Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. During the 1950s and 1960s, pop music encompassed rock and roll and the youth-oriented styles it influenced. Rock and pop music remained roughly synonymous until the late 1960s, after which pop became associated with music that was more commercial, ephemeral , and accessible.
85-561: Portals is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Melanie Martinez , released on March 31, 2023, through Atlantic Records . It is Martinez's first album after she took a three-and-a-half-year hiatus from releasing music. With her return, she introduced a new image and sported a new creature. In support of the album, Martinez embarked on the Portals Tour in May 2023. The album had three singles: " Death ", " Void ", and "Evil";
170-473: A chorus that contrasts melodically, rhythmically and harmonically with the verse . The beat and the melodies tend to be simple, with limited harmonic accompaniment. The lyrics of modern pop songs typically focus on simple themes – often love and romantic relationships – although there are notable exceptions. Harmony and chord progressions in pop music are often "that of classical European tonality , only more simple-minded." Clichés include
255-604: A doll -like look complemented by babydoll dresses and emotional facial expressions. Melanie Adele Martinez was born on April 28, 1995, in Astoria, Queens , to parents Mery and Jose Martinez, who are of Dominican and Puerto Rican descent. Her family moved to Baldwin, New York , on Long Island , when Martinez was four. Martinez attended Plaza Elementary School, crediting her teacher Mr. Nadien with teaching her how to sing, and in kindergarten, Martinez began writing poetry. Martinez says she had few friends growing up and
340-542: A traditional pop structure with an "array of orchestral elements, creating a pop symphony". "Moon Cycle" is a tragicomic and sketchy song about accidentally ruined relationship, which split Melanie regrets very. "Nymphology" is a pop song with a chaotic climax. In the song, Martinez compares nymphs in Greek mythology to "men, social media and the music industry" who put "femme-presenting people" into boxes and "use them for their own pleasure or gain and discarding them". This
425-637: A hedge." Portals debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with 142,000 equivalent album units of which 99,000 were from pure album sales, making it her highest-charting album in the country. The album also reached the top of the US Top Alternative Albums chart. Internationally, the album reached number one in Australia and New Zealand, making it her first number-one album in both countries. It also reached number two in
510-399: A light entertainment and easy listening tradition. Pop music is more conservative than other music genres such as folk, blues, country, and tradition. Many pop songs do not contain themes of resistance, opposition, or politics, rather focusing more on love and relationships. Therefore, pop music does not challenge its audiences socially, and does not cause political activism. Frith also said
595-704: A month later on May 19, 2014. The only single from the EP, "Carousel", reached number nine on the Alternative Digital Songs chart, was certified gold by the RIAA, and featured in a preview for FX's miniseries American Horror Story: Freak Show . She promoted the EP with the Dollhouse Tour which lasted from June 2014 to March 2015. On June 1, 2015, Martinez released the single " Pity Party ", which sampled Lesley Gore 's " It's My Party ". This
680-407: A music researcher, states pop music as any type of music that a person has been exposed to by the mass media. Most individuals think that pop music is just the singles charts and not the sum of all chart music. The music charts contain songs from a variety of sources, including classical , jazz , rock , and novelty songs . As a genre, pop music is seen to exist and develop separately. Therefore,
765-516: A physical vinyl release of the bonus tracks from Cry Baby as well as "Gingerbread Man", a Christmas-themed single which was initially released in December 2015 on SoundCloud but later released as a solo single in January 2016. In October 2016, Martinez released a commercial for her fragrance, Cry Baby Perfume Milk, noting that the "idea for this perfume has been cultivating in my brain since
850-464: A pink fairy creature". Martinez's official website was also updated showcasing the album cover while merchandise for the album became available to the public for pre-order . The album's title was revealed through Martinez's official website. Portals was finally released on March 31, 2023. Portals is primarily an alternative art pop and art rock album with elements of dark pop , experimental pop , synth-pop , grunge and R&B . Throughout
935-498: A pop song is to them, songs from the 1960s turned out to be the most memorable, significantly more than songs from recent years 2000 to 2015. Before the progressive pop of the late 1960s, performers were typically unable to decide on the artistic content of their music. Assisted by the mid-1960s economic boom, record labels began investing in artists, giving them the freedom to experiment, and offering them limited control over their content and marketing. This situation declined after
SECTION 10
#17327831469451020-583: A prone human form". The song was released on March 17, 2023. The single was written and produced by Martinez, with CJ Baran co-producing. The song peaked at number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100 , marking her first original song on the Billboard Hot 100 . " Void " was released digitally as the second single from the album on March 29, 2023, and was sent to alternative radio in the United States on April 11, 2023. The song charted at number 61 on
1105-439: A response to Heller's accusations, saying the allegations "horrified and saddened" her, and that Heller "never said no to what [they] chose to do together". On December 9, 2017, Martinez released a second statement thanking her fans for analyzing past social media posts that "reveal [Heller's] false statements" and claiming she "would never be intimate with someone without their absolute consent." On December 22, Martinez released
1190-460: A separation which was "also, broadly, one between boys and girls, middle-class and working-class." The latter half of the 20th century included a large-scale trend in American culture in which the boundaries between art and pop music were increasingly blurred. Between 1950 and 1970, there was a debate of pop versus art. Since then, certain music publications have embraced the music's legitimacy,
1275-444: A singer from a young age. Martinez has cited The Beatles, Neutral Milk Hotel , Feist , Kimbra , Zooey Deschanel , Regina Spektor , and CocoRosie as influences of hers. Specific albums which have influenced her music include The Idler Wheel... by Fiona Apple and Ariana Grande 's albums Yours Truly and My Everything . She attributes the "heavy hip-hop influence" in her music to her father playing hip-hop music in
1360-497: A social media addiction through "spider imagery and being caught in the web". The song seamlessly transitions into "Leeches" which was described as a "slimy and superficial" ballad. In "Battle of the Larynx", Martinez speaks out against male dominance against female psyche ["larynx" == "voice"]. The song was likened to that of rock music with a "fuzz-toned guitar riff and emphatic beat" and fades into ocean waves. "The Contortionist" has
1445-455: A stand-alone single, "Copy Cat" which featured Tierra Whack , marking Martinez's first feature. Martinez later released a second single from the EP, "Fire Drill", on June 26, 2020, which had previously featured in the credits of the K–12 film. Both songs were not included on After School , which was eventually delayed and released on September 25, 2020. In April 2020, " Play Date " became one of
1530-416: A tendency to reflect existing trends rather than progressive developments ; and seeks to encourage dancing or uses dance-oriented rhythms. The main medium of pop music is the song, often between two and a half and three and a half minutes in length, generally marked by a consistent and noticeable rhythmic element , a mainstream style and a simple traditional structure . The structure of many popular songs
1615-475: A thriving pop music industry, most of which is devoted to Western-style pop. Japan has for several years produced a greater quantity of music than everywhere except the US. The spread of Western-style pop music has been interpreted variously as representing processes of Americanization, homogenization , modernization, creative appropriation, cultural imperialism , or a more general process of globalization . One of
1700-488: A trend referred to as " poptimism ". Throughout its development, pop music has absorbed influences from other genres of popular music. Early pop music drew on traditional pop , an American counterpart to German Schlager and French Chanson , however compared to the pop of European countries, traditional pop originally emphasized influences ranging from Tin Pan Alley songwriting, Broadway theatre , and show tunes . As
1785-424: A twelve-second snippet of a song on Spotify . In February 2023, Martinez released a teaser video showing a mushroom in a foggy forest, with the phrase "RIP Crybaby" engraved in its stem, accompanied by a snippet of a new song. Several more teasers were subsequently posted, representing the "themes of rebirth, growing embryos, and eggs incubating in forests". One teaser showed Martinez "herself hatching from an egg as
SECTION 20
#17327831469451870-425: Is all the collective clubs around the world. Radio is just doing its best to keep up." Songs that talked of escapism through partying became the most popular, influenced by the impulse to forget the economic troubles that had taken over the world after the 2008 crash . Throughout the 2010s, a lot of pop music also began to take cues from Alternative pop . Popularized by artists such as Lana Del Rey and Lorde in
1955-554: Is an American singer and songwriter. Born in Astoria, Queens , and raised in Baldwin, New York , Martinez rose to fame in 2012 after appearing on season 3 of the American television talent show The Voice . Following the show, she was signed to Atlantic Records and released her debut single " Dollhouse ", followed by her debut extended play of the same name (2014). Martinez later released her debut studio album, Cry Baby (2015), which went on to be certified double platinum by
2040-440: Is beyond what I've ever dreamed of. I'm just so glad I got to express who I am as an artist and really touch people's hearts because that was the ultimate goal". After the show, Martinez began working independently on original material, which she says she spent the majority of 2013 writing. She released her debut single, "Dollhouse", on February 9, 2014. She later compared the song's story to Edward Scissorhands , saying "[It's]
2125-652: Is essentially conservative". It is, "provided from on high (by record companies, radio programmers, and concert promoters) rather than being made from below (...) Pop is not a do-it-yourself music but is professionally produced and packaged". According to Frith, characteristics of pop music include an aim of appealing to a general audience, rather than to a particular sub-culture or ideology, and an emphasis on craftsmanship rather than formal "artistic" qualities. Besides, Frith also offers three identifying characteristics of pop music: light entertainment, commercial imperatives, and personal identification. Pop music grew out of
2210-399: Is followed by "Evil," which was called a stand-out on the album. The song sarcastically calls out an indecisive ex-partner refusing to reunite with the singer. The album ends with "Womb," which is a metaphor for Martinez's musical rebirth and loops back to the phrase "Life is death is life is death". The song also loops directly back into "Death" if played on repeat. In the weeks leading up to
2295-427: Is followed by "Tunnel Vision" which has "layered eerie vocals" and transitions into an trip-hop outro that ends with Melanie's sigh "Show me how far obsession goes / Could've been more, now we'll never know". "Faerie Soirée" is an "intricate alt-pop ballad ". This is similar to the next track, "Light Shower", where Martinez uses "simplified and stripped-down" sounds. "Spider Web" has a xylophone melody and describes
2380-534: Is largely the story of the intertwining pop culture of the United States and the United Kingdom in the postwar era. — Bob Stanley According to Grove Music Online , "Western-derived pop styles, whether coexisting with or marginalizing distinctively local genres, have spread throughout the world and have come to constitute stylistic common denominators in global commercial music cultures". Some non-Western countries, such as Japan, have developed
2465-462: Is most in line with the tastes and interests of the urban middle class." The term "pop song" was first used in 1926, in the sense of a piece of music "having popular appeal". Hatch and Millward indicate that many events in the history of recording in the 1920s can be seen as the birth of the modern pop music industry, including in country , blues , and hillbilly music . According to the website of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians ,
2550-430: Is that of a verse and a chorus, the chorus serving as the portion of the track that is designed to stick in the ear through simple repetition both musically and lyrically. The chorus is often where the music builds towards and is often preceded by "the drop" where the bass and drum parts "drop out". Common variants include the verse-chorus form and the thirty-two-bar form , with a focus on melodies and catchy hooks , and
2635-563: The Billboard Hot 100 . She embarked on the Portals Tour in May 2023. Martinez was nominated for the VMA's Best Visual Effects , for the music for her single "Void". In November 2023, Martinez announced the launch of Portals Perfume, a collection of four fragrances developed in collaboration with indie perfumery Flower Shop Perfumes. The collection launched in a sculptural vessel modeled after Martinez's four eyed "Cry Baby" alter ego which houses all four fragrances and retails for $ 275. Since
Portals (Melanie Martinez album) - Misplaced Pages Continue
2720-607: The MSG Varsity Talent Show , a televised talent competition. She sang the Beatles ' rendition of " Money (That's What I Want) " by Barrett Strong and " Shake Me, Wake Me (When It's Over) " by the Four Tops . She was eliminated in the second round. Martinez then auditioned for the third season of The Voice . She had not watched the show herself prior to the audition. The initial, untelevised audition
2805-527: The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album amassed numerous commercially successful singles including " Pity Party ", " Soap " and " Mrs. Potato Head ". She has since released two follow-up albums: K–12 (2019) and Portals (2023). Easily recognized by her colorful two-toned hair and bangs , Martinez's visual style plays an important part in her music videos and performances. She came to fame cultivating
2890-434: The barbershop quartet-style harmony (i.e. ii – V – I) and blues scale -influenced harmony. There was a lessening of the influence of traditional views of the circle of fifths between the mid-1950s and the late 1970s, including less predominance for the dominant function . In October 2023, Billboard compiled a list of "the 500 best pop songs". In doing so, they noted the difficulty of defining "pop songs": One of
2975-435: The American and (from the mid-1960s) British music industries , whose influence has made pop music something of an international monoculture, but most regions and countries have their own form of pop music, sometimes producing local versions of wider trends, and lending them local characteristics. Some of these trends (for example Europop ) have had a significant impact on the development of the genre. The story of pop music
3060-504: The Hot 100. Rolling Stone writer Tomás Mier praised Martinez's use of a new alter-ego, noting that she used "that character to deliver her most introspective lyrics and sounds that move outside her sonic comfort zone". He called the album an "effortlessly inventive, mature record", saying that it "reintroduces her as an artist unafraid to start from scratch and tackle complex, difficult ideas". Brig Newspaper writer Emma Victoria Jenky called
3145-691: The Knockout Round. Michele was stolen by Cee Lo Green and also moved on. In the Knockout Round, Martinez was paired with Sam James. She chose to sing La Roux 's " Bulletproof ". Levine eliminated James, and Martinez moved on to the Live Rounds as one of the five remaining members of Team Adam. In week one of the Live Rounds, Martinez sang " Hit the Road Jack ". Public vote saved Team Adam members Amanda Brown and Bryan Keith. Levine then chose Martinez over Loren Allred and Joselyn Rivera to remain in
3230-498: The Larynx" is "a five-minute saga detailing serious accusations leveled against her". On May 15, 2019, Martinez released a teaser trailer for her second album, K–12 which was eventually released on September 6, 2019, and debuted at number 3 on Billboard 200. The album was accompanied by a musical fantasy horror film, which was written and directed by Martinez. In an interview with People , Martinez alluded to future sequels and visual albums being released. The album
3315-620: The North American leg to a scheduled close on October 19. In June 2023, dates in Europe and Oceania were announced. The following set list is obtained from the Denver concert on May 30, 2023. It is not representative for all dates throughout the tour. Encore Notes Musicians Technical Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. Melanie Martinez Melanie Adele Martinez (born April 28, 1995)
3400-572: The RIAA on February 24, 2017. Martinez went on the Cry Baby Tour to promote the album, which lasted from 2015 to 2017. In May 2016, Martinez released her second EP, Pity Party , in Ireland , Mexico and the UK exclusively. A month later, Martinez said she had started working on and recording her second album. In November 2016, Martinez released her third EP, Cry Baby's Extra Clutter ,
3485-808: The United Kingdom, three in Canada, Ireland, Scotland , and top ten in Germany, Belgium , and Spain. The Portals Tour is Martinez's fourth concert tour . The singer in support of her third studio album Portals announced the first leg, in North America, via her Instagram . Comprising thirty-one dates, the leg began on May 30, 2023, in Denver , Colorado, and concluded on July 15, 2023, in Montreal , Canada. In March 2023, two dates in Mexico were added, bringing
Portals (Melanie Martinez album) - Misplaced Pages Continue
3570-465: The afterlife". The album begins with " Death " which "reintroduced her newfound concept" for the album. The song begins with the phrase "Death is life is death is life" while heavy breathing and fast-paced footsteps are used at the beginning of the song. The song leads into " Void " which uses a softer "ethereal ambience " sound and works as a "story of being in the void [...] in between life and death" while Martinez also talks about her insecurities. This
3655-400: The album "undeniably authentic" and added that it is "exciting to see her grow her skills into production, and receiving credit for her genius ideas". Emma Herold, writer for The Cavalier Daily , praised the album calling it a "statement of rebirth" for Martinez. She noted that while there are "recognizable elements of Martinez's sound like syncopation and classic rhyme", she also felt there
3740-426: The album three stars and criticised Martinez's lyrical content saying they were "comparatively lacking" and that "for the complete Martinez experience, the album isn't enough". He compared Martinez's new image to Björk , and so did Exclaim! , writing: "Björk can pull off this kind of thing because, well, she's Björk. The Voice alum [...], on the other hand, looks like an Annihilation extra who stumbled through
3825-554: The album's release, Martinez debuted several songs from the album in South America. She performed at all three South American Lollapalooza festivals, as well as Festival Estéreo Picnic and a solo headlining show in Santiago . She also embarked on the Portals Tour . In March 2023, Martinez teased the lead single " Death " on Instagram , featuring a cryptic message and a photo showcasing a pink alien alter-ego "emerging from
3910-450: The album, Martinez displays " pop-rock songwriting, driving drum beats, and voice filters". The main theme of the album centers around the idea of a never-ending cycle of life and death and was described as "otherworldly and extraterrestrial". Martinez takes the form of her alter-ego Cry Baby (established from her previous albums Cry Baby and K-12 ) who is reborn as a "pink-skinned, four-eyed fairy creature that's stuck between Earth and
3995-498: The competition. In week three, Martinez's performance of " Seven Nation Army " finished the voting period at #10 on the iTunes Top 200 Single Chart, causing her iTunes votes to be multiplied by ten. This occurred again in week four, when " Too Close " ended the voting period at #6. Martinez was eliminated by audience vote in week five, along with the fellow Team Adam member Amanda Brown, leaving Levine with no artists. In response, Martinez said, "I never expected to get this far and this
4080-775: The decade, it was common for pop producers, songwriters, and engineers to freely experiment with musical form, orchestration , unnatural reverb , and other sound effects. Some of the best known examples are Phil Spector 's Wall of Sound and Joe Meek 's use of homemade electronic sound effects for acts like the Tornados . At the same time, pop music on radio and in both American and British film moved away from refined Tin Pan Alley to more eccentric songwriting and incorporated reverb-drenched electric guitar, symphonic strings, and horns played by groups of properly arranged and rehearsed studio musicians. A 2019 study held by New York University in which 643 participants had to rank how familiar
4165-459: The early 1960s, [the term] 'pop music' competed terminologically with beat music [in England], while in the US its coverage overlapped (as it still does) with that of 'rock and roll'". From about 1967, the term "pop music" was increasingly used in opposition to the term rock music, a division that gave generic significance to both terms. While rock aspired to authenticity and an expansion of
4250-492: The family's house often during her childhood. The visuals in Martinez's music videos have been influenced by her favorite visual artists: Mark Ryden , Aleksandra Waliszewska and Nicoletta Ceccoli . She named Tim Burton as a large influence of hers, and has said that to make a movie with him would be her "one dream". At age sixteen, after watching 101 Dalmatians (1996), Martinez dyed half of her hair blonde, in
4335-518: The first two marked her first original appearances on the chart, respectively reaching numbers 95 and 61 on the Billboard Hot 100 . The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 142,000 units. In 2019, Martinez released her second studio album K–12 alongside a musical film of the same name . After a two-year hiatus from music, she started to archive all of her Instagram posts and began to tease her then upcoming album on February 18, 2023. Martinez also released
SECTION 50
#17327831469454420-428: The former more accurately describes all music that is targeted for mass appeal (compare art music ) and includes many disparate styles. Although much of the music that appears on record charts is considered to be pop music, the genre is distinguished from chart music . David Hatch and Stephen Millward describe pop music as "a body of music which is distinguishable from popular, jazz, and folk music". David Boyle,
4505-578: The genre evolved more influences ranging from classical , folk , rock , country , electronic music , and other popular genres became more prominent. In 2016, a Scientific Reports study that examined over 464,000 recordings of popular music recorded between 1955 and 2010 found that, compared to 1960s pop music, contemporary pop music uses a smaller variety of pitch progressions, greater average volume, less diverse instrumentation and recording techniques, and less timbral variety. Scientific American ' s John Matson reported that this "seems to support
4590-409: The home. By the early 1980s, the promotion of pop music had been greatly affected by the rise of music television channels like MTV , which "favoured those artists such as Michael Jackson and Madonna who had a strong visual appeal". Multi-track recording (from the 1960s) and digital sampling (from the 1980s) have also been used as methods for the creation and elaboration of pop music. During
4675-414: The late 1970s and would not reemerge until the rise of Internet stars. Indie pop , which developed in the late 1970s, marked another departure from the glamour of contemporary pop music, with guitar bands formed on the then-novel premise that one could record and release their own music without having to procure a record contract from a major label. The 1980s are commonly remembered for an increase in
4760-401: The late 20th century that became global superstars include Whitney Houston , Michael Jackson , Madonna , George Michael , and Prince . At the beginning of the 2000s, the trends that dominated during the late 1990s still continued, but the music industry started to change as people began to download music from the internet. People were able to discover genres and artists that were outside of
4845-501: The main purpose of pop music is to create revenue. It is not a medium of free articulation of the people. Instead, pop music seeks to supply the nature of personal desire and achieve the instant empathy with cliche personalities, stereotypes, and melodrama that appeals to listeners. It is mostly about how much revenue pop music makes for record companies. Music scholar Timothy Warner said pop music typically has an emphasis on recording, production, and technology, rather than live performance;
4930-514: The mainstream and propel them to fame, but at the same time smaller artists had a harder time making a living because their music was being pirated. Popular artists were Avril Lavigne , Justin Timberlake , NSYNC , Christina Aguilera , Destiny's Child , and Britney Spears . Pop music often came from many different genres, with each genre in turn influencing the next one, blurring the lines between them and making them less distinct. This change
5015-448: The manner in which pop has been disseminated", which helped to move pop music to "a record/radio/film star system". Another technological change was the widespread availability of television in the 1950s with televised performances, which meant that "pop stars had to have a visual presence". In the 1960s, the introduction of inexpensive, portable transistor radios meant that teenagers in the developed world could listen to music outside of
5100-403: The mid-1960s, pop music made repeated forays into new sounds, styles, and techniques that inspired public discourse among its listeners. The word "progressive" was frequently used, and it was thought that every song and single was to be a "progression" from the last. Music critic Simon Reynolds writes that beginning with 1967, a divide would exist between "progressive" pop and "mass/chart" pop,
5185-450: The moment I finished writing" Cry Baby . The perfume was directly distributed by Martinez's record label, Atlantic, making them the first record label to distribute a fragrance. Martinez also collaborated with cosmetics company Lime Crime, Inc. to release two "exclusive" lipsticks: a blue lipstick called "Cry Baby" on August 17, 2015, and a brown lipstick called "Teddy Bear" on March 9, 2016. On December 22, 2017, Melanie Martinez released
SECTION 60
#17327831469455270-544: The perfect home with the perfect lawn and they all look the same. But behind each house there's a screwed up group of people who are hiding behind wealth and perfection." Martinez also released a music video for the track, which was fan-funded by an Indiegogo page created by Martinez, and hair, makeup, and shooting were all done by friends of hers. The song was produced and cowritten by NYC songwriting duo Kinetics & One Love . On April 7, 2014, Martinez signed to Atlantic Records and released her debut EP, Dollhouse ,
5355-802: The pop music styles that developed alongside other music styles is Latin pop , which rose in popularity in the US during the 1950s with early rock and roll success Ritchie Valens . Later, Los Lobos and Chicano rock gained in popularity during the 1970s and 1980s, and musician Selena saw large-scale popularity in the 1980s and 1990s, along with crossover appeal with fans of Tejano musicians Lydia Mendoza and Little Joe . With later Hispanic and Latino Americans seeing success within pop music charts, 1990s pop successes stayed popular in both their original genres and in broader pop music. Latin pop hit singles, such as " Macarena " by Los del Río and " Despacito " by Luis Fonsi , have seen record-breaking success on worldwide pop music charts. Notable pop artists of
5440-400: The popular anecdotal observation that pop music of yore was "better", or at least more varied, than today's top-40 stuff". However, he also noted that the study may not have been entirely representative of pop in each generation. In the 1960s, the majority of mainstream pop music fell in two categories: guitar, drum and bass groups or singers backed by a traditional orchestra. Since early in
5525-448: The possibilities of popular music, pop was more commercial, ephemeral, and accessible. According to British musicologist Simon Frith , pop music is produced "as a matter of enterprise not art", and is "designed to appeal to everyone" but "doesn't come from any particular place or mark off any particular taste". Frith adds that it is "not driven by any significant ambition except profit and commercial reward [...] and, in musical terms, it
5610-503: The reasons pop can be hard to summarize is because there’s no real sonic or musical definition to it. There are common elements to a lot of the biggest pop songs, but at the end of the day, "pop" means "popular" first and foremost, and just about any song that becomes popular enough...can be considered a pop song. In the 1940s, improved microphone design allowed a more intimate singing style and, ten or twenty years later, inexpensive and more durable 45 rpm records for singles "revolutionized
5695-963: The release, a further three music videos have appeared, one featuring the song "Tunnel Vision" in December 2023, a second in February 2024 for "Faerie Soirée", and a third in May 2024 for "Light Shower". Martinez's music has been described as pop , alternative pop , art pop , electropop , and dark pop . Cry Baby and K–12 were seen to have hip hop and R&B undertones. Portals saw Melanie venturing into experimental sounds and pop-rock . Martinez's music has been described by The Guardian as "off-kilter, sweary electropop". Rolling Stone described Martinez's music as "twisted lullabies about love, danger and madness", and compared her music to that of " ' Coin-Operated Boy '-era Dresden Dolls " and Lana Del Rey . The New York Times ' s Jon Pareles described her music as "perch[ing] prettily tinkling keyboards and concise pop choruses amid
5780-769: The same femme fatale poses, she lacks the subtlety of her influences", and that "Martinez is admirably ambitious, but her insistence on sticking to Cry Baby ' s central idea leaves her contorting into uncomfortable positions". Martinez describes her alter ego and the protagonist of her debut album, Cry Baby , as a " fairy tale " version of herself. Martinez's songs are often based on personal experiences. Martinez described her own music as "very dark and honest" and "hip hop/trap inspired beats with creepy nostalgic childlike sounds such as baby pianos, music boxes, and toys". Martinez listened to Christina Aguilera , Brandy , Britney Spears , The Beatles , Tupac Shakur , Shakira , and Biggie Smalls growing up, and wanted to be
5865-535: The same vein as Cruella de Vil . She became known for the look, as well as her "baby doll"-inspired outfits in music videos and when performing. The Guardian has called her image "doll-like and decidedly emo [...] hyperreal" while her music is best known to be "part- nursery rhyme , part tragic life story". On December 4, 2017, Timothy Heller, a woman with whom Martinez once shared a friendship, alleged via Twitter that Martinez had sexually assaulted and raped her two years prior. The following day, Martinez tweeted
5950-453: The slow, ominous basslines and twitchy percussion of Southern hip-hop – a candy-coated variation on the dirges of Lorde and Lana Del Rey", and described her mezzo-soprano voice as "whispery, sardonic, tearful, [and] furious". Billboard ' s Jason Lipshutz also compared Martinez to Del Rey and Lorde, saying, "Martinez is clearly cribbing from the dimly lit pop stylings of Lorde and Lana Del Rey, but while her wispy delivery strikes
6035-793: The song " Piggyback " on SoundCloud , an act believed to be in response to Heller's accusations. On July 19, 2024, Heller issued a new video statement reaffirming the story, as well as refuting claims that she had "admitted to lying". She also described harassment she experienced from Martinez's fanbase, stating that she "suddenly had thousands of hate accounts dedicated to [her], thousands of dislikes and negative comments on all of [her] music, and completely ridiculous fabricated stories of [her] being posted online" that ultimately led her to deactivate her public accounts. She also revealed that she had been doxxed and hacked, stating that her "home address, phone number, and family's phone numbers were all leaked," that "every single one of [her] social media accounts
6120-402: The song " Piggyback " on SoundCloud , believed to reflect on allegations made by her former friend, Timothy Heller. Heller accused Martinez of sexual assault via Twitter on 4 December 2017, which Martinez strongly denied, asserting that any intimacy was consensual. In a review of Martinez's third album, Portals , Sam Franzini of The Line of Best Fit wrote that the album track "Battle of
6205-578: The term "pop music" "originated in Britain in the mid-1950s as a description for rock and roll and the new youth music styles that it influenced". The Oxford Dictionary of Music states that while pop's "earlier meaning meant concerts appealing to a wide audience [...] since the late 1950s, however, pop has had the special meaning of non-classical mus[ic], usually in the form of songs, performed by such artists as The Beatles , The Rolling Stones , ABBA , etc." Grove Music Online also states that "[...] in
6290-409: The term "pop music" may be used to describe a distinct genre, designed to appeal to all, often characterized as "instant singles-based music aimed at teenagers" in contrast to rock music as "album-based music for adults". Pop music continuously evolves along with the term's definition. According to music writer Bill Lamb, popular music is defined as "the music since industrialization in the 1800s that
6375-458: The top 100 most-played songs on Spotify in the US after gaining popularity on TikTok . In 2021, Martinez featured on Forbes ' Under 30 list. On February 18, 2023, after archiving all her Instagram posts, Martinez teased her third studio album, Portals . The album was released on March 31, 2023, and was promoted with the singles, " Death " and " Void " which charted at number 95 and 61 respectively, marking her first original appearances on
6460-629: The use of digital recording , associated with the usage of synthesizers , with synth-pop music and other electronic genres featuring non-traditional instruments increasing in popularity. By 2014, pop music worldwide had been permeated by electronic dance music . In 2018, researchers at the University of California, Irvine , concluded that pop music has become 'sadder' since the 1980s. The elements of happiness and brightness have eventually been replaced with electronic beats making pop music more 'sad yet danceable'. Pop music has been dominated by
6545-508: Was a good combination of new sounds including " synth pop and a more harsh, grungy and dark tone". The Line of Best Fit writer Sam Franzini gave the album's lyrical content praise, comparing it to her older works, noting that the "themes are darker, and feel more real compared to her previous songs lacquered in metaphor". However, he felt that while her reinvention was "fantastical and imaginative", it failed to live up to her past work. Conversely, Evening Standard writer David Smyth gave
6630-404: Was a homebody, as she was "very emotional" and found it difficult to explain her feelings, crying when overwhelmed. She practiced photography and painting. Due to her emotionality as a child, she says that others referred to her as a "cry baby", which sparked the creation of the titular character of her debut album, Cry Baby . Martinez grew up in a "traditional Latin household" where she
6715-519: Was an open call, held at Javits Center . She recalls that while she and her mother were driving to the audition, her mother's car broke down before they reached the Queens–Midtown Tunnel , and the two were forced to "hitchhike" a taxicab in order to get there. Several months after the initial audition, while at Roosevelt Field Mall , Martinez received word that she had advanced to the "second round". She then received multiple callbacks until she
6800-457: Was epitomized in Spears' highly influential 2007 album Blackout , which under the influence of producer Danja , mixed the sounds of EDM , avant-funk , R&B , dance music , and hip hop . By 2010, pop music impacted by dance music came to be dominant on the charts. Instead of radio setting the trends, it was now the club. At the beginning of the 2010s, Will.i.am stated, "The new bubble
6885-619: Was finally selected to audition on the show itself. Martinez auditioned singing Britney Spears 's " Toxic " with three of the four judges ( Adam Levine , CeeLo Green and Blake Shelton ) hitting their "I Want You" button. Martinez ultimately chose Adam Levine to be her coach. In the Battle Round, Martinez competed against Caitlin Michele. They performed a duet of the Ellie Goulding song " Lights ". Martinez won and moved on to
6970-534: Was followed by the album's second single, " Soap ". The song reached number twelve on the Alternative Digital Songs chart, and number sixteen on the Pop Digital Songs chart. The third single, "Sippy Cup", followed on July 31. Cry Baby , her debut album, was released on August 14, 2015, to moderate critical acclaim and debuted at number 6 on the Billboard 200. The album was certified Platinum by
7055-599: Was hacked, including her email," and that "the only thing they didn't get into was [her] bank account." Studio albums Headlining Supporting Pop music Identifying factors of pop music usually include repeated choruses and hooks , short to medium-length songs written in a basic format (often the verse–chorus structure ), and rhythms or tempos that can be easily danced to. Much of pop music also borrows elements from other styles such as rock, urban , dance , Latin , and country . The terms popular music and pop music are often used interchangeably, although
7140-650: Was made to feel shameful about talking about her sexuality and felt as if she would not be accepted if she came out as bisexual . She says that her family is now fully accepting of her sexuality. At fourteen, Martinez taught herself how to play guitar by studying chord diagrams of songs she enjoyed, which she found online, and wrote her first song by adding her poetry to one of the chord diagrams, but says that playing guitar "eventually got stale". Martinez graduated from Baldwin High School . In 2012, during her junior year of high school, Martinez participated in
7225-633: Was promoted with the K–12 Tour began on October 13, 2019, in Washington, D.C. and concluded prematurely on February 17, 2020, in Brixton , England due to the COVID-19 pandemic . In January 2020, Martinez announced she was working on an EP titled After School , which was then set to be released in the spring of 2020 and serve as the deluxe edition of K–12 . On February 10, 2020, Martinez released
#944055