Melanie Martinez is a singer, songwriter, fashion icon, and not to mention, the headliner of this year’s quintessential Chicago music festival, Lollapalooza. 

You may not have heard the name in a while, but there is a reason Martinez was nearly everyone’s alt-pop obsession in 2015.

Martinez, born and raised in New York City, released her first single — titled “Dollhouse” — on Feb. 9, 2014. This musical debut came shortly after her success with the classic American music show, “The Voice.”

While on “The Voice,” Martinez fought her way through auditions and screenings until she finally made it to the big screen, being coached by musicians like CeeLo Green and Adam Levine of Maroon 5, until ultimately being voted off in week 5 of the competition — accomplishing it all at the age of 17, no less.

Since then, Martinez has proved herself as an explosion of musical talent and bold style, using her albums to not only tell stories of fragility and misfits, but also to push forward her broken doll, “Cry Baby”-like fashion sense.

Though she first donned her iconic split-dye hairstyle when she was 16 — taking inspiration from Cruella DeVille from the 1996 Disney film “101 Dalmations” — she said in an interview with Teen Vogue that this was only the beginning of her personal exploration of her intense look.

“I feel like that was when I was figuring out who I was and when I was 16, I was growing,” she said in the 2016 interview. “Even now, I’m obviously still growing every day and figuring out more of what I like, what I don’t like.” 

Clearly, Martinez has had a strong sense of self since long before her introduction to fame. Despite this, however, she has never stopped expanding and trying new things.

Martinez’s first release after her debut extended press (EP), “Dollhouse,” in 2014 was the quickly-popularized 2015 album, “Cry Baby,” marking its entrance into the world with jarring, juxtaposing themes of immaturity and ruined innocence.

With her big bows, pastel tulle dresses and oversized pacifiers, Martinez expertly presented babydoll-inspired outfits, marked with the telltale signs of being forced to grow up too quickly in a rapidly changing world.

Martinez appealed to what was commonly known as the “emo” look, nailing a sense of agonizing “teenage angst” that many of her fans were going through at the time. In a 2014 interview with Target Audience Magazine, Martinez said that Tim Burton’s 1990 film “Edward Scissorhands,” along with other films of Burtons, was extremely influential for her during this period; anything that showcased the true disjointedness in what was supposed to be “perfect.”

“She’s Lydia from ‘Beetlejuice’ reimagined as a pop star,” Vice wrote in a 2015 article about Martinez, a near-flawless description of her ideal personality and style.

No matter what you think of her, Martinez isn’t fading away anytime soon. From her pandemic-era revival with the 2015 song “Play Date” — popularized by a dancing Timothee Chalamet-inspired TikTok trend, based on Luca Guadagnino’s 2017 film “Call Me by Your Name” — to her current spike in listeners, Martinez has proved that she will come back again and again.

Her current tour encompasses every era she has undergone thus far in her career, while also showcasing her most recent album release, “PORTALS.”

While albums like “Cry Baby” (2015) and “K-12” (2019) and EPs such as “Dollhouse” (2014) and “Pity Party” (2016) exuded an atmosphere of a fantasy horror film, her newest album, “PORTALS,” released on March 31, 2023, establishes an entirely fresh world for fans to explore.

Martinez is holding onto her classic style while simultaneously introducing a more whimsical, dark, forest-looking wardrobe. Fans are now seeing Martinez in crocheted, moss-covered pieces, diving deep into her new aesthetic.

From fish to bug to mysterious woodland nymph, Martinez spins her older, all-too-human look on its head. Without seeming too obvious, this new era represents one of growth.

Where will Martinez go from here? The answer is still unclear.

That seems to be exactly what she would have wanted. Whatever happens, fans are waiting with bated breath — wherever she heads, Martinez is sure to stun.