I remember screaming that chorus while crying, it felt like a weight I needed to get off of me. The weight of my anxiety, the weight of my brain. A void. A dark place where you are left alone with your own thoughts for introspection, in order to find the light within yourself.
Melanie Martinez about "VOID"
"VOID" is a song by Melanie Martinez that is featured as the second track from her third studio album, PORTALS. It is also the second single from the album.
The full song was first performed at Lollapalooza Argentina on March 18, 2023. It was then released as the second single for PORTALS on March 29, 2023. The music video was released on June 13, 2023.
Background[]
This is one of the songs that made it to the album that Melanie wrote and recorded in the "portal room"[1]. It was also the first song that she fully produced on her own. The track started as a bass guitar top line, the exact melody from the voice memo she recorded a few days prior, while the lyrics and melody were created in the moment. The programmed drum loop was replaced with live drums by Rhys Hastings. Melanie also stated that she remembers crying while screaming the chorus of the song. She felt that it perfectly fit the second stage of the afterlife and described it as:
A void. A dark place where you are left with your own thoughts for introspection, in order to find the light within yourself.
Melanie Martinez
On March 1, 2023, a fan account, @melspurgatory, received a message from Atlantic Records asking for an address in order to send them a package. On March 2, 2023, the fan received the package with an edible white chocolate egg along with a USB drive inside with a note:[2][3]
Hatch me. A piece of the puzzle has been given to you. Eat the shell, eat the goo. What's inside is important, so please do share. I trust that you'll handle this portal with care.
Melanie posted @melspurgatory's reactions to the gift on her story a day after he received the package. She also uploaded an extended snippet of the song on her social media accounts, confirming that she wrote and produced the track on her own.[4] Later, Melanie uploaded another snippet of the song on Instagram on March 3, 2023.
The song was confirmed to be the second track on PORTALS on March 16, 2023, through Melanie's social media.[5] The song's lyrics were revealed on March 20, 2023, on Melanie's official website.[6]
On March 29, 2023 The song was released as a single. The next day, the instrumental, and the sped up version were released.
Melanie revealed that she was aiming to drop the music video in May.[citation needed]A month later, she released a teaser on their Instagram, and Twitter on June 10, 2023, counting down 3 days before the music video was going to be released; she also posted a countdown on her Instagram story, the day the music video was available to be premiered on YouTube. The music video was released on June 13, 2023, at 10:00PM EST.
On August 8, 2023, the music video for "VOID" was announced to be a nominee for the Video Music Awards in the category for Best Visual Effects.[7] This is Melanie's first time being nominated for a VMA.
Track list[]
Digital track listing - VOID
Two days before the standard PORTALS album was released, "VOID" was released on its own as a single. A day later, the sped-up version and instrumental of the song were added to the single, forming a track list that is only available digitally.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "VOID" | Melanie Martinez | Martinez | 4:07 |
| 2. | "VOID - Sped Up Version" | Martinez | Martinez • sped up nightcore | 3:26 |
| 3. | "VOID" | Martinez | Martinez | 4:10 |
| 4. | "VOID (Dolby Atmos Vocals)" | Martinez | Martinez | 3:48 |
Total length: |
15:31 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "VOID" | Melanie Martinez | Martinez | 4:07 |
| 2. | "VOID - Sped Up Version" | Martinez | Martinez • sped up nightcore | 3:26 |
| 3. | "VOID" | Martinez | Martinez | 4:10 |
| 4. | "VOID (Dolby Atmos Vocals)" | Martinez | Martinez | 3:48 |
Total length: |
15:31 | |||
Theme[]
Posted on Instagram.
The song is about self-reflection and processing emotions, thoughts, and actions from your past life. There is no one there besides your harshest critic, yourself, to judge you.[8] The song can also be interpreted as a metaphor for escaping depression and anxiety, how society pushes unrealistic standards onto people, and how you should overcome your insecurities. "Void", the unreleased song with the same name shares the same theme.
During an interview with Open House Party on May 24, 2023, Melanie reveals the meaning of the line "I hate who I was before":
“When you’re playing the same music over and over and over again and touring it, it can be stifling to your growth when you have to constantly go back to your older self to perform these songs.”
- Melanie Martinez
Lyrics[]
[Intro]
In the void, in the void, in the void, in the void
In the void, in the void, in the void, in the void
In the void, in the void, the void, the void, void, void...
[Verse 1]
Baby, I'm spinning 'round a corner
It's tasting kinda lonely
And my mind wants to control me
Ah-ah-ah-empty
There's rotten things left in me
Injected by society
No one here but me to judge me
[Pre-chorus]
Pipe down with the noise, I cannot bear my sorrow
I hate who I was before
I fear I won't live to see the day tomorrow
Someone tell me if this is Hell
[Chorus]
I got to escape that void
There is no other choice, yeah
Tryna turn down the voices, the void ate me
Look at the mess I've done
There is nowhere to run, yeah
Holding a loaded gun, the void
[Post-chorus]
Like a priest behind confession walls, I judge myself
Kneeling on a metal grater
Bloody like a body that has died and it's myself
Tangled in my own intestines
I got to escape that void
There is no other choice, yeah
Got to escape the void
[Verse 2]
So strange, I'm tryna find a doorway
My eyes are staring at me
And they seem so damn unhappy
C-C-C-Collect
My fickle insecurities
And turn them into beauty
Alchemize the dark within me-eee
[Pre-chorus]
Pipe down with the noise, I cannot bear my sorrow
I hate who I was before
I fear I won't live to see the day tomorrow
Someone tell me if this is Hell
[Chorus]
I got to escape that void
There is no other choice, yeah
Tryna turn down the voices, the void ate me
Look at the mess I've done
There is nowhere to run, yeah
Holding a loaded gun, the void
[Post-chorus]
Like a priest behind confession walls, I judge myself
Kneeling on a metal grater
Bloody like a body that has died and it's myself
Tangled in my own intestines
[Chorus]
I got to escape that void
There is no other choice, yeah
Tryna turn down the voices, The void ate me
Look at the mess I've done
There is nowhere to run, yeah
Holding a loaded gun, the void
[Intro]
In the void, in the void, in the void, in the void
In the void, in the void, in the void, in the void
In the void, in the void, the void, the void, void, void...
[Verse 1]
Baby, I'm spinning 'round a corner
It's tasting kinda lonely
And my mind wants to control me
Ah-ah-ah-empty
There's rotten things left in me
Injected by society
No one here but me to judge me
[Pre-chorus]
Pipe down with the noise, I cannot bear my sorrow
I hate who I was before
I fear I won't live to see the day tomorrow
Someone tell me if this is Hell
[Chorus]
I got to escape that void
There is no other choice, yeah
Tryna turn down the voices, the void ate me
Look at the mess I've done
There is nowhere to run, yeah
Holding a loaded gun, the void
[Post-chorus]
Like a priest behind confession walls, I judge myself
Kneeling on a metal grater
Bloody like a body that has died and it's myself
Tangled in my own intestines
I got to escape that void
There is no other choice, yeah
Got to escape the void
[Verse 2]
So strange, I'm tryna find a doorway
My eyes are staring at me
And they seem so damn unhappy
C-C-C-Collect
My fickle insecurities
And turn them into beauty
Alchemize the dark within me-eee
[Pre-chorus]
Pipe down with the noise, I cannot bear my sorrow
I hate who I was before
I fear I won't live to see the day tomorrow
Someone tell me if this is Hell
[Chorus]
I got to escape that void
There is no other choice, yeah
Tryna turn down the voices, the void ate me
Look at the mess I've done
There is nowhere to run, yeah
Holding a loaded gun, the void
[Post-chorus]
Like a priest behind confession walls, I judge myself
Kneeling on a metal grater
Bloody like a body that has died and it's myself
Tangled in my own intestines
[Chorus]
I got to escape that void
There is no other choice, yeah
Tryna turn down the voices, The void ate me
Look at the mess I've done
There is nowhere to run, yeah
Holding a loaded gun, the void
Official versions[]
| Version | Released on | Release date | Producer(s) | Creation date | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▶ | Final | Single • PORTALS | March 30, 2023 | Melanie Martinez | 2021-2022 | 4:07 |
| ▶ | Instrumental | Single | March 30, 2023 | Melanie Martinez | 2021-2022 | 4:10 |
| "Melanie Martinez VOID (Radio Edit)" (radio mix) | Unreleased | April 29, 2023 (leaked) | Melanie Martinez | 2022-2023 | 3:31 | |
| VOID (Dolby Atmos) | Unreleased | October 29, 2024 (leaked) | Melanie Martinez | 2022-2023 | 3:48 | |
| Remixes | ||||||
| ▶ | Sped-up version | Single | March 30, 2023 | Melanie Martinez, sped up nightcore | 2023 | 3:26 |
Live performances[]
"VOID" was performed at:
Gallery[]
|
To view the gallery of VOID, click here.
|
Music video[]
The video begins with a shot of a giant beating human heart. We are then shown its interior which is revealed to be a hollow pool of blood in which Cry Baby, in her human form emerges from. Cry Baby is seen panting, confused on where she is. She slowly stands up and rips the roof of the heart open to get out, transforming into her spirit form, "The Creature" in the process, possibly symbolizing that she'll always be Cry Baby at heart even if in a different life or vessel. She crawls on the heart's surface and jumps down. She starts dancing in the dark, hazy room that was housing the giant heart where a small crevice of light could be seen from above. As she dances, strobes of light flashes, occasionally showing her skeletal system and internal organs. She stumbles closer to the camera and spits saliva as she gets flashed by the light once more. She then lies down on the rocky, crater-like floor, as streaks of lightning surround and electrocute her. She continues dancing on the surface and then crawls away.
The scene transitions to shot of multiple blood veins that are shown to be from an inside of a giant floating eye behind The Creature, watching and judging over her. The eye might symbolize The Creature's own consciousness and self-judgement, carefully watching and judging her every move. Blinded and terrified over the omniscient eye, The Creature enters through a wooden church door to escape it, only to find herself trapped in a dark red room filled with multiple clones of her lined up and holding pistols. The clones detect her presence and begin shooting at her. The Creature runs as fast as she can, as bolts of lightning flashes from the dark clouds and hundreds of her clones chase after her. Miraculously, she escapes and manages to dodge every bullet. The clones aiming to fire at The Creature might also represent the themes of self-judgement and hatred present in the song as it symbolizes Cry Baby reflecting on her past actions, being her own harshest critic, and attacking herself for the things she might've regretted being or doing in her past.
After managing to escape the bullets, The Creature enters a vortex-like portal which leads her into small cave filled with many embryos of herself, all encased in glass incubating eggs with a bubbly, greenish-liquid inside of them. She runs on the elevated stone path of the room to observe them, clearly fascinated and at the same time terrified by the sight of it. As she walks behind them, she continues dancing frantically and kneeling on the floor. As she's doing this, the clones encased in the embryos have hatched, with their glass eggs breaking and shattering behind her. The Creature continues crawling on the cave's floor and her clones begin to silently watch her from behind. The Creature notices this and begins to crawl away, albeit quite slowly as she appears to struggle trying to get herself up.
The Creature then finds herself in a reddish-dimmed labyrinth filled with many stairs, walkways, mineshaft lights, and holes of different sizes. Multiple bugs and insects also seem to inhabit the area, including a giant, long brown worm. The Creature doesn't seem too fond of this area as again, she's trying to find an exit. Using her powers, she materializes a sword from her back and jumps on the giant worm to ride it. Using the sword, she decapitates the worm's head as multiple colorful flowers sprout from inside it, filling the whole room with petals and flowers. The worms and insects might be symbolic of Cry Baby's negative feelings and thoughts as she tries to transform them into positive affirmations to find her light within.
The scene cuts back to The Creature running away from the giant eyeball for it has returned to judge her once more. This time, the eye's pupil seem to dilate its focus to her more. She looks at it back with fear and despair, frantically running away from it as multiple moths begin to surround her.
Near the end, The Creature runs into a tube-like tunnel with bluish-lights flashing constantly on its interior. The Creature decides to throw herself in it and and materializes a pistol to try and shoot herself in an attempt to escape the conditions she is in, but instead of her getting shot, an array of white butterflies shoots out from the back of her head, possibly symbolizing her trying to kill off her past self to rebuild and evolve.
Falling from the tunnel, The Creature lands on a rocky, cave-like area as her knees get impaled by the spikes below her and her blood splatters on the ground. She gets herself back up only for multiple worm-like intestines to gather around her and knock her down. Surprisingly, unlike the other entities she had faced in the void, these intestines aren't hostile. They tangle themselves around The Creature's body and get her across and up the cave safely as multiple moths gather around to lead her the way to an escape. The giant eyeball appears for the last time to watch her as multiple moths swarm around the room. Following the moths, The Creature finds a circular exit with light peeping outside. Just as the exit was about to close, she takes her chance and runs towards it. She jumps out and finally manages to escape the void. We are shown the void's exterior, exposing it as a group of pink beehive-like towers of mushrooms with multiple exits and holes scattered throughout located high up in the clouds. This is shown briefly as a swarm of moths exit the tower and a moth flies into the camera, ending the video.
The palace at the end possibly references the tarot card, "THE TOWER" which in this case means that change is in store for The Creature. The Creature surrenders to the storm (aka Cry Baby's life) to move on and grow as a person and alter the course of The Creature's life. The palace could also reference Cry Baby's body (in the "DEATH" MV, Cry Baby's heart is out and in the "VOID", you see the avulsion, missing skin, at the beginning of the video).
Cast[]
Errors[]
- When The Creature stands up to leave the frame from crawling, her foot's shadow is completely gone.
- When The Creature is tangled in her intestines, her left heart-shaped pasty is displaced.
Trivia[]
- The cover art was made by @gracesrealm on Instagram.
- Melanie wrote this song using inspiration she had gained after reading transcripts from hypnotherapy sessions.
- This is the second released song to be produced by Melanie herself, the first one being "I Think I'm Crazy".
- "I Think I'm Crazy" has since been deleted, so "VOID" is her only released song to be self-produced as of now.
- The void mentioned in the song is a supernatural limbo that serves as a state or location for spirits after they separate from their bodies and, if they are an empath, before they reincarnate.
- The music video started inside Cry Baby's heart, which was also present at the start of the music video of "DEATH".
- This song, as Melanie describes it, is very special to her because it's the first song she has ever fully produced on her own.
- This track represents the second stage of the afterlife, with "DEATH" representing the first.
- "DEATH" transitions to this track, while this song transitions directly to "TUNNEL VISION".
- There was an uncut version of the song that was included on the single release, which contains the cut part of the track intro that is included in the "DEATH" outro, just like the instrumental version of the song. However, this version is no longer available for streaming and got replaced with the album version.
- On May 19, 2023, Melanie uploaded a live version of this song on her YouTube from Lollapalooza.
- Both "VOID" and "Dollhouse" were added to the official Barbie movie soundtrack playlist on Spotify, consisting of songs from and inspired by the movie.[9]
- This is Melanie's favorite song on PORTALS.
- It is also her favorite video she's ever made, which was originally "Mad Hatter".
- It is also her mom's favorite.
- Melanie says that she heard the bass line in her head for "VOID" outside a Best Buy shop. This was the first time an "element like an instrument" came to her.[10]
- This is the only track on PORTALS that has an instrumental released.
- This song and "EVIL" are also the only songs on the album that have sped-up versions released.
- Melanie's hair in the music video was done by William Scott Blair and Sean Bennett.
- William also did Melanie's hair for all the music videos during the Cry Baby era, for the K-12 film, and for the music video for "The Bakery".
- The choreography in the music video was done by Jas Lin[11].
- In the music video, the scene at the 1:55 mark resembles a scene from the music video for Melanie's ex-partner Oliver Tree's song "Life Goes On", where a bunch of clones are chasing after them.
- The location that The Creature jumps out of at the end of the music video bears similarity to "The Tower" tarot card which symbolizes destruction, crisis, danger, disaster, loss, pain, or sudden change.
- The first scene of the music video was likely filmed around January 12, 2023.[12]
- Due to the song's music video being nominated for the 2023 MTV VMAs, the song was subsequently added to the "2023 MTV VMAs" Amazon Playlist.
- This is Melanie's most streamed song from PORTALS, amassing a total of over 123 million streams on Spotify alone.
- The track was made on Pro Tools.[13]
- In the teaser video for The Trilogy Tour, "VOID" is played to represent the PORTALS album.
- It is her fastest song to reach 100 million streams (286 days).
- This song was used in the advert of the candles that were released from the Portals Parfums line.
References[]
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEf4rEevYKc&t=572s
- ↑ https://twitter.com/melspurgatory/status/1630957234653106178
- ↑ https://twitter.com/melspurgatory/status/1631445455178694656
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CpVzTobDgEp/?hl=pt
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp6EerFDZd1/
- ↑ https://www.melaniemartinezmusic.com/lyricreveal
- ↑ File:VOID Music Video Nominated for Best Visual Effects for the 2023 VMAs.jpg
- ↑ https://www.instagram.com/p/CqYRC5qJnMV/
- ↑ https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1w0HoUZIbzXOMowRRojwd8?si=8e3bc5fa578542c8
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEf4rEevYKc&t=302s
- ↑ File:Jaslinvoidchoreo.png
- ↑ File:Melanie Martinez Instagram Stories January 12, 2023
- ↑ https://open.spotify.com/episode/5g0jDNRKrtTrDOlObrmz9N?si=9c3716ce63334225 At 11:15
[]
v • e  | |
|---|---|
| Featured tracks | DEATH • VOID • TUNNEL VISION • FAERIE SOIRÉE • LIGHT SHOWER • SPIDER WEB • LEECHES • BATTLE OF THE LARYNX • THE CONTORTIONIST • MOON CYCLE • NYMPHOLOGY • EVIL • WOMB |
| Bonus tracks | THE HATCHING • POWDER • PLUTO • MILK OF THE SIREN |
| Scrapped tracks | Barely Juice • Corpse • Death • Dragon's Blood • Emerald • Fairy Dance • Fingers Crossed • Fragile (unconfirmed) • Garden • Hawaii Space Guitar • Inconsistent Flame • Jinx • Labyrinth (version 1) • Labyrinth (version 2) • Magnets • MENace To Society • Mother of Pearl • Needle and Thread • Not Dead, Just Expired • Puzzles • Synchronicities • Tunnel Vision • Void • Walkie Talkie |
| Characters | The Creature (Cry Baby) • Masked Dancers • Faeries |
| Producers | Melanie Martinez • One Love • CJ Baran • Verde • The 23rd • Pearl Lion • Simon Says • Cautious Clay (deluxe) |
| Extras | Egg hatching • Film • Merchandise • Portals Parfums • Portals: The Game • Melanie Madness |
| Tour | PORTALS Tour • The Trilogy Tour |