Following the release of “POSSESSION,” her first new music in three years, Melanie Martinez officially announces her fourth studio album HADES, arriving March 27. “POSSESSION” debuted with over 2.7 million Spotify streams in its first 24 hours and has surpassed 10 million+ to date. “POSSESSION” is Melanie’s fastest-streaming release and the biggest female debut of 2026 so far. As Spotify Pop Editor Talia Kraines notes, “Melanie’s blend of sweetness and darkness is deliberate—and it’s exactly what makes her a singular pop star.”
True to form, the multi-platinum, multi-hyphenate phenomenon doesn’t merely write songs—she builds worlds with unwavering intention. This era unfolds as a dystopian, cinematic landscape that feels uncomfortably familiar, less fantasy and more a fractured mirror of the present moment.
On the announcement, Melanie shares: “Each song on this record explores a different trap set by the kind of evil, patriarchal energy that is HADES. It isn’t about predicting a dystopian future. It’s about recognizing destructive patterns that already exist. The same dynamics repeating in different places. Control disguised as protection. Cruelty framed as logic. Exploitation sold as opportunity. Once you start noticing those threads, it becomes hard to ignore them.”
With 30 billion+ global streams, 5.54 billion official YouTube views and 62.2 million+ followers across platforms, Melanie Martinez has stretched, shaped, and molded alternative pop into an immersive, innovative, and inimitable world of her own design. Since emerging in 2012, the New York-born Latin-American singer, songwriter, director, and visionary has not only blurred the lines between genres, but also between reality and fantasy, beckoning audiences into the warm embrace of her singular artistry. Martinez broke ground with her iconic 2015 debut LP, CRY BABY. The 2x-Platinum album, celebrated its 10th anniversary last year and is mother to the 3x-Platinum “Dollhouse,” 2x-Platinum staples “Pity Party,” “Play Date,” “Pacify Her,” “Carousel,” “Mad Hatter,” and “Soap,” and Platinum favorites “Training Wheels,” “Sippy Cup,” “Alphabet Boy,” and “Tag, Your It.” After vaulting to #6 on the Billboard 200, this debut has gone on to log 208 non-consecutive weeks on the chart. In its wake, she notched two consecutive Top 3 debuts on the Billboard 200 with the Platinum-certified K-12 (2019) and PORTALS (2023). All three albums debuted #1 on the Billboard Alternative chart.
Upon the release of K-12 Melanie also made her film debut with an accompanying musical of the same name which upon its release was #6 at the box office worldwide. On her tour for this record, she donated a dollar of every ticket to The Trevor Project. PORTALS debuted on the Billboard 200 at #2 and spawned “VOID” and “DEATH,” her first original songs to debut on the Billboard Hot 100. 2023 also saw Melanie release a perfume line in partnership with Flower Shop Perfumes. This is after her original perfume, CRY BABY, which was self-released in 2016 and was a sold-out success. The collection has since expanded to include candles, body sprays, and perfume pendants. Her fragrances have quickly emerged as a standout in the category, ranking among the top five best sellers at ScentBar, the nation’s leading indie fragrance retailer. In 2024, Martinez embarked on her first-ever global arena headline tour, The Trilogy Tour, packing legendary venues on multiple continents, including sold-out successive nights at NYC’s Madison Square Garden. 2024 also saw the artist headline the world-famous Lollapalooza Festival in Chicago and the Corona Capital Festival in Mexico City.
