TY - JOUR T1 - Narrative Role of Illustration in Concept Albums: Analyzing ‘Cry Baby’, ‘Art Angels’, and ‘Consolation’ TT - İllüstrasyonun Konsept Albümlerdeki Anlatı Rolü: ‘Cry Baby’, ‘Art Angels’ ve ‘Consolation’ Analizi AU - Özkan, Eray PY - 2025 DA - October Y2 - 2025 DO - 10.32739/etkilesim.2025.8.16.315 JF - Etkileşim JO - Etkileşim PB - Üsküdar Üniversitesi WT - DergiPark SN - 2636-7955 SP - 308 EP - 331 IS - 16 LA - en AB - This study investigates how illustrations in concept albums by Melanie Martinez, Grimes, and Pomme narratively interact with lyrics. Examining Cry Baby (2015), Art Angels (2015), and Consolation (2022), the research analyzes how dedicated illustrations for each song reinforce, complicate, or extend their emotional and symbolic content. Moving beyond music videos, the study argues that illustrations actively shape focalization, tone, and symbolic coherence within track-image pairings, contributing significantly to literature of storytelling in contemporary music and warranting a reevaluation of visual narratives in popular culture. KW - Music album KW - Visual storytelling KW - Narrative KW - Intermediality KW - Illustration N2 - Bu çalışma, Melanie Martinez, Grimes ve Pomme'un konsept albümlerindeki illüstrasyonların şarkı sözleriyle nasıl anlatısal olarak etkileşime girdiğini araştırmak amacıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Çalışma sürecinde Cry Baby (2015), Art Angels (2015) ve Consolation (2022) incelenmiş, her şarkı için ayrılmış illüstrasyonların duygusal ve sembolik içeriklerini nasıl güçlendirdiği, karmaşıklaştırdığı veya genişlettiği analiz edilmiştir. Müzik videolarının ötesine geçen çalışma, illüstrasyonların parça-görüntü eşleşmeleri içinde odaklanmayı, tonu ve sembolik tutarlılığı aktif olarak şekillendirdiğini, çağdaş müzikte hikâye anlatımı literatürüne önemli ölçüde katkıda bulunduğunu ve popüler kültürdeki görsel anlatıların yeniden değerlendirilmesini gerektirdiğini savunmaktadır. CR - Bal, M. (2009). Narratology: Introduction to the theory of narrative (3rd ed.). University of Toronto Press. CR - Barthes, R. (1977). Image, music, text (S. Heath, Trans.). Hill and Wang. CR - Beyoncé. (2016). Lemonade [Visual Album]. Parkwood Entertainment, Columbia Records. CR - Bowie, D. (1972). The rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars [Album]. RCA Records. CR - Buhler, J., Neumeyer, D., & DeJarnett, R. (2010). Hearing the movies: Music and sound in film history. Oxford University Press. CR - Chion, M. (1994). Audio-vision: Sound on screen (C. Gorbman, Trans.). Columbia University Press. CR - Cook, N. (1998). 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Intermediality revisited: Reflections on word and music relations in the context of a general typology of intermediality. In S. Bernhart, & W. Wolf (Eds.), Word and music studies: Essays in honor of Steven Paul Scher and on cultural identity and the musical stage (Vol. 4, pp. 13-34). Rodopi. CR - Wolf, W. (2005). Intermediality. In D. Herman, M. Jahn, & M.-L. Ryan (Eds.), Routledge encyclopedia of narrative theory (pp. 252–256). Routledge. CR - Figure 1. (a) ‘Cry Baby’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Chloé Tersigni, created for ‘Cry Baby’ album (2015). ‘Cry Baby’ album booklet, © Atlantic Records 2015. Figure 1. (b) ‘Dollhouse’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Chloé Tersigni, created for ‘Cry Baby’ album (2015). ‘Cry Baby’ album booklet, © Atlantic Records 2015. CR - Figure 1. (c) ‘Sippy Cup’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Chloé Tersigni, created for ‘Cry Baby’ album (2015). ‘Cry Baby’ album booklet, © Atlantic Records 2015. CR - Figure 2. (a) ‘Carousel’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Chloé Tersigni, created for ‘Cry Baby’ album (2015). ‘Cry Baby’ album booklet, © Atlantic Records 2015. CR - Figure 2. (b) ‘Alphabet Boy’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Chloé Tersigni, created for ‘Cry Baby’ album (2015). ‘Cry Baby’ album booklet, © Atlantic Records 2015. CR - Figure 2. (c) ‘Soap’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Chloé Tersigni, created for ‘Cry Baby’ album (2015). ‘Cry Baby’ album booklet, © Atlantic Records 2015. CR - Figure 3. (a) ‘Training Wheels’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Chloé Tersigni, created for ‘Cry Baby’ album (2015). ‘Cry Baby’ album booklet, © Atlantic Records 2015. CR - Figure 3. (b) ‘Pity Party’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Chloé Tersigni, created for ‘Cry Baby’ album (2015). ‘Cry Baby’ album booklet, © Atlantic Records 2015. CR - Figure 3. (c) ‘Tag, You’re It’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Chloé Tersigni, created for ‘Cry Baby’ album (2015). ‘Cry Baby’ album booklet, © Atlantic Records 2015. CR - Figure 4. (a) ‘Milk and Cookies’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Chloé Tersigni, created for ‘Cry Baby’ album (2015). ‘Cry Baby’ album booklet, © Atlantic Records 2015. CR - Figure 4. (b) ‘Pacify Her’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Chloé Tersigni, created for ‘Cry Baby’ album (2015). ‘Cry Baby’ album booklet, © Atlantic Records 2015. CR - Figure 4. (c) ‘Mrs. Potato Head,’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Chloé Tersigni, created for ‘Cry Baby’ album (2015). ‘Cry Baby’ album booklet, © Atlantic Records 2015. CR - Figure 4. (d) ‘Mad Hatter’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Chloé Tersigni, created for ‘Cry Baby’ album (2015). ‘Cry Baby’ album booklet, © Atlantic Records 2015. CR - Figure 5. (a) ‘Laughing and Not Being Normal’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Grimes, created for ‘Art Angels’ album (2015). ‘Art Angels’ album booklet, © 4AD 2015. CR - Figure 5. (b) ‘California’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Grimes, created for ‘Art Angels’ album (2015). ‘Art Angels’ album booklet, © 4AD 2015. CR - Figure 5. (c) ‘Flesh without Blood’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Grimes, created for ‘Art Angels’ album (2015). ‘Art Angels’ album booklet, © 4AD 2015. CR - Figure 6. (a) ‘Scream’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Grimes, created for ‘Art Angels’ album (2015). ‘Art Angels’ album booklet, © 4AD 2015. CR - Figure 6. (b) ‘Belly of the Beat’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Grimes, created for ‘Art Angels’ album (2015). ‘Art Angels’ album booklet, © 4AD 2015. CR - Figure 6. (c) ‘Kill V. Maim’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Grimes, created for ‘Art Angels’ album (2015). ‘Art Angels’ album booklet, © 4AD 2015. CR - Figure 7. (a) ‘Artangels’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Grimes, created for ‘Art Angels’ album (2015). ‘Art Angels’ album booklet, © 4AD 2015. CR - Figure 7. (b) ‘Easily’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Grimes, created for ‘Art Angels’ album (2015). ‘Art Angels’ album booklet, © 4AD 2015. CR - Figure 7. (c) ‘REALiTi’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Grimes, created for ‘Art Angels’ album (2015). ‘Art Angels’ album booklet, © 4AD 2015. CR - Figure 8. (a) ‘Pin’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Grimes, created for ‘Art Angels’ album (2015). ‘Art Angels’ album booklet, © 4AD 2015. CR - Figure 8. (b) ‘Venus Fly’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Grimes, created for ‘Art Angels’ album (2015). ‘Art Angels’ album booklet, © 4AD 2015. CR - Figure 8. (c) ‘World Princess Pt. II’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Grimes, created for ‘Art Angels’ album (2015). ‘Art Angels’ album booklet, © 4AD 2015. CR - Figure 9. (a)‘Butterfly’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Grimes, created for ‘Art Angels’ album (2015). ‘Art Angels’ album booklet, © 4AD 2015. CR - Figure 9. (b) ‘Life in the Vivid Dream’ digital illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Grimes, created for ‘Art Angels’ album (2015). ‘Art Angels’ album booklet, © 4AD 2015. CR - Figure 10. (a) ‘jardin’ scanned ink & watercolour illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Claude Ponti, created for ‘Consolation’ album (2022). ‘Consolation’ album booklet, © Polydor 2022. Figure 10. (b) ‘dans mes rêves’ scanned ink & watercolour illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Claude Ponti, created for ‘Consolation’ album (2022). ‘Consolation’ album booklet, © Polydor 2022. CR - Figure 10. (c) ‘la rivière’ scanned ink & watercolour illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Claude Ponti, created for ‘Consolation’ album (2022). ‘Consolation’ album booklet, © Polydor 2022. CR - Figure 10. (d) ‘Nelly’ scanned ink & watercolour illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Claude Ponti, created for ‘Consolation’ album (2022). ‘Consolation’ album booklet, © Polydor 2022. CR - Figure 11. (a) ‘septembre’ scanned ink & watercolour illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Claude Ponti, created for ‘Consolation’ album (2022). ‘Consolation’ album booklet, © Polydor 2022. CR - Figure 11. (b) ‘rien pour toi’ scanned ink & watercolour illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Claude Ponti, created for ‘Consolation’ album (2022). ‘Consolation’ album booklet, © Polydor 2022. CR - Figure 11. (c) ‘rdv’ scanned ink & watercolour illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Claude Ponti, created for ‘Consolation’ album (2022). ‘Consolation’ album booklet, © Polydor 2022. CR - Figure 11. (d) ‘bleu’ scanned ink & watercolour illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Claude Ponti, created for ‘Consolation’ album (2022). ‘Consolation’ album booklet, © Polydor 2022. Figure 12. (a) ‘when I c u’ scanned ink & watercolour illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Claude Ponti, created for ‘Consolation’ album (2022). ‘Consolation’ album booklet, © Polydor 2022. Figure 12. (b) ‘puppy’ scanned ink & watercolour illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Claude Ponti, created for ‘Consolation’ album (2022). ‘Consolation’ album booklet, © Polydor 2022. CR - Figure 12. (c) ‘tombeau’ scanned ink & watercolour illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Claude Ponti, created for ‘Consolation’ album (2022). ‘Consolation’ album booklet, © Polydor 2022. CR - Figure 12. (d) ‘allô’ scanned ink & watercolour illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Claude Ponti, created for ‘Consolation’ album (2022). ‘Consolation’ album booklet, © Polydor 2022. Figure 13. (a) ‘tout ça’ scanned ink & watercolour illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Claude Ponti, created for ‘Consolation’ album (2022). ‘Consolation’ album booklet, © Polydor 2022. CR - Figure 13. (b) ‘un million’ scanned ink & watercolour illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Claude Ponti, created for ‘Consolation’ album (2022). ‘Consolation’ album booklet, © Polydor 2022. CR - Figure 13. (c) ‘very bad’ scanned ink & watercolour illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Claude Ponti, created for ‘Consolation’ album (2022). ‘Consolation’ album booklet, © Polydor 2022. CR - Figure 13. (d) ‘B.’ scanned ink & watercolour illustration (50 × 50 cm) by Claude Ponti, created for ‘Consolation’ album (2022). ‘Consolation’ album booklet, © Polydor 2022. UR - https://doi.org/10.32739/etkilesim.2025.8.16.315 L1 - https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/4902481 ER -