Melanie Martinez’s newest album K-12 is quite different than any other album I’ve ever heard before. The album is a sequel to her 2015 album, Cry Baby, which took the listener through her childhood and told much about her upbringing and her struggles. Flash forward to 2019, and Melanie releases an album that brings us through her years of school and tells a tale of her experiences as a student. This album is incredibly well-written due to the complex meanings that come with each song. Melanie uses her music to share lyrics of the struggles of growing up, while keeping her signature style of music that makes her stand out to listeners.
In K-12, Melanie explores ideas such as social pressures, self-acceptance, and eating disorders in a way that makes her audience want to pay attention. While these lyrics are often viewed as topics that shouldn’t be talked about, they need to be discussed. Melanie uses her platform to express the struggles of growing up in today’s over-sexualized, judgmental society with lyrics that are relatable to many people. The first song on the album titled “Wheels on the Bus” shows the view of a student who sees the strange things that happen on a school bus ride. The lyrics, “and I’m trying not to look across the aisle cause Maya’s letting Dan put his hand up her skirt and she’s got her hand down his pants” are meant to be a depiction of the sexual expectations that young teens often succumb to. This song emphasizes the idea that the bus driver sees everything that is going on, but doesn’t say a word, and nobody else says anything either. It is possible that this is a metaphor for authority figures in society ignoring what is happening right in front of them. Problems such as workplace harassment and an unfair justice system are often ignored and pushed aside by people of authority who could do something about the issue but choose not to. Whether this song is a metaphor, or just a song about students on a school bus, the lyrics and beat introduce the album perfectly by forcing the audience to think about what Melanie is saying.
While this album carries a message about problems that many students encounter, there are also songs that tell about more specific struggles of growing up. The song “Orange Juice” tells the story of a student who is struggling with bulimia. However, instead of the mainstream depiction of eating disorders, Melanie’s lyrics work to show that someone struggling with an eating disorder doesn’t view themselves the way others do. The lyrics, “I wish I could give you my set of eyes, cause I know your eyes ain’t working,” is an excellent depiction of the way outsiders may see someone who is struggling with an eating disorder. Melanie expresses her view of the student who is struggling when the lyrics continue with, “I wish I could tell you that you’re fine, so fine but you will find that disconcerting.” She is attempting to prove the point that eating disorders take over your mind and tell you that you are never good enough. This song could be helpful in many ways to someone who is struggling with an eating disorder because it could help to show them that what they see isn’t how others see them. It is just the disorder telling them that they are not enough.
Another song that stood out to me on the album is “Strawberry Shortcake,” which depicts society’s idea of women needing to be perfect for others. The lyrics, “wondering why I don’t look like Barbie, they say boys like girls with a tiny waist” is an incredibly accurate idea of the thoughts that can go through a young girl’s mind when they are constantly taught to believe that they need to be skinny to be beautiful. The song continues to say, “it’s my fault, it’s my fault cause I put icing on top, now the boys want a taste of the strawberry shortcake” which shows the stigma around sexual assault. The lyrics come from a female point of view in which the girl believes it’s her fault that boys aren’t treating her with respect. The song shows the pressures of society that often result in victims of sexual harassment not speaking up about what was done to them. This song also brings up the topic of school dress code with the line, “got boys acting like they ain’t seen skin before, got sent home to change cause my skirt is too short.” This is an accurate representation of the way schools determine dress code. Melanie is trying to show that the only reason young girls are told their clothes are inappropriate is because they are distracting the boys. She then goes on to add, “instead of making me feel bad for the body I got, just teach him to keep it in his pants and tell him to stop.” This further represents her point that the girl shouldn’t be seen as a problem for having a certain body type or body parts, and that the boys are the actual problem for sexualizing women.
K-12 brings out ideas that often are not talked about in mainstream music. Melanie, who is known for writing lyrics that force the listener to confront topics that make them uncomfortable or uneasy, uses her platform to call out the problems in society. Melanie does an excellent job of portraying the stigma that women are there for men’s entertainment and are often not treated as actual human beings. She tells stories with her music that seem to depict events that she has actually experienced first-hand. While Melanie’s music is popular to an audience interested in her type of music, I think the meaning behind the songs on this album are underrated when it comes to the general public. This album has not been talked about nearly as much as it should be. K-12 highlights problems in the American school system that are honestly more common than one may think. The ideas in this album affect nearly everybody in one way or another, and that is why it is essential to normalize conversation surrounding them. It is necessary for artists to use their platform to tell their story, while also writing about topics others might find relatable in some way. In my opinion, Melanie does this almost perfectly with her music. She seems to be telling the story of her personal experiences, while choosing topics that have been stigmatized in society. She is starting a conversation in a way that grabs people’s attention and promoting the idea that these topics should be discussed.
This album is seriously one of the most influential album releases of 2019. It depicts realistic events that go on during the school years of kindergarten through 12th grade. The lyrics are incredibly well-written, and the style of music is so Melanie. She does an amazing job of sticking to her own voice and music style, while also adding a whole new flair to her music. The songs are catchy, thought-provoking, and insanely powerful. Melanie continues to impress with her music and send a message to everyone who listens. She moves on to share her story that began with her first album, Cry Baby, and prove that music can and should force you to think about topics that you may not have thought about before.
Melanie’s album is most definitely one of my favorites of the year. While it may not be the most mainstream music that you could play in a dance club or other social events, it is most definitely worth listening to. It can be beneficial to anyone who is going through the K-12 phase of their life (okay, maybe not anyone because there is explicit content, but definitely someone who is mature enough to understand) or even someone who is passed that phase in their life who has their own memories from it. These lyrics stand out just as much as Melanie’s style does, and it informs listeners about many problems that arise in the American school system. I absolutely recommend this album to anyone and everyone who has gone or is going through school. Whether Melanie’s style of music is for you or not, the lyrics speak for themselves and are definitely worth a listen.