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hen Melanie Martinez released her debut album, Cry Baby, in 2015, she
created a vulnerable persona in the titular character that connected with a
large audience. For her follow-up, K-1 2, out Sept. 6 on Atlantic Records, the
alt-pop artist chronicles the stress of growing from a toddler to a teenager.
K-1 2 quickly evolved from a concept album into a full-length feature film, for which
Martinez started writing a script in 2017. In the 90-minute movie (which Martinez, 24,
directed), Cry Baby, a sensitive girl with magical powers, is sent to a disturbing sleep-away
school, where she battles everything from mind control to racial and gender discrimination.
“My main goal was to display school as a condensed version of life,” says Martinez of the
film, which will be shown in theaters worldwide on Sept. 5. “It’s about killing the system,
escaping a structure you feel trapped by.”
Growing Pains
FAVORITE ARTIST/GROUP
MOST-LOVED CITY TO PERFORM IN
SPIRIT ANIMAL
FAVORITE THING FROM THE ’90s
The Clash
Philadelphia Chicago
“We should start
faxing again.
I mean, that
was just fun.”
“I really miss
answering machines.
I like coming home and
listening to messages;
it’s very satisfying.”
“Mine is probably a
kangaroo.”
“I would say mine is
a Siamese cat, a very
vocal animal.”
FAVORITE SLEATER-KINNEY SONG TO PERFORM LIVE
“Bury Our Friends” “Entertain”
Kate Bush
In this scene, Cry Baby
tries to buy Angelita a
tampon from a dispenser
in one of the school’s rose-
colored bathrooms — but it
turns out to be empty. Her
only option? Toilet paper.
Martinez believes it’s a
standout scene because of
how it relates to the larger
conversation surrounding
women’s health care and
reproductive rights, while
also highlighting the
importance of “finding
people who are like-minded,
supportive and empathetic.
There’s always someone
anxiously waiting to wreak
havoc.” —ILANA KAPLAN
“Nurse’s Office” soundtracks
a visually striking ballet,
choreographed by Brian
Friedman, of cloned, flame-
haired nurses who are part
of the principal’s corrupt
staff and have caught
Cry Baby and her friend
Angelita. Dancing around
the room, using stretchers
as props, the nurses
restrain and drug the girls
to maintain control over
the students’ minds.
“They are representative
of humans in our society
who abuse their power and
privilege for selfish gain,”
says Martinez. Exposing
them “was a goal of mine.”
From a young age, Martinez
was told not “to give
boys the wrong idea” by
dressing provocatively. On
“Strawberry Shortcake,”
she uses that message as
ammunition. As the song
plays, Cry Baby portrays a
topless Marie Antoinette-
like figure sitting atop a
giant strawberry shortcake
while boys with pointy teeth
crawl toward her, eating
the cake as they go. “It’s
representative of how [a
female] body is looked at
by society,” she says, “as a
dessert, instead of a work
of art that should be
respected and valued.”
the beat
IT TAKES TWO
VERSUS
In 2015, Sleater-Kinney returned from a decadelong hiatus
with the hard-hitting No Cities to Love. The members all
agreed on one thing: Don’t let the next one take another 10
ye ars. Four ye ars later, the ac t ha s rele as e d it s ninth album ,
The Center Won’t Hold, this time on New York-based indie
label Mom + Pop. Produced by St. Vincent, the set is Sleater-
K inney ’s mo s t urgent , and is als o the la s t with longtime
drummer Janet Weiss, who left the group in July. But now,
co-founders/lyricists Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker
are more dedicated to the band, and their friendship, than
ever — despite their few differences. —LYNDSEY HAVENS
Corin Tucker Carrie Brownstein
FAVORITE ST.VINCENT SONG
“Masseduction” “Strange Mercy”
BANDMATE’S BIGGEST QUIRK
“The oat milk is
strong. She basically
works for Oatly!”
“Right now, her
overalls.”
42 BILLBOARD | AUGUST 24 , 2 019
Don’t Let Them Eat Cake Attack Of The Evil Nurses Girls Just Wanna Support
Melanie Martinez makes her directorial debut with
an eye-popping film about teenage terrors