Despite having a challenging fan base, she expresses herself through music once more. After approximately four years, Melanie Martinez released her third album, Portals.
While others may see this as a simple album filled with creative writings and melodies, her true fans, as well as Melanie herself, see this as a trilogy to her self-made character, “Cry Baby”.
Martinez starts the story of “Cry Baby” with her debut album, ironically named Cry Baby. This leads to her sequel, K-12, followed by her self-directed film, K-12, available on YouTube with an R rating.
Throughout the film, it is easy to see the character’s develop and experience grades K-12. For the duration of the movie, it elaborates every cannon event mixed with mostly everyone being a nymph or some form of a creature, a more violent approach and act on unwanted thoughts, and bringing notice to things that aren’t brought to attention or that people look over such as the pink tax, body shaming, American education system, discrimination, and so much more.
Cry Baby and Melanie are combined as one as she shares her real life struggles through her music to help others feel less alone. Among the 52 songs she wrote throughout Cry Baby, K-12, and Portals, there are many underrated songs. One of them is her fifth track on Portals, “Light Shower”.
You are the light I’ve been searching for forever
Feels like, man, I’ve really never felt the rain
Buried in the desert, didn’t think I’d push through the dirt
You just cleansed me, like a waterfall
You came
These opening lines are morphed to express how she never thought she’d feel free or see an outlet through a certain situation in her life. That was until he made her feel brand new. He is an unknown character. Nonetheless, Melanie has a boyfriend at the moment who she might be referring to, however, a sequel to K-12 is bound to come next year or the following so that might explain more who he is.
Many listeners of Melanie feel her emotions through either what she’s saying or what the rhythm of the song is made out to be. In these lines, she seems to be relieved that she had a good outcome and she makes that factor known.
I’m screaming like a kettle on a stove
You crank the heat up,
I was cold
I perceive this little section of the chorus to be her saying, “I was once done doing what I was purposefully meant to do and tired of seeking a purpose, but I was calling for help and you brought that to me, helping me start over.”
My past grew mold around my heart
And all my anger, sadness, regret disappeared
It’s madness,
I’m not used to all this water, love, it’s true
Her past rotted inside yet still left a trace and with this symbolic person by her side through it all, it all seems to fade into the abyss of nothingness. However, she’s not used to feeling this type of love so there’s little mixed emotion to go with it.
I was surprised to see heaven in your eyes
I never once was treated right, you’re what I’m missing in my life
This specific part of her second verse goes back to what we had examined in the first half. She was acquainted with this person and was confounded by how he impacted her. Throughout this song, Melanie goes to show how this person is what she has needed and what she has been missing her entire way through this journey.
From the madness cemented in her membrane to the subtle melancholic undertones in her writing, Melanie has conveyed it all. Nonetheless, she will proceed to express every sentiment and allow us as listeners to put on her shoes and walk around in her dimension for a little while.
