Melanie Martinez at The Mod Club

Photographs by Tobias Wang.

Here is a rising star to keep your eyes on. This is Melanie Martinez. She’s only 20 years old, but this New York native is about to take over your playlist. In her teens, she uploaded acoustic covers of her favourite songs to YouTube in which she didn’t want anyone to see, or expected them to. But everyone from classmates and friends found their way to her musical talent anyways. Season 3 of The Voice was Melanie’s first big exposure to the world, where she was hand picked by Adam Levine. She was eventually eliminated from the reality show in the 5th round. 

Despite this short coming, Martinez quickly learned from this life experience. She became determined to show the world that she wasn’t just going to perform covers of other peoples music. 

“Dollhouse” was her first original hit and that’s where everything officially took off. Fast forward today, she just released her full length debut album called “Crybaby”. The track I really love the most is “Soap”. It has all the ingredients of a pop-song but with enough quirks and uniqueness to really distinguish Martinez’s persona. She knows what she is doing. 

How quickly has she come to popularity? There was a healthy line up beginning to wrap around the Mod Club for her first performance ever in Toronto 5 hours prior to set time. Having had a few moments to chat with some of her fans, it became clear that Martinez is able to connect with fans with ease. 

With giant baby blocks spelling out C-R-Y-B-A-B-Y on stage, Martinez graces her Torontonian fans with confidence, flare, and pure vocal talent. Everyone was in for a treat. 

Highlights of the night included “Soap”, “Mrs. Potato Head”, “Carousel”, and “Tag, You’re It”.

Do yourself a big favour and catch Melanie Martinez at a city near you. She’s the next big thing.

Thanks to Live Nation Ontario for media access.