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 she wrote and recorded in the "portals room"[1]. It was also the first song that Melanie fully produced on their own. The track started as a bass guitar top line, the exact melody from the voice memo she recorded a few days prior, with the lyrics and melody were created in the moment. The programmed drum loop was replaced with drums for live performances. Melanie also stated that they remember crying while screaming the chorus of the song. She eventually knew this was going to be the second track for the album as she explains that it's:
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 their social media accounts, confirming that the track was written and produced on their 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 around 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.
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 |
Total length: |
11:43 | |||
| 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 |
Total length: |
11:43 | |||
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.[7] 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 | |
| Remixes | ||||||
| ▶ | Sped-up version | Single | March 30, 2023 | Melanie Martinez, sped up nightcore | 2023 | 3:26 |
Live performances[]
"VOID" was performed at:
Tours[]
Festivals[]
- Lollapalooza 2023 (debut performance)
- Estéreo Picnic Festival 2023
- Heineken Silver Live Out 2023
- iHeart Radio Jingle Ball 2023
- Bonnaroo Festival 2024
- Osheaga Festival 2024
- Lollapalooza 2024
Gallery[]
|
To view the gallery of VOID, click here.
|
Music video[]
The video begins with Cry Baby, in human form, on the inside of a beating heart. Cry Baby stands up and rips the heart open to get out of it, transforming into her spirit form in the process, meaning that she always be a Cry Baby at heart even if she a different sole/vessel. After she jumps down, the song begins to play and she starts dancing, with lightning occasionally flashing. She then opens a door to discover what seem to be clones of her holding pistols. Throughout the video, The Creature attempts to escape wherever she finds herself. Bugs, worms, an eyeball, a long hole, and multiple moths are shown throughout. Near the end when The Creature runs into a tunnel, The Creature falls and shoots herself trying to escape the void she is in, but a butterfly comes out of her, symbolizing her trying to kill off her past self to rebuild and evolve into The Creature. By the end of the video, moths help her escape and pull her up to a tunnel, and she proceeds to jumps out of the end of it. This reveals a palace resembling mushrooms that is shown briefly before a moth flies into the camera. 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.[8]
- 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.[9]
- 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[10].
- 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.[11]
- 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.[12]
- This is Melanie's first time being nominated for a VMA.
- Subsequently, the song was 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
- ↑ 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
- ↑ File:VOID Music Video Nominated for Best Visual Effects for the 2023 VMAs.jpg
- ↑ 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 • 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 |
| Related tracks | Gravitate |
| 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 • Melanie Madness |
| Tour | PORTALS Tour • The Trilogy Tour |