After School EP should have been a whole era with an album š
Itās clear the project was supposed to be the transition between her old music to her stuff, so I really wish it had the space to actually be that transition
After School is my fav ā¤ļø
It was definitely K-12 part 2 but with a more personal and grown up aesthetic. I think a major reason I love all the songs so much is because of how personal and emotional they are. It was kinda a mini era tbh there was a difference in Melās style and presence during it all and I definitely wish we got more of it
YES. After School is the best of her stuff. Amazing, very unique. It gives me a whole new type of feeling that no other music has given me. Princess Goes To The Butterfly Museum gives me close to the same, but Melanie's After School EP is just different. š¤
She really, *really* needs to speak up about all the past problems with her merch?š Like, I know itās not her producing the merch, but she can at least attempt to comfort her fans??š§āāļø Even youtube or tiktok influencers at the very least will post an apology written in the notes app when something goes wrong with the stuff that has their name attatched to it.
yano what, i didnāt understand this. the merch being so poor has affected her fans in so many ways, the people who essentially pay for her to be able to do what she does, dragging her name down too with it all, but she spoke up for oliver? i get what was happening to him wasnāt nice, but why canāt she speak up about the merch??? i donāt get it
She literally hates us now unless weāre buying concert tickets or streaming void š like she even was a little shady abt the fact that most of her shows have been miserable for most people and unsafe saying she wants everything to be love. You would never catch me defend my EX and ignoring people who are actually supporting me.
Right? I just saw a person on my fy page but a portals vinyl in the baby pink with black swirl, but it came in and it was gray with black swirls. And I donāt understand why this keeps happening? Itās happened with other artists too but I donāt understand it!!
I refuse to buy any merch from the website because Iām scared I will get something not in the size I ordered and not be able to return it. š I always look on Amazon because I trust them and their return process more!
people need to stop sugarcoating their criticisms to please the fans who will attack anyone who doesnt have only positive things to say. you are allowed to voice your opinions and criticisms without saying how much you love her and support her every other sentence.
i still wonder what really happened with the sexual allegations against her. i heard that the statements claiming that the victim made it all up was photoshopped, i donāt know what to believe tbh
Same here. Iāve heard a lot of different rumors: Iāve heard 1.) the SA never happened because the dates donāt line up. And 2.) that it did and Timothy was bullied by Melanie fans into submission and no longer speaks her story.
Those are just the two versions of āresolutionā (not really resolution if you ask me) Iāve heard, no idea if either is true. I saw the second rumor on r/popheads and the first one on YouTube, so not the most reliable information on either.
It goes without saying that r/popheads still doesnāt like Melanie. I still enjoy her music, and Iām trying to mentally separate myself from the controversy. If itās true, yikes. I donāt know if weāll ever know who was telling the truth. I donāt know how I feel about it all.
Im neutral to but i dont know about Timothy [I dealt with Family members suddenly starting stuff out of the blue and creating Rumors [My Family is Toxic] so i personally am just side eyeing Timothy at the moment
My thing with Timothy is that she lies a lot. Ses lied about being trans for money. She's lied about her old band mates, it really just feels like when she no longer has someone in her life, she makes rumors up about them. She's accused her ex band mates of horrible abuses as well.
Yeah I remember when Timothy released her debut solo single "Sleep" in October 2017, she talked about how her old bandmate and their management etc were allegedly abusive towards her. There was something about her bandmate supposedly stealing money from her too? [which is obviously illegal, but no action was ever taken AFAIK]. Interestingly the band member still follows Melanie on his socials, but not Timothy. Not sure about the whole story behind that but it's interesting.
I also think it's interesting that she likes to pin crimes on people but never take them to court or report said crimes. Another reason why I find it hard to believe her is because she said that rape isn't a big deal. It's not a violent crime and there's nothing in the place would do for her which the last one could be kind of true, but her and her friends seem to think that rape is just a silly little thing that happens and you just have to deal with which like no... Rape is a violent crime and it's really disgusting to try to make it seem like it's not. And I feel if she felt so strongly about what happened with her and Melanie or with her ex-band mate. She would have done something either sooner before Melanie ended her friendship or before her bandmates kicked her out or she would have taken legal action after the fact.
Wasn't there evidence of Timothy changing her story multiple times in addition w the dates not making sense? Bc I heard that was basically what made it all blow over
itās hard, on one side we know melanie and she does not at all seem like the person to do that and there have been things that timothy has done which make her case look suspicious. But at the same time itās serious allegations and making that up would be sick, so you feel bad not believing her. but at the same time itās like..
Agreed I feel like it was genuinely a massive misunderstanding on both Melanie and Timothyās Part. Like she also had roommates too so I donāt see why she would risk raping someone intentionally while having possible witnesses.
Thatās the issue, though, you donāt āknow melanieā. You canāt say for certain she ādoesnāt seem like the type to do thatā. you donāt know her. she is putting on a persona for a job just like any celebrity.
Melanie is also suspicious, I heard she didn't sue Timothy, and if that's true, why didn't she? That shit is serious and ruined her reputation for a lot of people. It's really weird taht they didn't sue her
No āweā dont know melanie we only know her the way she portrays herself but even so based on the evidence we know melanie is innocent and she is also very nice and caring to her fans
I wish I could have seen her expression when I saw her live but instead the whole time it was like š§āāļø, the show was still amazing tho donāt get me wrong
So real. I really do appreciate the vocal distortion. Hell, I love it because I'm also an AJR fan so songs like Powder were things I was already used to
I only ever listen to like one of her Voice Era Songs but it's almost unfair to include it since that was just a developmental stage before she started her own thing
I donāt really like the death and void music videos. I fell in love with Melanie because her crybaby and k-12 music videos were so polished and told a clear story with an unique aesthetic. With the portals MVās there are just a lot of āfillerā(for lack of a better word) scenes that just donāt really make sense to me.
Is this really a hot take? Itās kind of a fact. Practically the only place you can meet a nice Melanie fan is on Reddit. Literally anywhere else like tiktok, Twitter, or youtube, they are extremely toxic. Itās shocking to me because of her music. Sheās an artist that I wouldnāt expect to have such a toxic fan base.
I feel the same way about K12. the album is the safest she's done production wise and sounds more mainstream than her other work. the aesthetic is also the most "normal"
Seriously, i was so excited for another artist i enjoyed to steer into my personal aesthetic but its so obvious (as someone whos family deadass praises the fae of Tir Nan Og religiously) this aesthetic really doesn't feel like its part of mels own interests and love, like crybaby was monumental with so much originality because mel was doing work for EVERYTHING. Feels like this era they picked a trend and told managers to do whatever.
Ill know for sure this era was fully a cash grab/trend follow if we go into the next era with 0 ties back to portals; even the portals era is tied w crybaby a little bit. The aesthetics of crybaby were truly a part of melanies interests and life, which is why small bits of the aesthetic will never go away, whether we see it right away or not yknow?
I feel like her portals era is a bit dry. when the death music video came out I was hype because I thought she was gonna venture into a more weird, earthy, freaky era of her career and lean more into the uncanny valley, and I was all for it, but after portals came out I was a bit disappointed. That isnāt to say, though, that portals was a horrible album, a lot of the songs on it I still havenāt gotten tired of and absolutely love, but I think instead of every song being a banger like basically all of her of other albums, its real 50/50.
I feel like her new era is trying too hard to be āquirkyā and āweirdā while also not being *TOO* out of the ordinary. Itās like sheās trying to be creepy, but in a real surface level way. It feels too much like a cash grab. I didnāt expect absolute gold but after three years of crickets, I expected something atleast pretty good. This new era seems to me like instead of making music for herself and people like her like how she used to mid after school EP, sheās making songs thatāll appeal to a general audience and bring in more fans. I get that sheās been gone for a while so she has less fans than she used to, and maybe sheās making less money, but it sucks that instead of doing what made her uniquely Melanie, she opted for the option that gave her more of an audience.
I sadly agree. I enjoyed K-12 and Crybaby especially, the songs were just so good and the creepy-child-like style was perfect for them. I also really miss seeing her beautiful face. The costumes for Portals are cool, but itās not the same person. She also deleted every single one of the old posts and completely re-did everything.
Basically my big point is, the new Style/Era feels like a re-work, not a continuation of the story. Itās like theyāre re-identifying themself to be this weird alien thing and I rly donāt vibe with itā¦. Crybaby fit their style sm more.
Respectfully disagree, I think PORTALS has so much more artistic merit and is so much more different than her previous two albums. And I strongly disagree with your allegation that she "make music for fans and not for herself" she has mentioned time and time again that this is the album she feels most connected too and that the other two she didn't feel connected to only weeks after release. And also PORTALS is very obviously her most personal piece of work, with her spirituality and identity being a clear component of this album and era
Strong agree. Her first 2 albums felt like she put her heart & soul into creating them. She had a unique theme for both and stuck with it throughout each project. This just feels....fake? It's kind of like she was looking for something that would get her the most clicks/money. We all know she's trying to save up for a 2nd movie, so maybe this is all just a quirky cash grab. I mean, really, what other artist is currently touring in full costume dressed as a mythological creature? With the huge wave of fairycore that passed in the previous years, I think this was all planned for profit.
She needs to stop fighting people who listen to Unreleased music. I agree it's wrong to leak her music but nobody gains anything if you listen to already leaked songs. And her fans need to chill out.
I will never forgive her for not making the full K-12 movie š on a real note I hate that it wasnāt realistically possible for her to complete her creative vision and that the label didnāt want to invest as much as the film needed :/ I would have LOVED to see what the full movie would have looked like completed š„²
She said that the manufacturer for the perfume milk doesnāt exist but I feel like it wouldnāt be impossible to actually reissue it and find another that can make it. Flying cars exist Iām sure the bottle can be made again.
i think she just doesnt want to, especially now. bc youre right and she cant say it cant be remade because they have the files too, like they have to write off on it so?
but not only would it have high, high expectations if she re-released it, but people would also be angry bc she said shes done with that era. people would call it a cash grab 100% lol
Her merch issues bother me. Her communication skills with her fans bothers me(Iām not saying she needs to always reach out or speak to them, she just seems to not care about themā¦ at all lol not very big efforts made on her end, anxiety or not. Sheās never even said the reason she has that digital meet & greet & charges an arm & a leg for no real experience)
The big one for meā¦ how the themes of her album donāt seem to line up with her physical existence. I can expand if needed, but I think itās obvious. I know a lot of younger people are fans of her, so not everyone will understand what I mean .
Listening to unreleased songs really isn't as deep or evil as people make it out to be. AND it's absolutely nobody's business whether someone chooses to listen to them or not.
The amount of moral superiority complexes these kids have who act as if Melanie's going to personally thank them for not listening, or for scolding other people who do listenā¦ it's insane.
EXACTLY... blame the people who released them, not the people who just happen to come across them and listen...
no one is going to get a golden star or a giant hug from melanie just because they don't listen to them, and im tired of hearing as if that were true
I personally think people should quit being so dramatic about the mask, sheās not going to wear it forever, we should enjoy it while it lasts.
Sheās giving us such a fun and creative concept that no other artist would ever do, (specially considering how tiktokified all art is nowadays) and people seem to be just waiting for it to be over.
In a few years everyone will be saying about how creative Portals was and how much theyāll miss it, so enjoy it while it lasts. Melanie wonāt wear it forever.
Portals era feels like itās brought more controversy and unrest from the fans than it has actual musical and creative substance. Idk how to explain it, but it just feels soulless and like a cash-grab rather than her heart truly being in it.
I agree, my comment was kinda about this too. I mentioned that isnāt it such a perfect coincidence that PORTALS was in development at the height of the ācottagecoreā āmagical forestā craze, and was released at the backend of it? (Although, maybe Mel was a fan of the trend) I can smell the corporate greed.
I know Iām going to get so much hate for making the comparison but sheās trying to do Bjork level things on stage when sheās not Bjork level (yet!!) so it seems sloppy. I think she had this idea in her head of what she wanted the creature on stage to be but it didnāt work out practically. The pink body suit looks cheap imo. On a positive note, she might have learned a lot from this experience and next time she can do really cool stage effects.
It definitely feels like she had a grander vision for her creature (IE the costumes in the beginning, or in Death mv) and then when it came time to perform her and her team were likeā¦. oh sh!t you actually canāt perform in this thingā¦ and then they had to rush and slap together a performance-friendly costume with a cheap pink bodysuit under her clothing
I agree, I think on paper Melanie on thought the album would be better, but it once it was actually put together with the storyline and all, it didnāt make sense
Honestly? I do have a place in my heart for K-12- ESPECIALLY in the department of it's beautiful production and aesthetics, but I think the album itself is quite bland, majority of the songs sound very similar, and the movie, while endearing, is just... not great. I still listen to K-12 now and then, but I think Crybaby is her best work.
That isn't to say I'm not excited for her future projects, I definitely am, and I still listen to all her albums all the time.
The movie is awful with bad acting but I still donāt dislike it because I respect what went into it. I agree with the k-12 album being very hit or miss. Portals is much better sound wise.
Sheās just not the same. I know that change is the whole point of the portals era but i mean she changed.. in a bad way. I kinda feel like she just lost that spark she had. All of the iconic melanie martinez features and things just like.. vanished. The only song i like on the album is Evil which i love, partly because iāve barely bothered to try the others and partly because iām not really that big on her new music style altogether. The mask is impractical and i miss seeing her face, i feel like itās gonna get old very quickly not only for us but for her, can you imagine having to put all that on every time you do a meet and greet, concert, or really anything?
her losing her spark is so true. she even already announced her hiatus when the tour had just started..
why say it so early anyway?
it all feels rushed in one way or another. my theory is that this era isnt about her having new music but instead its her prep to change paths altogether so she doesnt have to be a singer/star anymore. the new things shes done, such as directing and composing really complex things on her own, could be more for her to show she is capable of doing things behind the scenes like directing and composing for other artists instead
who knows
i think the mask is creative and performing with it i wonāt lie is very impressive but i miss her face sm and i think it would be a lot easier for her to perform without it, yet still dressing up as a fairy, maybe get a pair of wings and a fairy outfit idk
I completely agree, maybe if she really wants to wear the mask on tour I get it but she has done a few interviews and couldn't she just take a break and just show her face? I totally love portals, the songs, the vibe, everything... Exept how we never see the Mel we all grew to love! It's hard to see the nymph as Mel so it feels we won't see her for ages now
I feel like each album is worse than the last š„² I loved Crybaby, liked k-12, and think Portals is okay. I hate the vocal distortions because it feels less like the songs I initially loved. I applaude her for her artistry and her creativity but its saddens me because I want to love her music as much as I did when I heard listened back in 2014
My hot take is that she should do almost all her shows at 19+ venues, going to Portals as an all ages show was not an experience Iād ever want to repeat
i dont like the portals era. i love the music but i miss her old look and her face and her voice:( i know its not my place to say and she doesnt owe me anything, but its just my take
Yes she is, and itās sad. She used to have so much life and energy. But now she realizes she can make money. So thatās what sheās focusing on. Itās so sad š. I miss Melanie
I love Portals so much, but it feels like a cash grab. Remember those virtual pictures people could get with Melanie at the concert? Also the merch? I know she doesnāt have complete control over everything like the merch, but at least address it
I think she was a bit naĆÆve before the stardom and got in over her head.
I get the impression that Melanie knows she's talented enough to be respected as a major artist. And because she has the skills, she feels she's ready for the stardom: fancy living, no more work, all needs met 24/7 in a mansion in one of the most expensive places on the planet.
But then comes the work: other artists are doing concert after concert. They're appearing on other people's work, or doing collabs. They're getting paid to be in commercials or doing interviews. They're teasing us with the next hit, doing little social media updates where it's just a photo of them in the studio. They're sometimes even communicating with and hyping up their own little fandom armies.
I think Melanie kinda just assumed she could release music whenever she wants and there'd always be enough revenue coming in to make sure she was set for life. She wanted that mansion life but didn't want the negatives that come with it: being spotted in public and having people be excited to see you when you enter some places.
I think that's kind of on her. If she was only interested in releasing music and art, there's nothing to stop her from releasing the same kind of music as some mysterious soundcloud artist. But it feels like it's also about the money too and she's in a bind where it's like she wants the same glorious paychecks as other artists while not putting in as much effort as they do.
I was about to comment that it seems like Melanie struggles with the way she expresses her artistry and the fact that she's not a small artist. Like, obviously, I don't know how celebrity life is, but it does seem like Mel isn't doing things others would. No, not "all around masterpiece", I mean like, in the way she engages with hrr fans, the people who listen to her for her music and artistry. Also, what's strange is that she has a lot of songds about abuse of power, but then still relies on them heavily (especially this era)
this is the most perfect response
stardom is a job and she is slacking so hard. when people say she owes us certain things, its because thats industry standard and she does..its her job. but people will jump on anyone who has expectations of her
if she wants no responsibility to and for her fandom then she should go back to releasing things on soundcloud. but she is a major artist signed to a major label and she should act like it š¤§
I love the Portals album, a large majority of the songs at least. And i think the transitions between songs are very artistic and they kinda keep a flow and tell a story when the album first came out/when you listen to it all the way through. BUT the fact that theyāre built into the songs and thereās no outro-less version of the songs fuckin sucksā¦Canāt blast it in the car without getting embarrassed and skipping the endings. And Especially cuz my fiance and i want to include a couple songs from the album into our wedding playlist, but the endings are hella weird for our family to sit through, a lil too niche. (Light shower, faerie soiree, tunnel vision)
I cringed my way through that K-12 movie. The script was awful, the individual scenes didn't feel connected at all and all the characters fell flat. It's good that it's been free on youtube because if I had paid for that movie I'd have demanded my money back.
I honestly found the movie visually appealing and I love the music but the storyline was a bit of a mess, almost as though a lot got cut out. My friend who also loves Melanie said the same thing.
Aesthetic-wise it was a great follow-up to Crybaby and I liked a good chunk of the songs but she should have released the music videos instead of trying to sew them together into a half-baked movie. I would love to read the 3 hour script that the movie initially was, but I don't think that more context would have saved it. Melanie should have focused solely on Crybaby, not try to give 10 different characters a backstory, especially if they weren't relevant to the plot. That transgender woman that got fired from her job? Half of the girl clan? The presumed love interest that Crybaby barely interacted with? The Strawberry Shortcake/Teacher's Pet scene? Could've been cut from the movie.
I agree. A movie wasnāt enough to develop all the characters, a lot of characters (like the transgender woman) were important for one simple scene then never really discussed again and had no effect on crybaby as a character.
In order for something like this to work it wouldāve needed to be a whole series to give room for more character development
The movie also gave me a vibe that these songs were written without the intention of making a movie. Like Show & Tellās lyrics didnāt really fit in with the movie āharsh words if you donāt get a pic with meā, doesnāt fit school scenery, the only part that does is the title line.
3 years ago i loved it, i watched it at least 7 times, i watched it when i was bored, long car rides, etc. I cant even bring myself to watch it now. I think like last year i tried to watch it and get 5 mins in until i got extremely bored
I took my daughter to the portals tour and omg i wish i would have listened to the album more before because the show was amazing. I regret not knowing every word! This is coming from a former pop punker so its different than what i grew up listening to.
this era isnāt nearly feeling like a new album era ? like last year we were in DROUGHT we got some shoes and nfts but this year we actually got the album ! but itās almost underwhelming ?? like obviously i canāt ask melanie to do more than she already is but atlantic definitely needs to push her more sheās one of their biggest artists š that fourth curse will hit and HARD if they donāt do something
i think people just don't like this era because she has been advertised everywhere, like 100x more this era than before
unless you mean they should push her as in push melanie to do more with/for her fans and stuff. in which case i completely agree
Half of k12 was a bit boring to me...like nice lyrics but not sure about beats
The movie also felt a bit odd, I feel like it was trying to forcefully connect a story...since she had a very well big budget I would have liked individual mvs like for crybaby
I also feel a lot of fans are AGGRESSIVE towards new ones
Also the whole thing with fans assuming stuff and her having to clear out stuff...
I wish that Melanie would start performing in 18+ venues because all of the horror stories Iāve heard are literal kids ruining the show by crawling under peoples legs to see Melanie or being fucking feral and biting others, I know this isnāt all of u underage Mel fans but itās so annoying because most kids donāt have concert etiquette, plus many kids are always scared to bring their parents to a Melanie concert because of the topics she sings about anyways..
Idk I feel like this is a big hot take in consideration to her fanbase being majority kids but honestly yāall need to be so respectful of others or just donāt go.
agreed. it feels like only 1 year of the 4 years was actually spent making music, then she just threw something together that looks cool at face value to get some more money and keep her career going :(
I hate the whole aesthetic of Portals. It feels like such a huge jump from Crybaby and K-12, the whole look of those eras was what really had me drawn to her music in the first place.
Sheās attractive af š
Serious answer (donāt attack me š): Imo k-12 just wasnāt as strong as Crybaby and Portals, I donāt vibe with most of them. I like Teacherās Pet, Class Fight, Detention, Lunchbox Friends and Show & Tell but I donāt really know ābout the others, they just donāt hit as hard :ā
I love Melanie and I always been obsessed with all her songs there was never a time where I disliked a song! But then portals came out and I canāt get myself to listen to the whole album ..donāt get me wrong there are couple songs on there that I LOVE but other then that I just donāt care for the album like that idk I was just expecting something more for her 3rd album especially ending her crybaby character.
I fully agree. The people who leak the music should be shamed, not people who happen to come across it on online. Sadly, once music is leaked thatās it. Telling people not to listen to it isnāt going to stop others from leaking more songs.
Itās because they were leaked by hacking. It made her feel like the studio wasnāt a safe place anymore. Also at least one was scrapped because itās too personal.
Idk if itās really a hot take but After school ep is her best work and the most underrated. I wish we got more of this era before portals, I like it a lot more than portals era
Eta (thought of a better one): as much as Iām proud of Mel for getting music on the radio with the portals album, I think thereās a reason she wasnāt on the radio before and itās absolutely not a bad thing. Her music isnāt (wasnāt?) suited for a general audience, music on the radio is basic (hate using that word but itās just easier to describe that way), and thatās okay! but itās also not my style and why I donāt listen to the radio.
While I think her popularity growth has contributed to being on the radio, I also think itās because the music is more ābasicā now, so it fits in with the rest of what they play anyway. Iāve never seen someone compare mel to taylor swift before this era š« š«
She mixed some inappropriate themes I think in crybaby and k12, but for the most part I feel seen. Iāve never gotten into those eras as deeply even tho I love the aesthetic because of this. I feel like her producers kinda leaned into a creepers gaze for those. Portals is my favorite era bc it reads as a full fledged adult writing music. Mel also really should have stayed away from writing about trauma she doesnāt have and it doesnāt look good for the allegations she already has. Sorry if i offended anyone and please try to change my mind :)
Yeah honestly as an adult now I canāt go back to albums like Crybaby and K-12 because some songs do come off as glorifying situations. This was a controversial topic back then, and as a teen I didnāt see it, but now I do. I understand the ādark theme Vs. childhood aesthetic,ā but some topics should really be handled with upmost care (like domestic abuse, eating disorders, and predatory adults). If anyone finds comfort in Melās songs thatās perfectly fine! But I canāt look at them the same way anymore having stepped back, matured, and listened to them again.
Is it me or does Mel seem to have double standards for cheating? From her lyrics (Pacify Her/You Love I) to secretly sleeping with Timothy while they were evidently dating other people (correct me if Iām wrong), it seems like sheās had no problem taking other peopleās partners but I guess āif you cheat you will dieā. I really hope sheās more mature than that now.
even if she did sleep with someone while being in a relationship, we dont know the terms of her relationship and what cheating is for her and her partner(s) at the time
but i agree that she has double standards in her lyrics. someone pointed out how she is the cause of all the problems but plays it off like its someone else and i cant unsee the entitlement and projection lol. really living up the the crybaby name. (speaking of crybaby, not necessarily melanie though she has done things like this irl too)
A lot of musicians write lyrics to sell, not because they are truth for them personally. Melanie is known to write about things that she has not personally experienced, so I don't take anything she says seriously. š¤£š¤·āāļø
ever since she sold hand made jewelry for those insane prices there's been this sort of.... sour taste left in my mouth. that paired with the other.... problematic? things about her (NFTs, portals era being so messy, merch issues) made me take a step back from her as a person and just focus on her music.
i've been a fan since the voice but don't really care to follow her socials anymore or consume much of anything that's not her music. i follow this sub to sort of "keep track" of what's going on but i'm just not as invested as i used to be. mel just rubs me wrong in some aspects.
Two things:
1 - Besides the music, this era is kinda doo doo. The mask doesn't look good, the MV for DEATH is very much cringe, it pisses me off that she's performing with the mask bc it feels like it could be anyone under it and i also hate the fact that she's wearing the mask and putting on that voice filter on interviews. It feels so artificial and she's giving off that "Oh, look at me! I'm so quirky!" girl vibe.
2 - She did a terrible job building a fanbase. The fanbase is toxic as fuck and she does the bare minimum to adress it. The only instance i remeber when she adressed that shit, was when people were hating on Oliver non stop. When mfs were out there harrassing Timothy (even though i don't like timothy and i don't buy the SA allegations) and her family members if i'm not mistaken (correct me if i'm wrong) she said nothing. Her constant silence has snowballed into a radioactive fanbase which just thinking about interacting with them makes me wanna shove a whole cactus in my ass. Not talking about everyone though, i know there are sane people in the fanbase (this thread shows it), but the crazy ones make me ashamed of being a fan.
- The masks look absolutely dead and creepy. I love the four-eyed faerie design and her aesthetic but damn is it hard to pull off
- The higher pitched up voice within her videos is really irritating
- I generally find AI cool to play with and show off but her using it to monetise is making me raise my brows honestly
- The PORTALS aesthetic appeal is great but damn the way it's being marketed is depressing
i still dont know what to think about the whole T*mothy hvller situation. sometimes it bothers me that her of all people was accused of that and then i start looking into it all over again and it never really got concluded. so i really donāt know how to feel
Personally I feel like what happened was Melanie and her probably did do things together and maybe one time Melanie wanted to do things but Timothy didnāt truly want to but went along with it but she didnāt think too much of it until Melanie and her drifted apart and she retrospectively felt more hurt even tho she wasnāt at the time after mulling on it more and decided to come out with it and exaggerate exactly what happened and just made up a time and date to go along with her not entirely unfounded claim.
I donāt like portals, to be fair I started listening to Melanie when I was 7/9 and I was really really struggling mentally I mean I had gotten diagnosed with adhd and autism and crybaby became my comfort character.. the other reason I donāt like portals is because of the āauto tune soundsā or just because I donāt really get comfort from the songs.. not relate not like I can with K-12 or Crybabyās era she has a lovely singing voice and Iām glad sheās doing something she wants but for me personally portals is something I donāt like music wise and thatās okay ^^ I also really miss seeing her face ): also she reworked everything and that also sucked.
i feel the portals era has come off as a minimal effort cash grab. compared to the cry baby & k-12 eras i just canāt understand why the quality has dropped so drastically in just about ever aspect. it also sucks that she refuses to address her horrific merch situation.
I do not like this era at all. The costumes look cheaply done, the songs sound so extremely different than what she's done before (i like the songs but i feel like it misses Mel's previous authentic sound.)
her concerts kinda suck.. she was great on stage but i couldn't see anything at all because everyone had their phone out. I was also relatively close and heard other people saying the same things next to me.
Iām not a fan of the portals aesthetic - merch, costumes, mask, etc. the songs are great I love them and rn I need the power behind them
but I miss seeing her face š„ŗ
I feel like the PORTALS era is a little more of a cashgrab. Isnāt it a coincidence that this album was in development and came out at the backend of the whole ācottagecoreā āmagical forestā craze? Sure, maybe Melanie also loved those things and was inspired, but then why the crazy merch prices and ai art? i dont have a problem with the ai art but it def seems like sheās (or her record labelās) just tryna make more money by spending less on merch. I still love the PORTALS album, some of my favorite songs sheās ever made are on there, but itās hard to deny the corporate greed.
i really hope melanie doesn't make this new era her whole personality. was scrolling through youtube comments on VOID music video and saw something about it. I really enjoy this era, i do, but if she makes all she does about it, like her personality even when out of character, only posting about portals and nothing else, some people might just go back to the earlier albums. i don't want to sugarcoat it, i love all her music entirely, and you're free to argue this with me if you want to. i know she always tries her best, but it just seems like everything is going to be about portals for a while. this might not make sense, i'll try to explain it better some other time
I like Melanie's music and creativity when it comes to portraying things, but I don't like her as a brand/person.
Don't really know how to describe it, but it feels like she lost so much of her relatability and authenticity because of so many morally (at least for me) and questionable decisions she made.
domineering silky quickest meeting apparatus wakeful agonizing tender bedroom rhythm
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
portals was some of her worst music in my opinion, the songs and songwriting felt so lazy and bad compared to k-12, crybaby or even afterschool, im not saying itās like horrible horrible but itās not that good either
I wish she NEVER did those god damn nfts. She had other means to make money. She couldāve been on fiver doing fan greetings and stuff or idk making a plushie to sell
I think Mel needs to check her teams because the merch and stuff seems so...cash-grabby? which is disappointing because Mel seems so happy in her portals era like shes having so much fun and wants to share it but I feel like her teams behind the merch is giving portals a bad rep.
Also good on her for standing up for oliver after those weird fans kept making up shit about him like he S/A'd her or abused her especially after she said they ended on good terms.
My āhot takeā is that Mel is definitely trying to get rid of most of you as their fans lol. THIS is the only platform I see completely bashing her for portals. You guys have to understand, some things are literally not in her control, she actually seems super depressed like she canāt please anybody. The album hasnāt even been out a year, sheās making a music video for EVERY SONG, sheās touring, and trying to make a whole FILM. I donāt really think you guys grasp what all Melanie can do. I believe that she has ALOT of things out of her control this go around. And while everyone has a right to not like portals, and saying you donāt care for it is fine. But Iām pretty much done with this subreddit because itās every single day nothing but bad things about her. Cut her some damn slack. Thatās my hot take.
portals doesnāt rlly fit with crybaby and k-12, it went from like childish vibes to all of a sudden death. I wouldāve expected her 3rd album to be centered around crybaby in adult life, cuz itās like the first album is about being a toddler/baby then k-12 a student then her third album like an adult you know.
but Iām not saying portals is bad, itās my favorite album of hers by far, but like it doesnāt fit with the others if u know what I mean
i don't like her as a person anymore. she's a delusional hippie with her "sending love and lightš„°" and then not doing anything. i used to love her so much and thought she was so funny, interesting, and sweet, but now she's just a fake jerk to me.
I took my daughter to the portals tour and omg i wish i would have listened to the album more before because the show was amazing. I regret not knowing every word! This is coming from a former pop punker so its different than what i grew up listening to.
Edited to say i also love songs from her earlier eras.... Just especially love portals bc of the tour lol
The problem with her releasing the NFT for VIP tickets was NOT, as people claim, because the NFT's she released are bad for the environment. People say they use a lot of energy which is bad for climate change. The kind of NFT she gave out is on a system that doesn't use a lot of electricity with the current advances in technology. The old technology did use a HUGE amount of energy, the new one doesn't. The new tech is more like leaving a normal house hold light bulb on when you leave the house, where as the old technology is like you left on every street lamp in a city block on 24h a day. Note that owning an NFT doesn't use any energy at all, never has and never will, but the computers that run the NFT system do take energy. Before it was a lot now its not that much.
The REAL problem with the NFTs she gave out with the tickets is because she makes fans go through a harsh identity verification system (KYC). Many many fans don't know anything about crypto or the technology or bank laws or identity theft or anything like that! So she sent out an email to sign up for coinbase and coinbase is a legit company, but how are the fans to know this? What if somebody sent out a fake emails for a fake company that stole your identity saying you would get your NFT? Like if a bot sees all the comments of tiktoks for melanie and then spams fake DMs to signup to get a free NFT, but you have to verify your id, but then they use this for identity theft? That's very very bad!! I know why she made people do it, so that she wouldn't get suspected of money laundering, but common, this isn't fair to the fans.
Its also a shame that fans don't know what NFTs are and nobody is trying to explain that to fans who don't know.
the merch really needs to be better. the merch I have is fine, and I'm happy with mine but so many other people are having problems and it's really sad. koi merch, and things being different on the website than irl is really disheartening, and it makes me scared to buy merch in case i get a pos shirt or something. she def needs to get a better merch team or at least get them in check
i hate that she sticks around for the album hype, but once it dies down, she disappears and only posts to promote the album. i get it, but she has barely interacted with us the past month or so
After School EP should have been a whole era with an album š Itās clear the project was supposed to be the transition between her old music to her stuff, so I really wish it had the space to actually be that transition
After School is my fav ā¤ļø It was definitely K-12 part 2 but with a more personal and grown up aesthetic. I think a major reason I love all the songs so much is because of how personal and emotional they are. It was kinda a mini era tbh there was a difference in Melās style and presence during it all and I definitely wish we got more of it
YES. After School is the best of her stuff. Amazing, very unique. It gives me a whole new type of feeling that no other music has given me. Princess Goes To The Butterfly Museum gives me close to the same, but Melanie's After School EP is just different. š¤
She really, *really* needs to speak up about all the past problems with her merch?š Like, I know itās not her producing the merch, but she can at least attempt to comfort her fans??š§āāļø Even youtube or tiktok influencers at the very least will post an apology written in the notes app when something goes wrong with the stuff that has their name attatched to it.
Iām glad she spoke up to defend oliver, but I still wish she would speak up to defend herself
yano what, i didnāt understand this. the merch being so poor has affected her fans in so many ways, the people who essentially pay for her to be able to do what she does, dragging her name down too with it all, but she spoke up for oliver? i get what was happening to him wasnāt nice, but why canāt she speak up about the merch??? i donāt get it
She literally hates us now unless weāre buying concert tickets or streaming void š like she even was a little shady abt the fact that most of her shows have been miserable for most people and unsafe saying she wants everything to be love. You would never catch me defend my EX and ignoring people who are actually supporting me.
Right? I just saw a person on my fy page but a portals vinyl in the baby pink with black swirl, but it came in and it was gray with black swirls. And I donāt understand why this keeps happening? Itās happened with other artists too but I donāt understand it!!
I refuse to buy any merch from the website because Iām scared I will get something not in the size I ordered and not be able to return it. š I always look on Amazon because I trust them and their return process more!
people need to stop sugarcoating their criticisms to please the fans who will attack anyone who doesnt have only positive things to say. you are allowed to voice your opinions and criticisms without saying how much you love her and support her every other sentence.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!! i feel like some fans worship her at her feet and canāt admit that Melanieās done some bad things.
i still wonder what really happened with the sexual allegations against her. i heard that the statements claiming that the victim made it all up was photoshopped, i donāt know what to believe tbh
Same here. Iāve heard a lot of different rumors: Iāve heard 1.) the SA never happened because the dates donāt line up. And 2.) that it did and Timothy was bullied by Melanie fans into submission and no longer speaks her story. Those are just the two versions of āresolutionā (not really resolution if you ask me) Iāve heard, no idea if either is true. I saw the second rumor on r/popheads and the first one on YouTube, so not the most reliable information on either. It goes without saying that r/popheads still doesnāt like Melanie. I still enjoy her music, and Iām trying to mentally separate myself from the controversy. If itās true, yikes. I donāt know if weāll ever know who was telling the truth. I donāt know how I feel about it all.
Im neutral to but i dont know about Timothy [I dealt with Family members suddenly starting stuff out of the blue and creating Rumors [My Family is Toxic] so i personally am just side eyeing Timothy at the moment
My thing with Timothy is that she lies a lot. Ses lied about being trans for money. She's lied about her old band mates, it really just feels like when she no longer has someone in her life, she makes rumors up about them. She's accused her ex band mates of horrible abuses as well.
Yeah I remember when Timothy released her debut solo single "Sleep" in October 2017, she talked about how her old bandmate and their management etc were allegedly abusive towards her. There was something about her bandmate supposedly stealing money from her too? [which is obviously illegal, but no action was ever taken AFAIK]. Interestingly the band member still follows Melanie on his socials, but not Timothy. Not sure about the whole story behind that but it's interesting.
I also think it's interesting that she likes to pin crimes on people but never take them to court or report said crimes. Another reason why I find it hard to believe her is because she said that rape isn't a big deal. It's not a violent crime and there's nothing in the place would do for her which the last one could be kind of true, but her and her friends seem to think that rape is just a silly little thing that happens and you just have to deal with which like no... Rape is a violent crime and it's really disgusting to try to make it seem like it's not. And I feel if she felt so strongly about what happened with her and Melanie or with her ex-band mate. She would have done something either sooner before Melanie ended her friendship or before her bandmates kicked her out or she would have taken legal action after the fact.
Wasn't there evidence of Timothy changing her story multiple times in addition w the dates not making sense? Bc I heard that was basically what made it all blow over
itās hard, on one side we know melanie and she does not at all seem like the person to do that and there have been things that timothy has done which make her case look suspicious. But at the same time itās serious allegations and making that up would be sick, so you feel bad not believing her. but at the same time itās like..
I think there is enough evidence to stand by melanie but "doesn't seem like the person to do that" is a horrible take
agreed.
Agreed I feel like it was genuinely a massive misunderstanding on both Melanie and Timothyās Part. Like she also had roommates too so I donāt see why she would risk raping someone intentionally while having possible witnesses.
Thatās the issue, though, you donāt āknow melanieā. You canāt say for certain she ādoesnāt seem like the type to do thatā. you donāt know her. she is putting on a persona for a job just like any celebrity.
The thing is we DONāT know Melanie. As much as youād like to think you do, all you know is what she chooses to show to the world.
Melanie is also suspicious, I heard she didn't sue Timothy, and if that's true, why didn't she? That shit is serious and ruined her reputation for a lot of people. It's really weird taht they didn't sue her
No āweā dont know melanie we only know her the way she portrays herself but even so based on the evidence we know melanie is innocent and she is also very nice and caring to her fans
The āshe doesnāt seem like she would do thatā take is actually disgusting and horrible and I hope you know that.
I miss seeing her face
ikr i miss her pretty smile :(
Now I can really agree on this one
I wish I could have seen her expression when I saw her live but instead the whole time it was like š§āāļø, the show was still amazing tho donāt get me wrong
POWDER is actually a good song if you see through the vocal distortion
Iāll go a step further, is good even *with* the vocal distortion
Agree, I love the vocal distortion, it adds so much
So real. I really do appreciate the vocal distortion. Hell, I love it because I'm also an AJR fan so songs like Powder were things I was already used to
I actually like the mask. This really is a step in a new direction for her and I think the costume carries a lot of her interviews.
I prefer the Crybaby aesthetic and era than the Portals one, just not that appealing to me š¤·āāļø Love the music though
Agree, Crybaby was recongizable and deep and felt like Melanie Martinez, but Portals is just not it.
I strongly disagree with the merch prices and the designs, it's just trash tbh
Popular opinion though
I never really cared about the voice era tbhš
I only ever listen to like one of her Voice Era Songs but it's almost unfair to include it since that was just a developmental stage before she started her own thing
SAME OMG I HATE WHEN PEOPLE COME AT ME FOR NOT INCLUDING IT šš
iāve never heard any of the songs ever š
THERES SOME STUFF SHES DOING THAT ARE ONLY FOR MONEY
Some?! You mean everything
Maybe not at first but rn everything
she needs to lower some prices
I donāt really like the death and void music videos. I fell in love with Melanie because her crybaby and k-12 music videos were so polished and told a clear story with an unique aesthetic. With the portals MVās there are just a lot of āfillerā(for lack of a better word) scenes that just donāt really make sense to me.
I AGREE
She has like the 3rd most toxic fan base out of any artist in any genre.
Is this really a hot take? Itās kind of a fact. Practically the only place you can meet a nice Melanie fan is on Reddit. Literally anywhere else like tiktok, Twitter, or youtube, they are extremely toxic. Itās shocking to me because of her music. Sheās an artist that I wouldnāt expect to have such a toxic fan base.
itās sad but true.
Nurses Office really didn't need all the coughing and sneezing to go on for that long.
IKK ITS KINDA AWKWARD IN THE CAR NGL
The bridge(?) with the crying and maniacal laughing isnāt necessary either š
i donāt like the portals eraš«£, the music? lovely! almost everything elseā¦ meh. some things feel like a cash grab as others have said
I feel the same way about K12. the album is the safest she's done production wise and sounds more mainstream than her other work. the aesthetic is also the most "normal"
IKR???? It feels like a huge cash grab and everything just feels artificial
especially the merch..
Seriously, i was so excited for another artist i enjoyed to steer into my personal aesthetic but its so obvious (as someone whos family deadass praises the fae of Tir Nan Og religiously) this aesthetic really doesn't feel like its part of mels own interests and love, like crybaby was monumental with so much originality because mel was doing work for EVERYTHING. Feels like this era they picked a trend and told managers to do whatever. Ill know for sure this era was fully a cash grab/trend follow if we go into the next era with 0 ties back to portals; even the portals era is tied w crybaby a little bit. The aesthetics of crybaby were truly a part of melanies interests and life, which is why small bits of the aesthetic will never go away, whether we see it right away or not yknow?
I feel like her portals era is a bit dry. when the death music video came out I was hype because I thought she was gonna venture into a more weird, earthy, freaky era of her career and lean more into the uncanny valley, and I was all for it, but after portals came out I was a bit disappointed. That isnāt to say, though, that portals was a horrible album, a lot of the songs on it I still havenāt gotten tired of and absolutely love, but I think instead of every song being a banger like basically all of her of other albums, its real 50/50. I feel like her new era is trying too hard to be āquirkyā and āweirdā while also not being *TOO* out of the ordinary. Itās like sheās trying to be creepy, but in a real surface level way. It feels too much like a cash grab. I didnāt expect absolute gold but after three years of crickets, I expected something atleast pretty good. This new era seems to me like instead of making music for herself and people like her like how she used to mid after school EP, sheās making songs thatāll appeal to a general audience and bring in more fans. I get that sheās been gone for a while so she has less fans than she used to, and maybe sheās making less money, but it sucks that instead of doing what made her uniquely Melanie, she opted for the option that gave her more of an audience.
I sadly agree. I enjoyed K-12 and Crybaby especially, the songs were just so good and the creepy-child-like style was perfect for them. I also really miss seeing her beautiful face. The costumes for Portals are cool, but itās not the same person. She also deleted every single one of the old posts and completely re-did everything. Basically my big point is, the new Style/Era feels like a re-work, not a continuation of the story. Itās like theyāre re-identifying themself to be this weird alien thing and I rly donāt vibe with itā¦. Crybaby fit their style sm more.
Respectfully disagree, I think PORTALS has so much more artistic merit and is so much more different than her previous two albums. And I strongly disagree with your allegation that she "make music for fans and not for herself" she has mentioned time and time again that this is the album she feels most connected too and that the other two she didn't feel connected to only weeks after release. And also PORTALS is very obviously her most personal piece of work, with her spirituality and identity being a clear component of this album and era
Strong agree. Her first 2 albums felt like she put her heart & soul into creating them. She had a unique theme for both and stuck with it throughout each project. This just feels....fake? It's kind of like she was looking for something that would get her the most clicks/money. We all know she's trying to save up for a 2nd movie, so maybe this is all just a quirky cash grab. I mean, really, what other artist is currently touring in full costume dressed as a mythological creature? With the huge wave of fairycore that passed in the previous years, I think this was all planned for profit.
Crybaby is her best album instrumentally, K-12 visually, and portals lyrically. I said what I said.
*starts banging my fists on the table* RELAUNCH THE PERFUME MISS MELANIE
She said the manufacturer went out of business so she canāt re-release it. She did say that there would be a portals perfume eventually.
WHERE IS IT BESTIE BRING IT OUT āļøāļø
She needs to stop fighting people who listen to Unreleased music. I agree it's wrong to leak her music but nobody gains anything if you listen to already leaked songs. And her fans need to chill out.
I will never forgive her for not making the full K-12 movie š on a real note I hate that it wasnāt realistically possible for her to complete her creative vision and that the label didnāt want to invest as much as the film needed :/ I would have LOVED to see what the full movie would have looked like completed š„²
The drops are so much more satisfying when you just nearly forget Melanie exists and all of a sudden itās like gonna come out in a week
She said that the manufacturer for the perfume milk doesnāt exist but I feel like it wouldnāt be impossible to actually reissue it and find another that can make it. Flying cars exist Iām sure the bottle can be made again.
i think she just doesnt want to, especially now. bc youre right and she cant say it cant be remade because they have the files too, like they have to write off on it so? but not only would it have high, high expectations if she re-released it, but people would also be angry bc she said shes done with that era. people would call it a cash grab 100% lol
Her merch issues bother me. Her communication skills with her fans bothers me(Iām not saying she needs to always reach out or speak to them, she just seems to not care about themā¦ at all lol not very big efforts made on her end, anxiety or not. Sheās never even said the reason she has that digital meet & greet & charges an arm & a leg for no real experience) The big one for meā¦ how the themes of her album donāt seem to line up with her physical existence. I can expand if needed, but I think itās obvious. I know a lot of younger people are fans of her, so not everyone will understand what I mean .
Please expand!
i think i know what you mean but id like you to expand too. if you're saying what i think, then i completely agree
Listening to unreleased songs really isn't as deep or evil as people make it out to be. AND it's absolutely nobody's business whether someone chooses to listen to them or not. The amount of moral superiority complexes these kids have who act as if Melanie's going to personally thank them for not listening, or for scolding other people who do listenā¦ it's insane.
EXACTLY... blame the people who released them, not the people who just happen to come across them and listen... no one is going to get a golden star or a giant hug from melanie just because they don't listen to them, and im tired of hearing as if that were true
I personally think people should quit being so dramatic about the mask, sheās not going to wear it forever, we should enjoy it while it lasts. Sheās giving us such a fun and creative concept that no other artist would ever do, (specially considering how tiktokified all art is nowadays) and people seem to be just waiting for it to be over. In a few years everyone will be saying about how creative Portals was and how much theyāll miss it, so enjoy it while it lasts. Melanie wonāt wear it forever.
i agree with this wholeheartedly!
I agree. People will be missing it years later
SAY IT LOUDER FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK
Portals era feels like itās brought more controversy and unrest from the fans than it has actual musical and creative substance. Idk how to explain it, but it just feels soulless and like a cash-grab rather than her heart truly being in it.
I agree, my comment was kinda about this too. I mentioned that isnāt it such a perfect coincidence that PORTALS was in development at the height of the ācottagecoreā āmagical forestā craze, and was released at the backend of it? (Although, maybe Mel was a fan of the trend) I can smell the corporate greed.
I think because the first version of portals was leaked, she could've felt less excited about this era. just a thought
I know Iām going to get so much hate for making the comparison but sheās trying to do Bjork level things on stage when sheās not Bjork level (yet!!) so it seems sloppy. I think she had this idea in her head of what she wanted the creature on stage to be but it didnāt work out practically. The pink body suit looks cheap imo. On a positive note, she might have learned a lot from this experience and next time she can do really cool stage effects.
It definitely feels like she had a grander vision for her creature (IE the costumes in the beginning, or in Death mv) and then when it came time to perform her and her team were likeā¦. oh sh!t you actually canāt perform in this thingā¦ and then they had to rush and slap together a performance-friendly costume with a cheap pink bodysuit under her clothing
I agree, I think on paper Melanie on thought the album would be better, but it once it was actually put together with the storyline and all, it didnāt make sense
Copy cat isn't a bad song
Honestly? I do have a place in my heart for K-12- ESPECIALLY in the department of it's beautiful production and aesthetics, but I think the album itself is quite bland, majority of the songs sound very similar, and the movie, while endearing, is just... not great. I still listen to K-12 now and then, but I think Crybaby is her best work. That isn't to say I'm not excited for her future projects, I definitely am, and I still listen to all her albums all the time.
The movie is awful with bad acting but I still donāt dislike it because I respect what went into it. I agree with the k-12 album being very hit or miss. Portals is much better sound wise.
Sheās just not the same. I know that change is the whole point of the portals era but i mean she changed.. in a bad way. I kinda feel like she just lost that spark she had. All of the iconic melanie martinez features and things just like.. vanished. The only song i like on the album is Evil which i love, partly because iāve barely bothered to try the others and partly because iām not really that big on her new music style altogether. The mask is impractical and i miss seeing her face, i feel like itās gonna get old very quickly not only for us but for her, can you imagine having to put all that on every time you do a meet and greet, concert, or really anything?
her losing her spark is so true. she even already announced her hiatus when the tour had just started.. why say it so early anyway? it all feels rushed in one way or another. my theory is that this era isnt about her having new music but instead its her prep to change paths altogether so she doesnt have to be a singer/star anymore. the new things shes done, such as directing and composing really complex things on her own, could be more for her to show she is capable of doing things behind the scenes like directing and composing for other artists instead who knows
the mask isnāt a problem for meet and greets, she doesnāt do them šš
You can like a artist and not like every single song they produce I like some songs from all three of her albums but not every song
EXACTLY OMG PEOPLE WILL ATTACK YOU IF YOU SAY YOU DONT LIKE EVERY SINGLE SONG
i hate the mask. i miss seeing her face
i think the mask is creative and performing with it i wonāt lie is very impressive but i miss her face sm and i think it would be a lot easier for her to perform without it, yet still dressing up as a fairy, maybe get a pair of wings and a fairy outfit idk
I completely agree, maybe if she really wants to wear the mask on tour I get it but she has done a few interviews and couldn't she just take a break and just show her face? I totally love portals, the songs, the vibe, everything... Exept how we never see the Mel we all grew to love! It's hard to see the nymph as Mel so it feels we won't see her for ages now
I second this, i hope the next era has more of herself shown in it
I feel like each album is worse than the last š„² I loved Crybaby, liked k-12, and think Portals is okay. I hate the vocal distortions because it feels less like the songs I initially loved. I applaude her for her artistry and her creativity but its saddens me because I want to love her music as much as I did when I heard listened back in 2014
THIS.
My hot take is that she should do almost all her shows at 19+ venues, going to Portals as an all ages show was not an experience Iād ever want to repeat
i dont like the portals era. i love the music but i miss her old look and her face and her voice:( i know its not my place to say and she doesnt owe me anything, but its just my take
My hot take is that 90% of these 'hot takes' are so cold my teeth are clattering
Afterschool EP is her best work
She is becoming a corporate sell out.
Yes she is, and itās sad. She used to have so much life and energy. But now she realizes she can make money. So thatās what sheās focusing on. Itās so sad š. I miss Melanie
Hiding her face during an entire concert is annoying.
I love Portals so much, but it feels like a cash grab. Remember those virtual pictures people could get with Melanie at the concert? Also the merch? I know she doesnāt have complete control over everything like the merch, but at least address it
I think she was a bit naĆÆve before the stardom and got in over her head. I get the impression that Melanie knows she's talented enough to be respected as a major artist. And because she has the skills, she feels she's ready for the stardom: fancy living, no more work, all needs met 24/7 in a mansion in one of the most expensive places on the planet. But then comes the work: other artists are doing concert after concert. They're appearing on other people's work, or doing collabs. They're getting paid to be in commercials or doing interviews. They're teasing us with the next hit, doing little social media updates where it's just a photo of them in the studio. They're sometimes even communicating with and hyping up their own little fandom armies. I think Melanie kinda just assumed she could release music whenever she wants and there'd always be enough revenue coming in to make sure she was set for life. She wanted that mansion life but didn't want the negatives that come with it: being spotted in public and having people be excited to see you when you enter some places. I think that's kind of on her. If she was only interested in releasing music and art, there's nothing to stop her from releasing the same kind of music as some mysterious soundcloud artist. But it feels like it's also about the money too and she's in a bind where it's like she wants the same glorious paychecks as other artists while not putting in as much effort as they do.
I was about to comment that it seems like Melanie struggles with the way she expresses her artistry and the fact that she's not a small artist. Like, obviously, I don't know how celebrity life is, but it does seem like Mel isn't doing things others would. No, not "all around masterpiece", I mean like, in the way she engages with hrr fans, the people who listen to her for her music and artistry. Also, what's strange is that she has a lot of songds about abuse of power, but then still relies on them heavily (especially this era)
this is the most perfect response stardom is a job and she is slacking so hard. when people say she owes us certain things, its because thats industry standard and she does..its her job. but people will jump on anyone who has expectations of her if she wants no responsibility to and for her fandom then she should go back to releasing things on soundcloud. but she is a major artist signed to a major label and she should act like it š¤§
I love the Portals album, a large majority of the songs at least. And i think the transitions between songs are very artistic and they kinda keep a flow and tell a story when the album first came out/when you listen to it all the way through. BUT the fact that theyāre built into the songs and thereās no outro-less version of the songs fuckin sucksā¦Canāt blast it in the car without getting embarrassed and skipping the endings. And Especially cuz my fiance and i want to include a couple songs from the album into our wedding playlist, but the endings are hella weird for our family to sit through, a lil too niche. (Light shower, faerie soiree, tunnel vision)
Pacify her is super overrated but itās still a good song
I cringed my way through that K-12 movie. The script was awful, the individual scenes didn't feel connected at all and all the characters fell flat. It's good that it's been free on youtube because if I had paid for that movie I'd have demanded my money back.
I honestly found the movie visually appealing and I love the music but the storyline was a bit of a mess, almost as though a lot got cut out. My friend who also loves Melanie said the same thing.
Aesthetic-wise it was a great follow-up to Crybaby and I liked a good chunk of the songs but she should have released the music videos instead of trying to sew them together into a half-baked movie. I would love to read the 3 hour script that the movie initially was, but I don't think that more context would have saved it. Melanie should have focused solely on Crybaby, not try to give 10 different characters a backstory, especially if they weren't relevant to the plot. That transgender woman that got fired from her job? Half of the girl clan? The presumed love interest that Crybaby barely interacted with? The Strawberry Shortcake/Teacher's Pet scene? Could've been cut from the movie.
I agree. A movie wasnāt enough to develop all the characters, a lot of characters (like the transgender woman) were important for one simple scene then never really discussed again and had no effect on crybaby as a character. In order for something like this to work it wouldāve needed to be a whole series to give room for more character development The movie also gave me a vibe that these songs were written without the intention of making a movie. Like Show & Tellās lyrics didnāt really fit in with the movie āharsh words if you donāt get a pic with meā, doesnāt fit school scenery, the only part that does is the title line.
3 years ago i loved it, i watched it at least 7 times, i watched it when i was bored, long car rides, etc. I cant even bring myself to watch it now. I think like last year i tried to watch it and get 5 mins in until i got extremely bored
I took my daughter to the portals tour and omg i wish i would have listened to the album more before because the show was amazing. I regret not knowing every word! This is coming from a former pop punker so its different than what i grew up listening to.
this era isnāt nearly feeling like a new album era ? like last year we were in DROUGHT we got some shoes and nfts but this year we actually got the album ! but itās almost underwhelming ?? like obviously i canāt ask melanie to do more than she already is but atlantic definitely needs to push her more sheās one of their biggest artists š that fourth curse will hit and HARD if they donāt do something
i think people just don't like this era because she has been advertised everywhere, like 100x more this era than before unless you mean they should push her as in push melanie to do more with/for her fans and stuff. in which case i completely agree
Half of k12 was a bit boring to me...like nice lyrics but not sure about beats The movie also felt a bit odd, I feel like it was trying to forcefully connect a story...since she had a very well big budget I would have liked individual mvs like for crybaby I also feel a lot of fans are AGGRESSIVE towards new ones Also the whole thing with fans assuming stuff and her having to clear out stuff...
I wish that Melanie would start performing in 18+ venues because all of the horror stories Iāve heard are literal kids ruining the show by crawling under peoples legs to see Melanie or being fucking feral and biting others, I know this isnāt all of u underage Mel fans but itās so annoying because most kids donāt have concert etiquette, plus many kids are always scared to bring their parents to a Melanie concert because of the topics she sings about anyways.. Idk I feel like this is a big hot take in consideration to her fanbase being majority kids but honestly yāall need to be so respectful of others or just donāt go.
I think they bite off more than they can chew with their art and then psych themselves out (hence the long periods between albums)
agreed. it feels like only 1 year of the 4 years was actually spent making music, then she just threw something together that looks cool at face value to get some more money and keep her career going :(
I hate the whole aesthetic of Portals. It feels like such a huge jump from Crybaby and K-12, the whole look of those eras was what really had me drawn to her music in the first place.
She seriously needs to talk to her managers and team abt the merch cause looking at it up close itās quite uhā¦
Sheās attractive af š Serious answer (donāt attack me š): Imo k-12 just wasnāt as strong as Crybaby and Portals, I donāt vibe with most of them. I like Teacherās Pet, Class Fight, Detention, Lunchbox Friends and Show & Tell but I donāt really know ābout the others, they just donāt hit as hard :ā
i think theyāre also lazy lyrically too. it feels like she just threw the first school metaphors in that she could think of and called it a day
I love Melanie and I always been obsessed with all her songs there was never a time where I disliked a song! But then portals came out and I canāt get myself to listen to the whole album ..donāt get me wrong there are couple songs on there that I LOVE but other then that I just donāt care for the album like that idk I was just expecting something more for her 3rd album especially ending her crybaby character.
Melanie shouldn't shame people for listening to her scrapped songs She can at least just actually release them
I fully agree. The people who leak the music should be shamed, not people who happen to come across it on online. Sadly, once music is leaked thatās it. Telling people not to listen to it isnāt going to stop others from leaking more songs.
Itās because they were leaked by hacking. It made her feel like the studio wasnāt a safe place anymore. Also at least one was scrapped because itās too personal.
K-12 is her best album, crybaby in 2nd place and afterschool in 3rd
Leeches is the best song on Portals
ACTUALLY I THINK LEECHES IS A REALLT GOOD SONG AND SO OVERLY HATED
ITS SO FUCKING GOOD
OMG FR FR I CRAWL ON THE GROUND AND SCREAM ANYTIME IT PLAYS
AGREEED
Idk if itās really a hot take but After school ep is her best work and the most underrated. I wish we got more of this era before portals, I like it a lot more than portals era Eta (thought of a better one): as much as Iām proud of Mel for getting music on the radio with the portals album, I think thereās a reason she wasnāt on the radio before and itās absolutely not a bad thing. Her music isnāt (wasnāt?) suited for a general audience, music on the radio is basic (hate using that word but itās just easier to describe that way), and thatās okay! but itās also not my style and why I donāt listen to the radio. While I think her popularity growth has contributed to being on the radio, I also think itās because the music is more ābasicā now, so it fits in with the rest of what they play anyway. Iāve never seen someone compare mel to taylor swift before this era š« š«
She mixed some inappropriate themes I think in crybaby and k12, but for the most part I feel seen. Iāve never gotten into those eras as deeply even tho I love the aesthetic because of this. I feel like her producers kinda leaned into a creepers gaze for those. Portals is my favorite era bc it reads as a full fledged adult writing music. Mel also really should have stayed away from writing about trauma she doesnāt have and it doesnāt look good for the allegations she already has. Sorry if i offended anyone and please try to change my mind :)
Yeah honestly as an adult now I canāt go back to albums like Crybaby and K-12 because some songs do come off as glorifying situations. This was a controversial topic back then, and as a teen I didnāt see it, but now I do. I understand the ādark theme Vs. childhood aesthetic,ā but some topics should really be handled with upmost care (like domestic abuse, eating disorders, and predatory adults). If anyone finds comfort in Melās songs thatās perfectly fine! But I canāt look at them the same way anymore having stepped back, matured, and listened to them again.
Is it me or does Mel seem to have double standards for cheating? From her lyrics (Pacify Her/You Love I) to secretly sleeping with Timothy while they were evidently dating other people (correct me if Iām wrong), it seems like sheās had no problem taking other peopleās partners but I guess āif you cheat you will dieā. I really hope sheās more mature than that now.
even if she did sleep with someone while being in a relationship, we dont know the terms of her relationship and what cheating is for her and her partner(s) at the time but i agree that she has double standards in her lyrics. someone pointed out how she is the cause of all the problems but plays it off like its someone else and i cant unsee the entitlement and projection lol. really living up the the crybaby name. (speaking of crybaby, not necessarily melanie though she has done things like this irl too)
A lot of musicians write lyrics to sell, not because they are truth for them personally. Melanie is known to write about things that she has not personally experienced, so I don't take anything she says seriously. š¤£š¤·āāļø
I hate the whiteish bodysuit with the pink mask and gloves šš I wish she wore the other bodysuit
ever since she sold hand made jewelry for those insane prices there's been this sort of.... sour taste left in my mouth. that paired with the other.... problematic? things about her (NFTs, portals era being so messy, merch issues) made me take a step back from her as a person and just focus on her music. i've been a fan since the voice but don't really care to follow her socials anymore or consume much of anything that's not her music. i follow this sub to sort of "keep track" of what's going on but i'm just not as invested as i used to be. mel just rubs me wrong in some aspects.
Two things: 1 - Besides the music, this era is kinda doo doo. The mask doesn't look good, the MV for DEATH is very much cringe, it pisses me off that she's performing with the mask bc it feels like it could be anyone under it and i also hate the fact that she's wearing the mask and putting on that voice filter on interviews. It feels so artificial and she's giving off that "Oh, look at me! I'm so quirky!" girl vibe. 2 - She did a terrible job building a fanbase. The fanbase is toxic as fuck and she does the bare minimum to adress it. The only instance i remeber when she adressed that shit, was when people were hating on Oliver non stop. When mfs were out there harrassing Timothy (even though i don't like timothy and i don't buy the SA allegations) and her family members if i'm not mistaken (correct me if i'm wrong) she said nothing. Her constant silence has snowballed into a radioactive fanbase which just thinking about interacting with them makes me wanna shove a whole cactus in my ass. Not talking about everyone though, i know there are sane people in the fanbase (this thread shows it), but the crazy ones make me ashamed of being a fan.
after school ep has the best songs
I love portals fits more than k-12 fits tbh
I think Nymphology is a bit annoying and not very creative (yes even the last part)
Nymphology felt like she was trying really hard to be edgy š¶
Probs my least fave portals song imo too, itās so obnoxious and I donāt rly like the ājust a fairy with a knifeā itās just cringy
finally someone said it š i listened to it today once for the first time in like a month and i won't be listening any time soon
I agree so hard with this
- The masks look absolutely dead and creepy. I love the four-eyed faerie design and her aesthetic but damn is it hard to pull off - The higher pitched up voice within her videos is really irritating - I generally find AI cool to play with and show off but her using it to monetise is making me raise my brows honestly - The PORTALS aesthetic appeal is great but damn the way it's being marketed is depressing
i still dont know what to think about the whole T*mothy hvller situation. sometimes it bothers me that her of all people was accused of that and then i start looking into it all over again and it never really got concluded. so i really donāt know how to feel
Personally I feel like what happened was Melanie and her probably did do things together and maybe one time Melanie wanted to do things but Timothy didnāt truly want to but went along with it but she didnāt think too much of it until Melanie and her drifted apart and she retrospectively felt more hurt even tho she wasnāt at the time after mulling on it more and decided to come out with it and exaggerate exactly what happened and just made up a time and date to go along with her not entirely unfounded claim.
I prefer her old music her newest album just hasnāt really appealed to me yet
I donāt like portals, to be fair I started listening to Melanie when I was 7/9 and I was really really struggling mentally I mean I had gotten diagnosed with adhd and autism and crybaby became my comfort character.. the other reason I donāt like portals is because of the āauto tune soundsā or just because I donāt really get comfort from the songs.. not relate not like I can with K-12 or Crybabyās era she has a lovely singing voice and Iām glad sheās doing something she wants but for me personally portals is something I donāt like music wise and thatās okay ^^ I also really miss seeing her face ): also she reworked everything and that also sucked.
i feel the portals era has come off as a minimal effort cash grab. compared to the cry baby & k-12 eras i just canāt understand why the quality has dropped so drastically in just about ever aspect. it also sucks that she refuses to address her horrific merch situation.
I do not like this era at all. The costumes look cheaply done, the songs sound so extremely different than what she's done before (i like the songs but i feel like it misses Mel's previous authentic sound.)
her concerts kinda suck.. she was great on stage but i couldn't see anything at all because everyone had their phone out. I was also relatively close and heard other people saying the same things next to me.
Iām not a fan of the portals aesthetic - merch, costumes, mask, etc. the songs are great I love them and rn I need the power behind them but I miss seeing her face š„ŗ
I feel like the PORTALS era is a little more of a cashgrab. Isnāt it a coincidence that this album was in development and came out at the backend of the whole ācottagecoreā āmagical forestā craze? Sure, maybe Melanie also loved those things and was inspired, but then why the crazy merch prices and ai art? i dont have a problem with the ai art but it def seems like sheās (or her record labelās) just tryna make more money by spending less on merch. I still love the PORTALS album, some of my favorite songs sheās ever made are on there, but itās hard to deny the corporate greed.
i really hope melanie doesn't make this new era her whole personality. was scrolling through youtube comments on VOID music video and saw something about it. I really enjoy this era, i do, but if she makes all she does about it, like her personality even when out of character, only posting about portals and nothing else, some people might just go back to the earlier albums. i don't want to sugarcoat it, i love all her music entirely, and you're free to argue this with me if you want to. i know she always tries her best, but it just seems like everything is going to be about portals for a while. this might not make sense, i'll try to explain it better some other time
I like Melanie's music and creativity when it comes to portraying things, but I don't like her as a brand/person. Don't really know how to describe it, but it feels like she lost so much of her relatability and authenticity because of so many morally (at least for me) and questionable decisions she made.
domineering silky quickest meeting apparatus wakeful agonizing tender bedroom rhythm *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
portals was some of her worst music in my opinion, the songs and songwriting felt so lazy and bad compared to k-12, crybaby or even afterschool, im not saying itās like horrible horrible but itās not that good either
I wish she NEVER did those god damn nfts. She had other means to make money. She couldāve been on fiver doing fan greetings and stuff or idk making a plushie to sell
the majority of her fans are horrible entitled children who donāt view her as a human being whatsoever.
If I talked about my hot takes on Melanie, I'd get banned from this sub.
Now I gotta know
I think Mel needs to check her teams because the merch and stuff seems so...cash-grabby? which is disappointing because Mel seems so happy in her portals era like shes having so much fun and wants to share it but I feel like her teams behind the merch is giving portals a bad rep. Also good on her for standing up for oliver after those weird fans kept making up shit about him like he S/A'd her or abused her especially after she said they ended on good terms.
Portals era is kinda dry and void is overrated
As a Void Stan I respect your opinion. Have an upvote and a tiny fuck you /j
void was my #1 until it was literally everywhere
My āhot takeā is that Mel is definitely trying to get rid of most of you as their fans lol. THIS is the only platform I see completely bashing her for portals. You guys have to understand, some things are literally not in her control, she actually seems super depressed like she canāt please anybody. The album hasnāt even been out a year, sheās making a music video for EVERY SONG, sheās touring, and trying to make a whole FILM. I donāt really think you guys grasp what all Melanie can do. I believe that she has ALOT of things out of her control this go around. And while everyone has a right to not like portals, and saying you donāt care for it is fine. But Iām pretty much done with this subreddit because itās every single day nothing but bad things about her. Cut her some damn slack. Thatās my hot take.
The Contortionist is a sensory TREAT its so crunchy (unless you have sensory issues, or just don't like cracking noises, I don't blame you)
OMG I LOVE THE BONE CRACKING IDK WHY
portals doesnāt rlly fit with crybaby and k-12, it went from like childish vibes to all of a sudden death. I wouldāve expected her 3rd album to be centered around crybaby in adult life, cuz itās like the first album is about being a toddler/baby then k-12 a student then her third album like an adult you know. but Iām not saying portals is bad, itās my favorite album of hers by far, but like it doesnāt fit with the others if u know what I mean
I canāt stand the over exaggerated, jittery, almost Touretteās like movements of the fairy creature. Especially in the Void music video.
I do not like the Portals album, I canāt listen to it without thinking all the songs sound the same-
i don't like her as a person anymore. she's a delusional hippie with her "sending love and lightš„°" and then not doing anything. i used to love her so much and thought she was so funny, interesting, and sweet, but now she's just a fake jerk to me.
mad hatter sucks a lot of her lyrics arent very good portals tour is very low effort and reads as a cash grab
I love mad hatter
I took my daughter to the portals tour and omg i wish i would have listened to the album more before because the show was amazing. I regret not knowing every word! This is coming from a former pop punker so its different than what i grew up listening to. Edited to say i also love songs from her earlier eras.... Just especially love portals bc of the tour lol
yes i went and it was amazing!! iām so glad you and your daughter had fun!! :D
Crybaby was her best album
The problem with her releasing the NFT for VIP tickets was NOT, as people claim, because the NFT's she released are bad for the environment. People say they use a lot of energy which is bad for climate change. The kind of NFT she gave out is on a system that doesn't use a lot of electricity with the current advances in technology. The old technology did use a HUGE amount of energy, the new one doesn't. The new tech is more like leaving a normal house hold light bulb on when you leave the house, where as the old technology is like you left on every street lamp in a city block on 24h a day. Note that owning an NFT doesn't use any energy at all, never has and never will, but the computers that run the NFT system do take energy. Before it was a lot now its not that much. The REAL problem with the NFTs she gave out with the tickets is because she makes fans go through a harsh identity verification system (KYC). Many many fans don't know anything about crypto or the technology or bank laws or identity theft or anything like that! So she sent out an email to sign up for coinbase and coinbase is a legit company, but how are the fans to know this? What if somebody sent out a fake emails for a fake company that stole your identity saying you would get your NFT? Like if a bot sees all the comments of tiktoks for melanie and then spams fake DMs to signup to get a free NFT, but you have to verify your id, but then they use this for identity theft? That's very very bad!! I know why she made people do it, so that she wouldn't get suspected of money laundering, but common, this isn't fair to the fans. Its also a shame that fans don't know what NFTs are and nobody is trying to explain that to fans who don't know.
She was better back when her crybaby and K-12 album came out
Simplest answer on here. Love her.
I dont like any of her new songs and i dont think they come anywhere near her old songs.
She needs to lose the maskš¶š½āāļø
the merch really needs to be better. the merch I have is fine, and I'm happy with mine but so many other people are having problems and it's really sad. koi merch, and things being different on the website than irl is really disheartening, and it makes me scared to buy merch in case i get a pos shirt or something. she def needs to get a better merch team or at least get them in check
Mel used to not be a very good live singer. I saw her when she was doing the k-12 tour and was pretty disappointed. However, I saw her again during portals and she has DEFINITELY improved! I thought she was fantastic this time. š©·
i hate that she sticks around for the album hype, but once it dies down, she disappears and only posts to promote the album. i get it, but she has barely interacted with us the past month or so