''After School'' is the fourth

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

(EP) by American singer-songwriter

Melanie Martinez Melanie Adele Martinez (born April 28, 1995) is an American singer and songwriter. Born in Astoria, Queens, and raised in Baldwin, New York, Martinez rose to fame in 2012 after appearing on the American television vocal talent show ''The Voice ...

. It was released on September 25, 2020, through

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

. "The Bakery" was released as the lead single the same day as the EP's release. Martinez stated this EP was "much more personal and steps outside of the Cry Baby character box for a moment". The EP was also released as the deluxe edition to Martinez's second studio album, ''

K–12 K–12, from kindergarten to 12th grade, is an American English expression that indicates the range of years of publicly supported primary and secondary education found in the United States, which is similar to publicly supported school grade ...

''.

Background

In an interview with '' V'' magazine in September 2019, Martinez stated that she would release songs that were in-line with her previous album, ''

'', but that the songs would be "more personal and more vulnerable". On January 8, 2020, Martinez announced through her Instagram stories that she would release an EP titled ''After School'' that would be attached to the ''K–12'' era. The EP was originally scheduled to be released sometime in the spring of 2020. Martinez also previously announced that she had planned two more films, both of which would be accompanied by albums, but has not yet announced involvement from ''After School''. On February 9, 2020, Martinez confirmed through her Instagram story that the EP would be out in spring, but it was pushed back to September 25, and that a song featuring "one of erfav artists" would be coming out "sooner than you think". The next day, February 10, she released the standalone single "Copy Cat", with American rapper and songwriter

Tierra Whack Tierra Helena Whack (born August 11, 1995) is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. She originally performed as "Dizzle Dizz" as a teenager, but later on reverted to her birth name in 2017. Her debut studio album, ''Whack World'', was releas ...

. The song was originally intended to be the lead single from the EP, but was cut from the final track listing. On September 15, 2020, Martinez posted a surrealist photo on Instagram of her in a nest with two eggs, with a caption reading; "Holdin' onto these eggs till they're ready to be hatched next week", teasing that the EP would be released the next week. In an interview with ''

Idolator An idolator is a practitioner of idolatry. Idolater or Idolator may also refer to: Books *''Os Idólatras'', 1968 Portuguese novel by Maria Judite de Carvalho Music * Idolator (website), an American music blog * ''Idolator'' (album), third album ...

'', Martinez expressed interest in making a music video for "Test Me", saying that she wrote a video treatment and that "it all depends on how much people connect with it".

Track listing

Notes * "Brain & Heart" contains an interpolation of "

If You Had My Love "If You Had My Love" is the debut single by American actress and singer Jennifer Lopez. It was released on May 4, 1999, as the lead single from her debut studio album, ''On the 6'' (1999). The song was written by LaShawn Daniels, Cory Rooney, Je ...

" by

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Affleck (' Lopez; born July 24, 1969), also known as J.Lo, is an American singer, actress and dancer. In 1991, she began appearing as a Fly Girl dancer on the sketch comedy television series ''In Living Color'', where she rema ...

, which itself contains an interpolation of " If I Gave You Love" by

Chanté Moore Chanté Torrane Moore (born February 17, 1967) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, television personality, and author. Rising to fame in the early 1990s, Moore established herself as an R&B singer. Her debut studio album '' Precious'' w ...

Personnel

Musicians *

– lead vocals, songwriter * Michael Keenan – songwriter, producer * Blake Slatkin – songwriter, producer *

Rodney Jerkins Rodney Roy Jerkins (born July 29, 1977), also known by his stage name Darkchild, is an American record producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has collaborated with a broad range of popular artists. Jerkins has won multiple Grammy Awards. Among hi ...

– songwriter *

Fred Jerkins III Fred Jerkins III, also known as Uncle Freddie, is an American songwriter and record producer who is best known for his work with his brother Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. Jerkins has co-written several hit songs with Rodney Jerkins and LaShawn Dani ...

– songwriter *

LaShawn Daniels LaShawn Ameen Daniels (December 28, 1977 – September 3, 2019) was an American songwriter, vocal producer and arranger known for his songwriting credits on songs by artists such as Brandy, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé, Destiny’s Child, Michael Jacks ...

– songwriter *

Cory Rooney Mark Cory Rooney (born 1968) is an American record producer. He has written, produced, and developed various successful records for artists including Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige, Jessica Simpson, Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony, Thalia, Michael Ja ...

– songwriter *

– songwriter Technical * Randy Merrill – mastering engineer * Mitch McCarthy – mixing engineer

Background

Track listing

Personnel

Charts

Release history

Notes

References