On the morning of Friday, June 26, Melanie Martinez performed on The TODAY Show for her first Citi Concert Series performance. Celebrating the release of her 2026 album, Hades, the alternative pop star showed her gratitude to her loyal fanbase by delivering a special announcement between songs.
Martinez rose to fame after being featured on The Voice in 2012. Placing 6th overall at age 17, the singer was signed to Atlantic Records and released her debut single, “Dollhouse”. On her Portals Tour, Martinez wore full-face prosthetics and masks to dive deep into the storytelling of her artistic characters. Now touring songs from her fourth studio album, Hades, Martinez tells the story of Circle, a manufactured pop star created by Hades Tech. This highly conceptualized alter-ego is a human amongst an AI-driven society. Channeling Circle in her live performances, Martinez demonstrates her storytelling expertise on stage through dance and heavy lyricism.
While most artists choose to perform songs from many of their albums at their Citi Concerts, Martinez did the opposite. The alternative singer performed four songs – “The Plague”, “Possession”, “Garbage”, and “Weight Watchers” – all off her 2026 album, Hades. Between transforming the standard concert stage with a tattered white backdrop and performing with a troupe of background dancers, Martinez proved she’s as much of a visual concept artist as a vocal talent.
Between songs, Martinez decided that it was the perfect time to announce an exclusive secret. For the first time, live from the TODAY Plaza, she explained that Hades is the first part of a two-album project. “The second album is called Elysium,” she said. “That’s all I’ll say, but it’s a utopian reference, so it’s the other part. It’s the counterpart to it.” The crowd went wild at the news, stopping the interview portion of Martinez’s set with their excitement.
Later this month, Melanie Martinez will embark on the Hades: The Sacrifice Tour. She’ll be coming back to New York on July 23, playing the Barclays Center with opening act Haute & Freddy.
Melanie Martinez – June 26, 2026 – Citi Concert Series
Setlist: The Plague, Possession, Garbage, Weight Watchers
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