Melanie Martinez’s “Disney Princess” is an alt-pop track about the dark side of fame as a young celebrity. Martinez sings from the perspective of a character named Circle, which she created for her Hades album.
Using the Disney princess as a symbol for young artists molded and exploited by the entertainment industry, she tells the story of someone who lost their innocence and autonomy in exchange for success.
Below you’ll find a section-by-section interpretation of the lyrics in “Disney Princess.”
- Song: Disney Princess
- Artist: Melanie Martinez
- Songwriters: Melanie Martinez, Christopher J Baran
- Released: 2026
- Album: Hades
- Genre: Alternative pop
What is “Disney Princess” About?
Intro: Made Into Something
The prettiest girl in all the land
This references Snow White and the “fairest of them all” question, setting up the Disney Princess theme.
She was the one everyone wanted, the perfect candidate for stardom.
Was left alone without a hand
To hold or teach or mold or pray
No one was there to guide her, protect her, or teach her right from wrong.
Her parents or guardians failed to give her the foundation she needed, leaving her vulnerable.
Without anyone to “mold” her morally or “pray” for her spiritually, she had to figure everything out alone.
She fell down the sewer and got led astray
She descended into something disgusting and corrupting.
This represents her fall from innocence into a world of exploitation and darkness.
Monsters, demons, and all the rest
Took her soul and innocence
The people in the industry (agents, managers, predators) stripped away who she really was.
Everything pure was taken from her.
They tweezed and pulled all that was left
‘Til she was made a Disney princess
They plucked away every part of her real self until she fit the perfect image they wanted.
Being “made a Disney princess” means being forced into a flawless, controlled persona with no room for genuine emotion or individuality.
Verse 1: Numbing the Pain
Drunk drive ’til I am twenty bombs
In deep, I need to trauma dump
She’s drinking excessively. Twenty bomb shots is an exaggeration, but the point is she’s way past drunk.
The alcohol lowers her inhibitions to the point where she needs to unload all her trauma on whoever will listen.
He says I fight for relevance
The words I’ve feared since I was young
Someone tells her she’s desperately clinging to stay important and visible.
She’s always feared becoming irrelevant, forgotten, and no longer needed.
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Pre-Chorus 1: Can’t Leave the Show
Please don’t go
You’re the only one
Who sees my soul
She’s begging someone who actually knows her (a friend, family member) to stay.
Everyone else only sees the Disney princess version, but this person sees who she really is underneath.
But fuck these other cunts
Everyone else in her life is fake, using her, or doesn’t care about the real her.
Can’t quit the show
I’ve signed the dotted line
And I’ve fucked every devil
She’s legally bound to her career after signing contracts she can’t get out of.
“Fucked every devil” could mean she’s literally been sexually exploited by powerful people in the industry, or it could mean she’s compromised her morals and made deals with terrible people to survive and advance her career.
Either way, she’s done whatever it took to get where she is.
Chorus: The Cost of Fame
We can go there faster than they can
Faster than the average person
She and others in her position can reach fame and success faster than normal people.
Young stars skip the usual steps and are thrust into the spotlight immediately.
Los Angeles, turn on your TV
Come on, worship me, I’m perfect
Los Angeles represents Hollywood and the entertainment industry.
She’s performing the role everyone expects: the perfect star for the public to worship.
Behind the scenes, liquor and cocaine
Suffering and pain, it’s worth it
What the public doesn’t see is the addiction and misery fueling the performance.
She’s convincing herself (or being told) that the suffering is worth the fame and adoration.
My allowance bought me everything
Still can’t buy my innocence
Money bought her material things, but it can’t undo what was done to her.
Once innocence is gone, no amount of money can bring it back.
Verse 2: Exploited
Grown men asking where I was from
Too young, out late with nothing on
Adult men were approaching her when she was young, asking predatory questions.
She was too young to be in these situations, dressed inappropriately or vulnerably.
Parents got rich, out having fun
“Party At Mine” is what I sung
Her parents were off spending the money she made, enjoying themselves while she worked.
She was left alone in situations where people could take advantage of her.
Pre-Chorus 2: Forced Into Adulthood
I traded my bows
For strapless bras and snow
She gave up the symbols of childhood (bows, which Martinez famously wore) for adult sexuality (strapless bras) and drugs (snow/cocaine).
She was forced to grow up too fast.
Can’t toss this gold
It’s my name that they know
She can’t walk away from fame because her identity is tied to it.
Her name is her brand, and that’s all she has now.
Who’s all this for
If I’m so miserable?
She’s questioning the point of maintaining this perfect image if she’s suffering constantly.
If all of this doesn’t lead to happiness, why keep performing?
I wanna kill all these devils
She wants to destroy everyone who made her into this, everyone who exploited and controlled her.
“Disney Princess” Song Meaning: The Dark Side of the Business
“Disney Princess” is Martinez’s critique of how the entertainment industry grooms and exploits young artists, particularly young women. Through the character Circle, she tells the story of someone who entered the industry young without proper protection or guidance, leading to exploitation by adults who took advantage of her vulnerability.
The Disney Princess metaphor represents the perfect, controlled image that young stars are forced to maintain while being stripped of their real identity and innocence.
Martinez describes the coping mechanisms (alcohol, drugs, trauma dumping) that come from being forced to perform perfection while suffering behind the scenes. Circle/Martinez feels trapped in a system she can’t leave.
Songs Like “Disney Princess”
Here are some other tracks that deal with similar themes of exploitation, lost innocence, and the dark side of fame:
1. “Lucky” by Britney Spears
This 2000 hit is about a famous woman who has everything the public thinks should make her happy, but she cries herself to sleep every night.
2. “The Fame” by Lady Gaga
In “The Fame,” Lady Gaga looks at fame as something addictive and artificial, questioning what you give up to achieve and maintain it.
3. “Praying” by Kesha
In this 2017 track, Kesha sings about the abuse and exploitation she faced in the music industry, reclaiming her voice after years of legal battles.
Conclusion: Personas and Truth
In “Disney Princess,” Martinez uses the Disney Princess as a symbol for young artists who are groomed, exploited, and forced into a mold they never chose. By creating Circle as a character in her album’s narrative, Martinez is able to sing about dark (and important) topics without making it entirely autobiographical while still drawing from real experiences young artists face in the industry.
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