Melanie Martinez has unveiled her eagerly-awaited third studio album, PORTALS, available today via Atlantic Records.
PORTALS includes the official first single, “VOID,” as well as the album’s opening track, “DEATH,” the latter of which recently made history as Martinez’s first-ever original song to debut on Billboard’s “Hot 100.”
“DEATH” is joined by a cinematic companion video – directed, conceived, and costume designed by Martinez herself – currently standing at #1 on YouTube’s Trending “Top Music Videos” chart with over 6.6M views in just one week following its official premiere viewed by a live audience exceeding 80K.
After diving into various past life regression hypnotherapy books over the course of a few years, I was inspired to create a concept album revolving around one of the most taboo subjects known to man. DEATH. The mission of this record is to offer a perspective of true togetherness and immortality. The album starts at death and ends at womb but loops into itself meant to be played as a forever loop. The same way that our lives are on loop. Dying as an old person to be born all over again anew.
Encountering the same familiar faces and patterns for our highest growth. Crybaby as you know it may have died, but she’s evolved into her newest form. Will you help her complete this cycle?” – MELANIE MARTINEZ
“DEATH” was first teased last month with a series of otherworldly clips revealing the rebirth of Martinez’s character “Cry Baby,” quickly sparking a frenzy of theories and garnering over 115M views across all socials. The track and its compelling companion visual earned praise from the likes of Billboard, who raves “The avant-garde pop auteur creates bold, expansive worlds with each project…While the dramatic five-minute track can be connected to her artistic reawakening, the kinetic drums and electronic elements will also make listeners feel reborn, too.”
The multi-Platinum, 12 billion-streaming Martinez made her live debut as the new creature over a series of extraordinary festival performances heralding PORTALS this month including Lollapalooza Argentina, Lollapalooza Chile, Bogota, Columbia’s Estéreo Picnic, and Lollapalooza Brazil.
PORTALS marks Melanie Martinez’s first full-length release in nearly four years following her 2 billion-streaming, RIAA Gold-certified second album, K-12, which proved a sensation upon its September 2019 release, entering the Billboard 200 at #3 – the 27-year-old NYC-born singer-songwriter-filmmaker’s highest chart placement thus far – with further debuts at #1 on the Alternative album chart, and #1 on the Soundtrack album chart.
K-12 also serves as a soundtrack companion to an eerily enchanting musical film, written, directed, and starring Martinez, now with over 106M views to date via YouTube alone HERE and was the 6th highest grossing film in the US upon release, with one-night-only screenings in over 425 cinemas in 32 countries.