Melanie Martinez has announced her highly anticipated fourth studio album, HADES, set for release on 27 March. The announcement follows the release of 'POSSESSION', her first new music in three years, marking the beginning of a bold new era for the artist.
'POSSESSION' has made an immediate impact since its release, debuting with over 2.7 million Spotify streams in its first 24 hours and surpassing 10 million streams to date. The track now stands as Melanie Martinez’s fastest-streaming release and the biggest female debut of 2026 so far. Spotify Pop Editor Talia Kraines described the release by noting that Melanie’s “blend of sweetness and darkness is deliberate—and it’s exactly what makes her a singular pop star.”
True to form, Martinez approaches this era as a fully realised world rather than a collection of songs. HADES unfolds as a dystopian, cinematic landscape that mirrors the present moment, presenting a vision that feels less like distant fantasy and more like an unsettling reflection of reality.
Speaking on the album’s concept, Martinez shared that each song explores what she describes as “different trap[s] set by the kind of evil, patriarchal energy that is HADES.” Rather than predicting a dystopian future, the record examines destructive patterns that already exist, touching on themes of control, cruelty, and exploitation framed under familiar disguises. As Martinez explains, once these repeating dynamics become visible, they are difficult to ignore.
With HADES, Melanie Martinez introduces a new world order, signalling an era defined by intention, confrontation, and immersive storytelling.
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