Melanie Martinez – The Trilogy Tour

Melanie Martinez collaborated with Normal Studio for the content production of her Trilogy Tour, renewing a partnership that began on her PORTALS Tour in 2023. Working closely with Melanie and her team, we oversaw the conceptualization and creation of video content for the main screen and scrim. Content from Cry Baby and K-12 was readapted to ensure visual continuity with our work on the PORTALS tour. 

The Trilogy Tour brings Melanie Martinez’s albums to life through a stunning two-act performance. The first part follows the life of her Cry Baby persona, from school to death, before transitioning into the second act, where she is reborn as the ethereal being introduced in PORTALS. The show gives the audience a full journey through Melanie’s evolving alter ego, creating a deeply immersive experience. 

Melanie Martinez takes the stage in a surreal world, where our video content forms the core of the show’s visuals. Every scene is crafted with her signature blend of dreamlike beauty and eerie undertones. The level of detail in the visuals allowed for a minimalist stage with fewer props, shifting the focus onto the digital world surrounding her. 

Visual Style & Execution 

Melanie Martinez’s universe is rich, complex, and full of character. Our task was to translate the essence of her music and videos into 33 immersive backgrounds spanning over two hours. Developed under her supervision, these visuals were essential in constructing the world she and her dancers inhabit throughout the performance. 

Unreal Engine was a key tool in making this project possible. Its real-time rendering capabilities allowed for fast production and iteration, ensuring all visuals were delivered in less than three months. This efficiency also enabled Melanie and her team to review content in real-time, fine-tuning every detail to align with her artistic vision. 

A major challenge was integrating the visuals with live performance, creating seamless interactions between Melanie, her dancers, and the digital world. In High School Sweethearts, for example, she is struck by an arrow shot by Cupid on screen. Other moments include interactions with a dragon and a sequence where dancers follow a glowing light orb. These dynamic elements required precise coordination between our teams to ensure flawless execution. The use of large-scale 3D models, like the dragon and teddy bear, became defining visuals of the show and fan favorites. 

Stage Design 

The stage featured a large LED screen positioned behind a scrim, allowing visuals to appear as though they were floating in front of the artist. This setup created a unique layering effect, enhancing the show’s dreamlike quality and giving our team the opportunity to push creative boundaries. 

Melanie Martinez 

Melanie Martinez is a singer, songwriter, and visual artist known for her distinctive aesthetics and emotionally charged storytelling. Rising to fame as a contestant on The Voice in 2012, she quickly established herself in the music industry with conceptual albums and theatrical visuals. 

Her debut album, Cry Baby (2015), peaked at number six on the US Billboard 200 and was certified double platinum. K-12 (2019) debuted at number three and later achieved platinum status. In 2023, she reinvented herself with PORTALS, her highest-charting album to date, debuting at number two on the Billboard 200 with 142,000 equivalent album units in its first week. Collectively, she has sold over 15.5 million certified singles and 2.5 million certified albums in the United States. Beyond music, Martinez is recognized for her bold fashion, intricate music videos, and commitment to creative control, solidifying her place in the alternative pop scene. 

By crafting a distinct visual identity for the tour, we elevated Melanie Martinez’s music, immersing audiences in a layered world that follows her transformation through her last three studio albums.