Just another Cry Baby

I personally love combining things that oppose each other. Light with dark, sweet with sour, or even cute with creepy. I also love finding new artists, usually ones that a lot of people don’t know about. So when I found this singer who combines cute with creepy in her music, I knew that I had found my new favorite artist.
Rising artist, Melanie Martinez’s new album Cry Baby has got me head over heels. Melanie herself is very interested in the baby, and dolly-like styles. She sports bows and ribbons, cute frilly pink dresses, pastel colors; and even at times you’d see her holding a teddy bear, and wearing a bib. Her album compliments her style very well. However, although her album seems fit for small children with its cute styles, and bright colors, in actuality the music juxtaposes its innocent appearance. Let’s not forget were mixing opposites, and Melanie perfects this technique seamlessly. Within her music Martinez covers some dark, maybe even adult topics. Yet she masks them by titling her songs with innocent topics, for example “Training Wheels”, “Sippy cup”, “Cake”, and “Mr. Potato Head”. Regardless of these titles, the lyrics to the songs go much deeper.
One of her most popular songs is the perfect example of this creative mixture. The song is titled “Dollhouse”. The first time I read the title, I thought it would be a song similar to “Barbie Girl” by Aqua. Something girly and fun, however the main idea of the song says otherwise. The song is about a seemingly perfect family, yet behind closed doors, they are anything but. The term “doll” is used as metaphor for her family. As the song goes on, Melanie explains how her family acts when the little girl is playing with them, which happens to be the only time they are truly “happy”. However, like the movie Toy Story, the dolls truly come alive when no one is watching, and everything is not as it seems. She explains that when the little girl walks away, her family breaks apart. Her father’s a cheater, her mom’s an alcoholic, and her brother smokes. Not much of a doll house, huh? When the little girl comes back to play they put on this façade, and pretend they’re a “family” again. “Places, places. Get in your places. Throw on your dress, and put on your doll faces.”
Some songs I fell in love with the first time I heard them, other songs I had to listen to a couple times. What really made me appreciate her songs is the lyrics; you really have to listen and pay attention to notice the story being told. For example, while “Dollhouse” is a popular song, there happens to be a second part to the song; Titled, “Sippy Cup”. In this song she goes into more depth about what hurtles her mother must jump over regarding her marriage. The song explains that the reason she began drinking is because she found out that her husband had been cheating, yet because she wants to remain a “perfect” family, she doesn’t speak up. In the song “Dollhouse” there is a verse that goes, “Don’t let them see what goes down in the kitchen”, however, in the song she never states what happens. This cliff hanger caused all Cry Babies to wonder and ask “What happens in the kitchen?” Well the answer to this question is provided to us in the song “Sippy Cup”. But I won’t spoil it for any of those who are interested in finding out for themselves.
I love the whole idea of Melanie Martinez’s style of music, and it’s understandable that some may view her music as strange, weird, and abnormal. But that’s what I love about it; it’s out of the box, and it’s extremely creative. For those who won’t mind a little strangeness, I do suggest this cd. And even though she isn’t as famous as Beyoncé or Taylor Swift, Melanie Martinez is quickly growing popular! She calls her fans Cry Babies, and I suggest hopping on the bandwagon before you get left behind.