Death (Melanie Martinez song)

"Death" is a song by American singer-songwriter Melanie Martinez. It is the lead single from her third studio album, Portals. It was released as a single on March 17, 2023, through Atlantic Records. It is her first song to chart in the Billboard Hot 100 since 2012, peaking at number 95.

Background
After being on two-year hiatus for music, Martinez started to archive all of her Instagram posts and teased the upcoming album on February 18, 2023. The singer also released a twelve-second snippet with no single cover, on Spotify.

In March 2023, Martinez uploaded a post to Instagram featuring a cryptic message and a photo showcasing the alter-ego pink fairy character "emerging from a prone human form". The post also showed a set of lyrics, a release date, and the title of the lead single. The song was later released on March 17, 2023.

Music video
The video begins with five masked dancers glancing into Cry Baby’s grave, where they place plants. Cry Baby is in the grave with an open wound on her heart. A version of Martinez with pink skin, multiple eyes, and fairy-like wings then appears from Cry Baby's heart and elevates to the surface. Throughout the video, the camera cuts to the dancers on an island with Cry Baby's grave, and this version of Martinez with blue hair singing or on a hoop performing tricks with dancers, still elevating. She then stabs Cry Baby's corpse with nine swords. Near the end, the elevating Martinez rips a cord connecting her alter-ego, Cry Baby, trying to escape the grave. As the dancers finish burying Cry Baby, Martinez pops out of the ground and the video ends.

Musicians

 * Melanie Adele Martinez – vocals

Production

 * Melanie Martinez – producer
 * Christopher John Baran – producer