Melanie Martinez

Melanie Martinez is one of those rare artists who really commits to a concept, shape-shifting and all. You probably know her best by the “Cry Baby” character that defined her early career; sporting half-pink hair, adorned in doll’s dresses, maybe carrying a baby bottle.

Check in on her now, and you’ll see her as a grotesque four-eyed naked alien creature — part Labyrinth, part Björk, all thrillingly weird. In the irreverent alt-pop that accompanies these alter-egos, she doesn’t slack either; throughout her discography, she unwaveringly confronts taboos amid gleefully catchy hooks.