By: Lilliana Aguirre
The up and coming artist, Melanie Martinez, came out with her second studio album which was released with an accompanying film of the same name on September 6, 2019. In this film, she touches subjects that a lot of music artists wouldn’t normally touch like; bullying, the government, eating disorders and many other subjects.
Melanie’s style through writing and visuals are very unique. Many people do not like her style due to how obscene she visually shows the meaning of her lyrics. I personally love the way she expresses herself and the meaning of her songs in her music videos. K-12 definitely put this at a larger and longer scale.
There are thirteen songs on the album. The first song that kicks off the album is called Wheels on the Bus. It begins by telling us Melanie’s experience with these questionable characters and the lessons she that she learned.
The second song is called Class Fight which talks about the love triangle Melanie is in. She tries to get rid of Kelly, who is in love with the boy Melanie likes as well, in which it leads to a gruesome class fight.
The third song is called The Principal. Fans who have listened and watched the visual for The Principal have connected his character to the president. In the lyrics, Melanie labels him as “greedy” and “cruel” because of how people are being treated by him.
The fourth and final song we will be talking about is called Show and Tell. Melanie is saying how as an artist she is human just like everyone else and is not a puppet that performs shows. She also explains how she is a “product to society” and is being used by her listeners. She touches on how everyone has their own privacy and how she needs hers as well.
These four songs are both depicted in the real world and the odd world Martinez displayed onscreen. Some songs are very personal to her and have shown her fans what has been happening in the year 2019.
Continuing with the fifth song on the album that is called Nurse’s Office. Martinez explains how people must feel the physical pain of this Earth because it is the only way we can truly learn through experience.
The sixth song on the album is called Drama Club. She talks about being “brainwashed” by the government and how we as a society are so distracted by so many other things that are entertaining. She wants people to pay attention and start focusing on the important things.
The seventh song on the album is called Strawberry Shortcake. Melanie talks about objectification and how women are objectified due to their physique. She mentions how women change their appearance in order to get the approval of others especially men and how women are unhappy with their bodies.
The eighth song on the album is called Lunchbox Friends. Melanie talks about fake friends and for this song specifically, she speaks on how she is not very keen on conforming just to fit in. Martinez does not want to live up to other’s expectations, but to have friendships that last for a lifetime.
The ninth song on the album and the last song we will be talking about is called Orange Juice. Melanie talks about eating disorders and how girls are changing themselves for approval. She uses the lyrics “Your body is imperfectly perfect, everyone wants what the other one’s working” to indicate how on all media, girls are photoshopping their photos to look more attractive or even going through these eating disorders to physically change their bodies.
As said before, Melanie talks about topics that other music artists normally do not touch. Many fans that listen to her music are very happy that she is brave enough to talk about these topics.
The tenth song on the album is called Detention. Martinez talks about mental health by describing it as ‘detention.’ Within the world of K-12, the characters are forever in a state of ‘detention.’
The eleventh song on the album is called Teacher’s Pet. Melanie talks about sexual harassment/ abusive relationships and in this song specifically, she uses the words teacher’s pet to show how a student and a teacher are having a secret relationship. In the music video, it shows how the man made her small to establish his dominance in order to manipulate this student’s mind and to make her think it’s okay.
The twelveth song on the album is called High School Sweethearts which is my personal favorite. It is the right balance of something that is subtle and this metaphor plus direct honesty. In various songs, rappers or other artists who are men talk about having all of these women, but Melanie is saying how through all of these games and past experiences she knows what she’s worth and will not be something that is hidden.
The thirteenth and final song we will be talking about is called Recess. The title and the lyrics allude to wanting a break from toxic associations. These associations seemingly stop her from enjoying the fruits of her labor. Martinez tells how she uses this to get her out of these toxic associations in order to better herself and mental health.
K-12 is a theatrical album that touches on topics other artists won’t touch. These songs can be quite touching to people who have specifically gone through the situations the songs talk about.