Some girls dream to be a Disney princess. But others have other things in mind. Take Melanie Martinez for example. Her childhood idol is Cruella de Vil, the villain from the 101 Dalmatians movie. She might not love her character, but she loves her hair. The American singer dyed her hair in honor of Cruella. And she signs like a star.
Born in New York in 1995, Melanie got her first taste of stardom thanks to The Voice. She appeared on the reality TV series in 2012. She can sing pop, alternative, indie rock, electropop, or any other style. And she plays the guitar. In 2015, she released her debut album, Cry Baby. It peaked at Number 6 on the Billboard 200 chart.
As of June 2020, Melanie Martinez net worth is more than $2 million. Here is how she got there.
Career Ups and Downs
Born in Queens, New York, Melanie has parents of different descent. She has Dominican and Puerto Rican descent. When she was four years old, her family moved to Baldwin, New York. At the time, she listened to stars like Shakira, Britney Spears, Tupac Shakur, Christina Aguilera, and Biggie Smalls. With music a constant in her house, she wanted to sing from a young age.
Melanie attended Plaza Elementary School. She stills credits her teacher Mr. Nadien for teaching her how to sing. When she was in kindergarten, she wrote poetry. As a child, she was very emotional. She found out it was difficult to explain her feelings. Melanie often cried when overwhelmed with emotions. That is why many of her friends and family called her a cry baby.
By the age of 14, Martinez taught herself how to play guitar. She studied chord diagrams of songs she loved. Then she found the songs online and wrote her song by adding poetry to the chord diagrams.
In 2012, during her junior year of high school, she participated in the MSG Varsity Talent Show. During the competition, she sang a song by The Beatles. But Martinez made it only to the second round.
And then later in 2012, she auditioned for the third season of The Voice. For her audition, she sang Toxic by Britney Spears. Three of the four judges wanted her and she chose Adam Levine as her coach. She made it up to week five. The audience eliminated her along with another Team Adam member, Amanda Brown.
Following the show, Melanie started working on her original material. She spent most of 2013 writing her own material. By February 2014, Martinez released her debut single, Dollhouse. Just two months later, she signed to Atlantic Records. The young singer then released her debut EP, Dollhouse, and went on a tour.
In June 2015, Melanie released her single Pity Party. It got certified gold by the RIAA. One month later, she released her second single from the upcoming album, titled Soap. Her music video for Soap got 30 million views on YouTube and reached Number 12 on the Alternative Digital songs chat.
On August 14, 2015, she finally released the debut album Cry Baby. It debuted at Number 6 on the Billboard 200. In October 2016, she released a commercial for her fragrance Cry Baby Perfume Milk.
By 2017, Melanie reached the status of a star. She began thinking about her next album. She wanted to produce a movie telling the story of each song from her second album. In May 2019, she revealed the first teaser trailer for the album titled K-12. The young star released the album on September 6, 2019.
In January 2020, she announced an EP titled After School. She revealed the title through her Instagram stories. The EP served as a deluxe edition of K-12.
Musical Style
At the age of 16, Melanie watched the movie 101 Dalmatians. And then she died half of her hair blonde in the same vein as Cruella de Vil. The look inspired her music and her baby doll outfits.
Her music falls into different categories including pop, emo pop, alternative pop, and electropop. Her albums Cry Baby and K-12 also have some hip hop and R&B elements.
In all her songs she sings about her personal experience. In her own words, her music is dark and honest. The alter ego and the protagonist of her debut album Cry Baby is a fairy tale version of herself.
Speaking about her influences and motivations, Melanie cites the Beatles, Kimbra, Ariana Grande, and more.
Net Worth
As of June 2020, Melanie Martinez fortune is more than $2 million. She earned her wealth thanks to album sales. Her Cry Baby album got certified gold, selling more than 1 million copies in the US. Her second album, K-12, sold more than 264,900 units in the US.
Besides her albums, Melanie earns money from other sources. She collaborated with cosmetic company Lime Crime to release two exclusive lipsticks. Martinez also has her own fragrance, the Cry Baby Perfume Milk.
In 2020, Martinez planned a K-12 summer tour. But she had to cancel it due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Awards and Achievements
Melanie Martinez is young, but she already got some awards in her pocket. Cry Baby won a Grammy for Alternative or Indie Recording of the Year.
Personal Life
Melanie is a bisexual. As a young girl, she had trouble expressing her feelings. She feared her parents will not accept it. But as she grew older, the young star decided to tell the truth. In 2018, she revealed her sexuality in a story post answering fans’ questions.
In 2012, she dated Vinnie DiCarlo and then Jared Dylan in 2013. As of June 2020, Melanie Martinez dates Oliver Tree.
Melanie Martinez net worth is more than $2 million.
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