Portals (Melanie Martinez album)
Portals is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Melanie Martinez. It was released on March 31, 2023, through Atlantic Records.[7] It was preceded by two singles, "Death", on March 17, 2023, and "Void" on March 29, 2023. A deluxe edition was released on April 5, 2023, featuring three new tracks.
| Portals | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 31, 2023 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 51:33 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Producer |
| |||
| Melanie Martinez chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Portals | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Evening Standard | |
| The Line of Best Fit | 6/10[6] |
| Rolling Stone | |
Background
After releasing her[lower-alpha 1] second studio album K–12 with a musical film of the same name in 2019,[8][9] Martinez released her fourth extended play, After School (2020), which served as a deluxe edition for the second studio album.[10] However, the extended play is not connected to the musical film in terms of the timeline.[11]
After being on two-year hiatus for music, Martinez started to archive all of her Instagram posts and teased the upcoming album on February 18, 2023.[12] The singer also released a twelve-second snippet on Spotify.[13]
Promotion
The teaser video showed a mushroom in a foggy, dream-like forest, with the phrase "RIP Crybaby" engraved in its stem, accompanied by a snippet of a new song.[14] Several more teasers were posted over the next few days on all her social media platforms, representing the "themes of rebirth, growing embryos, and eggs incubating in forests".[15]
On February 22, 2023, she uploaded a one-minute-long teaser "of herself hatching from an egg as a pink, deep sea-styled creature".[16] The teaser also included the album's name and release date. Her official website was also updated, showcasing the album cover, and merchandise for the album became available to the public for pre-order.[17] Before releasing the lead single of the album, Martinez revealed the album's title through her official website.[18]
In the weeks leading up to the album's release, Martinez debuted several songs from the album in South America. She performed at all three South American Lollapalooza festivals,[19][20] as well as Festival Estéreo Picnic[21] and a solo headlining show in Santiago.[22]
Singles
In March 2023, Martinez uploaded a post to Instagram featuring a cryptic message and a photo showcasing the alter-ego pink alien character "emerging from a prone human form". The post also showed a set of lyrics, a release date, and the title of "Death", the lead single for the album, released on March 17, 2023.[23] The single was written and produced by Martinez, with CJ Baran co-producing.[24] "Void" was released digitally as the second single from the album on March 29, 2023, and will be sent to alternative radio in the United States on April 11, 2023.[25]
Tour
| Tour by Melanie Martinez | |
| Associated album | Portals |
|---|---|
| Start date | May 30, 2023 |
| End date | July 15, 2023 |
| Legs | 1 |
| No. of shows | 29 |
| Melanie Martinez concert chronology | |
The Portals Tour is Martinez's fourth concert tour. The singer announced the first leg, in North America, via her Instagram. Comprising twenty-nine dates, the leg is set to begin on May 30, 2023, in Denver, Colorado, and set to conclude on July 15, 2023, in Montreal, Canada. The pre-sale will be on April 5, with the general sale taking place on April 7.[26]
| Date | City | Country | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leg 1 – North America | |||
| May 30, 2023 | Denver | United States | Fillmore Auditorium |
| June 1, 2023 | Sandy | Sandy Amphitheater | |
| June 3, 2023 | Seattle | WaMu Theater | |
| June 4, 2023 | Portland | Theater of the Clouds | |
| June 6, 2023 | San Francisco | Bill Graham Civic Auditorium | |
| June 7, 2023 | Wheatland | Hard Rock Live | |
| June 9, 2023 | Inglewood | YouTube Theater | |
| June 10, 2023 | San Diego | Viejas Arena | |
| June 12, 2023 | Phoenix | Arizona Financial Theatre | |
| June 15, 2023 | Irving | Toyota Music Factory | |
| June 16, 2023 | Houston | 713 Music Hall | |
| June 17, 2023 | Austin | Moody Amphitheater | |
| June 20, 2023 | Tampa | Yuengling Center | |
| June 21, 2023 | Hollywood | Hard Rock Live | |
| June 23, 2023 | Atlanta | Cadence Bank Amphitheatre | |
| June 24, 2023 | Charlotte | AvidxChange Music Factory | |
| June 27, 2023 | Bridgeport | Hartford Healthcare Amphitheater | |
| June 28, 2023 | New York City | Radio City Music Hall | |
| June 30, 2023 | Philadelphia | Skyline Stage | |
| July 1, 2023 | Boston | MGM Music Hall | |
| July 2, 2023 | Washington, D.C. | The Anthem | |
| July 5, 2023 | Cleveland | Jacobs Pavilion | |
| July 7, 2023 | Cincinnati | Andrew J. Brady Music Center | |
| July 8, 2023 | Sterling Heights | Michigan Lottery Amphitheatre | |
| July 10, 2023 | St. Louis | Saint Louis Music Park | |
| July 11, 2023 | Chicago | Aragon Ballroom | |
| July 12, 2023 | Minneapolis | Minneapolis Armory | |
| July 14, 2023 | Toronto | Canada | Meridian Hall |
| July 15, 2023 | Montreal | MTELUS | |
| Leg 2 – Europe | |||
| September 15, 2023 | Stockholm | Sweden | Annexet |
| September 17, 2023 | Copenhagen | Denmark | K.B. Hallen |
| September 19, 2023 | Berlin | Germany | Verti Music Hall |
| September 21, 2023 | Frankfurt | Jahrhunderthalle | |
| September 23, 2023 | Copenhagen | Netherlands | AFAS Live |
| September 25, 2023 | Wolverhampton | England | Civic Hall |
| September 28, 2023 | Manchester | O2 Apollo | |
| September 30, 2023 | Glasgow | Scotland | SECC |
| October 2, 2023 | Cardiff | Wales | Motorpoint Arena |
| October 5, 2023 | Brighton | England | Brighton Centre |
| October 7, 2023 | London | Eventim Apollo | |
| October 8, 2023 | |||
| October 10, 2023 | Antwerp | Belgium | Lotto Arena |
| October 10, 2023 | Paris | France | Dôme de Paris |
| October 13, 2023 | Zurich | Switzerland | The Hall |
| October 15, 2023 | Rome | Italy | Stadio Del Tennis |
| October 18, 2023 | Barcelona | Spain | Sant Jordi Club |
| October 20, 2023 | Lisbon | Portugal | Campo Pequeno |
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Death" |
| 5:06 | |
| 2. | "Void" | Martinez | Martinez | 4:07 |
| 3. | "Tunnel Vision" |
|
| 4:44 |
| 4. | "Faerie Soirée" |
|
| 2:43 |
| 5. | "Light Shower" | Martinez | Martinez | 4:27 |
| 6. | "Spider Web" | Martinez | Baran | 3:03 |
| 7. | "Leeches" |
|
| 3:20 |
| 8. | "Battle of the Larynx" | Martinez | Baran | 5:28 |
| 9. | "The Contortionist" |
| Baran | 3:20 |
| 10. | "Moon Cycle" |
|
| 2:32 |
| 11. | "Nymphology" |
|
| 5:06 |
| 12. | "Evil" |
| Baran | 4:06 |
| 13. | "Womb" |
| Baran | 3:31 |
| Total length: | 51:33 | |||
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "The Hatching" | 1:01 |
| Total length: | 52:34 | |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Powder" |
| Baran | 3:58 |
| 15. | "Pluto" |
|
| 3:01 |
| 16. | "Milk of the Siren" |
| One Love | 4:25 |
| Total length: | 62:57 | |||
Notes
Personnel
Musicians
- Melanie Martinez – vocals
- CJ Baran – programming, synthesizer (tracks 1, 3, 7–12); guitar (1, 8, 11, 12)
- Rhys Hastings – drums (1, 2, 8, 10, 13)
- Martin Kutnar – cello (1, 7, 9, 11)
- Matej Mihaljević – violin (1, 7, 9, 11)
- One Love – programming, synthesizer (3)
- Pearl Lion – guitar (10)
- Nick Long – guitar (11)
- Ilan Rubin – drums (12)
Technical
- Emerson Mancini – mastering
- Mitch McCarthy – mixing
- CJ Baran – engineering
- Michael Keenan – engineering (5)
Charts
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[29] | 1 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[30] | 14 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[31] | 15 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[32] | 8 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[33] | 16 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[34] | 4 |
| Irish Albums (OCC)[35] | 3 |
| Italian Albums (FIMI)[36] | 20 |
| Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[37] | 7 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[38] | 1 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[39] | 22 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[40] | 3 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[41] | 28 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[42] | 23 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[43] | 2 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Edition | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various[lower-alpha 2] | March 31, 2023 | Standard | Atlantic | [44][27] | |
| United States | Vinyl LP | Target exclusive | [45] | ||
| Urban Outfitters exclusive | [46] | ||||
| Walmart exclusive | [47] | ||||
| Various[lower-alpha 2] | April 5, 2023 |
|
Deluxe | [48][49] |
Notes
References
- DeWald, Mike (March 30, 2023). "Album Review: Melanie Martinez comes to life on 'Portals'". Riff Magazine. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- Lovence, Frank (April 3, 2023). "Baldwin's Melanie Martinez to headline Radio City show". Newsday. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
- Mier, Tomás (March 30, 2023). "Melanie Martinez Is Born Again and Bold as Ever on Portals". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 31, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
- Collar, Matt. Review of Portals at AllMusic. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- Smyth, David (March 31, 2023). "Melanie Martinez - Portals album review: back to nature in a delightfully weird way". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- Franzini, Sam (March 31, 2023). "Melanie Martinez' Portals is a halfway-there attempt at reinvention". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on March 30, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- Mier, Tomás (February 22, 2023). "Melanie Martinez Transforms Into a Pink Creature for New Album Portals". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2023.
- Gamboa, Glenn (May 23, 2019). "LI Sound: Melanie Martinez readying new album, movie". Newsday. Archived from the original on May 23, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
- Wass, Mike (September 4, 2019). "Film Review: Melanie Martinez's 'K-12' Is A Twisted Pop Musical". Idolator. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
- Grunenburg, Kira (September 25, 2020). "Get Set for Something Special with Melanie Martinez's 'After School' EP". American Songwriter. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
- Wass, Mike (September 25, 2020). "Melanie Martinez Drops 'After School' EP Including "The Bakery"". Uproxx. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
- "Melanie Martinez Takes a Fresh Start After Cleaning Most of Her Instagram Photos". Latestly. February 19, 2023. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- "Melanie Martinez Gives a Glimpse of Her 2023 Single; Singer Releases 12 Seconds Audio of Her New Song on Spotify". Latestly. February 18, 2023. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
- Our, Darwin (February 22, 2023). "Melanie Martinez Is Back and Better Than Ever". Glitter Magazine. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- Rivera, Kelsey (February 22, 2023). "A look into Melanie Martinez's alien-inspired new album 'Portals'". Diario AS. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- Mier, Tomás (February 22, 2023). "Melanie Martinez Transforms Into a Pink Creature for New Album 'Portals'". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- Krishnamurthy, Chaitra (February 22, 2023). "Melanie Martinez's merch featuring Portals album cover art is selling out". HITC. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- "Portals Lyric Reveal". Melanie Martinez Music. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
- "Drake, Blink-182, Billie Eilish Are Headlining Lollapalooza South America In 2023". Nylon. Archived from the original on December 5, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
- "Melanie Martinez looks terrifying at Lollapalooza Argentina | 103.5 KISS FM". The Fred Show. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
- Hernandez, Jeanette (October 11, 2022). "Estéreo Picnic Festival's Lineup Just Dropped & It's Epic". Remezcla. Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
- "¿Quedan entradas? Melanie Martínez llega con toda su música al sideshow de Lollapalooza". RedGol (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on April 1, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
- Rivera, Kelsey (March 15, 2023). "Melanie Martinez to release first single 'Death' from upcoming album 'Portals' on Friday". Diario AS. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
- Vigil, Dom (March 17, 2023). "Melanie Martinez Returns With New Single, "Death"". Prelude Press. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
- "Alternative Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- Mier, Tomás (April 3, 2023). "Melanie Martinez Announces Portals Summer Tour". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- Martinez, Melanie (March 31, 2023). "Portals". Apple Music (US). Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- "[Part 2: AMULET]". Genius. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
- "ARIA Top 50 Albums Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. April 10, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- "Ultratop.be – Melanie Martinez – Portals" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- "Ultratop.be – Melanie Martinez – Portals" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Melanie Martinez – Portals" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- "Melanie Martinez: Portals" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – Melanie Martinez – Portals" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
- "Official Irish Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- "Album – Classifica settimanale WK 14 (dal 31.03.2023 al 06.04.2023)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- "2023 14-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. April 7, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- "NZ Top 40 Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. April 8, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- "Album 2023 uke 14". VG-lista. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
- "Veckolista Album, vecka 14". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- "Swisscharts.com – Melanie Martinez – Portals". Hung Medien. Retrieved April 9, 2023.
- "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
- Portals release formats:
- "Portals CD". Melanie Martinez Music. Archived from the original on February 24, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- "Portals Digital Album". Melanie Martinez Music. Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
- "Portals Vinyl". Melanie Martinez Music. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- "Portals (Target Exclusive) Vinyl". Target Corporation. Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- "Portals (Urban Outfitters Exclusive) Vinyl". Urban Outfitters. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- "Portals (Walmart Exclusive) Vinyl". Walmart. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
- "Portals Digital Deluxe Album". Melanie Martinez Music. Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
- Martinez, Melanie (April 5, 2023). "Portals (Deluxe)". Apple Music (US). Archived from the original on April 5, 2023. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
