery and sounds in metaphorical contexts surrounding love and relationships, often to disturbing effect.
Martinez rose to fame as a contestant on the third season of The Voice in 2012, wherein she was coached by Adam Levine and eliminated in the fifth week. She began working on original material after her time on the show, and eventually signed with Atlantic Records in spring 2014.
The storyline of Martinez's music thus far has largely centered around her character Cry Baby, an alter ego and the protagonist of her debut album of the same name. The character was based on her emotionality and tendency to cry when overwhelmed as a child out of difficulties expressing her feelings, with "cry baby" being a term she was referred to as.
Martinez was taught how to sing in elementary school, began writing poetry in kindergarten, and taught herself how to play guitar and write songs at 14 by studying chord diagrams of songs she enjoyed and adding poetry to one of the diagrams.
Her first two albums, Cry Baby and K12, have their own pages.
Discography:
"Hey, girl, open the walls, play with your tropes":
- Concept Album: Both of her full-length albums follow Cry Baby's story, and overall, she is a concept artist with most of her work being a Subverted Kids' Show.
- Grief Song: "Dead To Me" is a twisted example in that it is a Break-Up Song, and a bitter one at that, that acts as a grief song as well.My condolences
I'll shed a tear with your family
I'll open a bottle up, pour a little bit out in your memory
I'll be at the wake dressed in all black
I'll call out your name, but you won't call back
I'll hand a flower to your mother when I say goodbye
'Cause baby you're dead to me - Singing Voice Dissonance: Melanie's singing voice is high and can get into the upper soprano range. Hearing her speaking voice, which is much lower, can be jarring for those that have only heard her sing.
- Subverted Kids' Show: Most of Melanie's work uses childish music, visuals, and metaphors while dealing with dark and disturbing adult topics.
- Uncanny Valley: Deliberately invoked in "Dollhouse", with Melanie's eyes never moving while she sings, and the family characters moving stiffly like dolls.
