FEATURE: Spotlight: Madeline the Person

FEATURE:

Spotlight

Madeline the Person

_________

BACK in July…

the terrific Madeline the Person released her E.P., CHAPTER 3: The Burning. One of my favourite E.P.s of last year, I wanted to spend some time with the Houston artist. I will come to an interview where she breaks down the songs on her latest E.P. First, Houston Press spotlighted and celebrated Madeline the Person in 2021 ahead of the release of her E.P., CHAPTER 1: The Longing. I only discovered Madeline the Person last year, so it is interesting reading press from before then. She has definitely broken through and captured the imagination of press and music fans alike in the past couple of years. Someone primed and tipped for amazing things this year:

“Whenever a recording artist signs a major label deal, it’s big news. If the artist is from Houston, there’s some hometown pride added to the celebration. But, the recent signing of Houston’s own Madeline The Person by Warner Records isn’t just exciting, it’s also an indication of how the music industry is adapting to a market changed by social media apps and affected by the pandemic to bring new, enthralling music to listeners.

The 19-year old singer/songwriter from Bellaire is a music phenom, despite having played only a pair of live shows in her burgeoning career. One was at the Houston Women’s March and the second, she said, was for a handful of music industry pros with the label, which she signed to last year, via Zoom, from the comfort of her own home. She was "discovered" by a Warner Records A&R executive who saw her on TikTok, performing original tunes and covers for her hundreds of thousands of followers. No exhaustive tours playing in dimly lit clubs for sparse crowds or toiling away on Bandcamp. Her debut EP, Chapter 1: The Longing, released last Friday.

“It’s funny because I expected it to be the way you described, going out, doing shows and making a name for myself. I was pretty prepared to do that and I was going to go to Berklee College of Music this year. In a few months I was supposed to go, but then I got my deal. Everything changed,” she said.

“And, it really did start with Instagram and TikTok, which is so cool. It’s seriously the power of social media, plus the situation we were in with COVID. There wasn’t a way for me to do shows or go out and meet people and market myself that way,” she said. “So, it was seriously all on the Internet which I think is so cool. I don’t think a lot of people can say that about their journey.”

Madeline’s music journey started early. She began playing piano at age 4 and took up guitar shortly thereafter. As a child, she attended Emery/Weiner School in southwest Houston, as well as West University’s Xavier Educational Academy. She graduated last year, the same year she opened her TikTok account. That was February and before long, she said, she had a healthy following. Her fans now include some notables, like Billie Eilish, Lizzo and Olivia Rodrigo.

“It was really quick, like the blink of an eye, crazy quick. Nothing has ever happened to me that quick ever,” she said with a chuckle, a hint that she’s still in awe of how it all unfolded. “It was wild. That app is a force to be reckoned with. It’s insane, the amount of people you can reach in such a short amount of time. Things go viral so quickly and so randomly, it seems. But yeah, I happened to thrive there, which is super cool, that I found a place that I can connect with people there.”

Maybe Marshall McLuhan was right about the medium being the message, but the messengers on TikTok are abundant. It’s easy to get lost in the mix of virtual content creators. But, Warner executives saw something special in Madeline amidst the deep sea of faces and voices, a complete package that made signing her a no-brainer. For instance, she’s designed her own vibrant, colorful aesthetic, a rainbow world that seems at odds with the achingly introspective songs she’s written. Those songs are delivered by a hauntingly expressive voice, “actually the most beautiful thing I have ever heard,” according to at least one of her nearly 500,000 TikTok fans.

Because she’s the architect of her own distinct art, including her multi-colored wardrobe, we asked if her home life sparked her creativity.

“I don’t think I have anyone in my life growing up that was like me in the way of creative things. My mom is a doctor and my dad was an engineer and my brother is a math major. But, my mom and brother also have a really creative side. But I think I’m way more openly crazy than them,” she laughed. “As a little kid, I always loved coloring, drawing, colors, making a mess, and I’ve just never gotten rid of that. Just like the regular kids’ stuff, where you just want to finger paint all the time, I just never grew out of it”.

There are not a load of interviews out there with Madeline the Person. There are a couple from last year connected to the new E.P. In terms of her best tracks and moments from 2022, I think that MEAN! might have been my favourite. I would recommend all of Madeline the Person’s music, but there is something about MEAN! that really struck me. Colour Vision Mag asked her about the song, and they were also curious about which tracks Madeline the Person felt was her best so far:

“Your style within and outside of your music is so colorful, bright, and happy. Has this always been the energy you’ve carried with you, or is it more of an artistic choice?

I’ve definitely always had a colorful and bright energy, but throughout middle school and parts of high school, I spent a lot of my time conforming and hiding. Only after my dad passed away did I realize that life is really fragile and I don’t have time to be a person I’m not. Then began the best part of my life in which I got to fully be myself. Rainbows, flaws, and all.

Your projects are set up in "Chapters" which I feel like is a really unique way to tell your story. What does that look like for you? Do the chapters connect with eachother or is each more of a standalone work? Anything you're able to share on the forthcoming Chapter 3?

My chapters were something I decided on before I even signed with a label because I am so passionate about my story being told similarly to a storybook. I like to set up these chapters because my songs are directly about my experiences and emotions, and I like to process all of these big feelings in bitesize pieces. It’s easier for me to compartmentalize my life thus far into a storybook layout so that I remind myself what I have survived and that there is so much more to come.

Can you tell me more about your newest track “MEAN!”? What was the inspiration behind the track?

My song “MEAN!” is a song I wrote after being insulted at a party and just feeling so tiny from that moment on. Afterwards, I realized how grateful I am that I would never say something to make someone feel bad. There is a beautiful power in being kind. It’s hard to find meaning in such painful experiences, but this song helps me remember that some people just say mean things and that has nothing to do with me.

I noticed you toured last year with The Aces, what was that experience like? Do you have any plans to tour soon?

Touring with The Aces was one of the most beautiful and exciting experiences of my life. Since everything for me started online, I genuinely didn’t know if people would show up in person for me, but they did. It was just the loveliest thing to meet the people who listen to my music. I’m hoping to open for someone else soon! But in the meantime, I’m playing a few festivals this summer.

What’s your favorite track you’ve released to date and why?

My song “As A Child” will always hold such a tender and special place in my heart because it showed me the power that comes from sharing your trauma. Once I spoke up about my grief through the song, I was flooded by stories and support and understanding. That song created a safe space for feelings of loss, and that’s one of the most special things that I have ever made”.

I am going to round off in a second. There is an interview from Sweety High where Madeline the Person took us through the remarkable songs on CHAPTER 3: The Burning. I have already featured MEAN!, so the rest of the songs are explored. The E.P. is a great starting place if you are a new fan but, to be honest, go back to the start and see how her music has changed and evolved:

“'Why I Broke Up With You'

Madeline The Person: I had written the first verse and the chorus a couple of months before I came into the session, but I knew that Andrew Jackson could help me get my story fully out in a beautiful way. Chris Loco sat with us while we were writing, completely absorbed the vibe of the song, and produced it absolutely perfectly.

"Why I Broke Up With You" is my way of dealing with trauma from my past and how it affected my relationship. I realized that there was still an unhealed wound I needed to tend to.

My favorite line is: "I lived so long with someone so uncomfortable in their mind, they fed themselves a little poison every day to survive." I feel that the lyric perfectly describes how I tried to rationalize addiction as a kid. Some things don't make sense until you are close enough to them that you are forced to understand.

‘You Step On Flowers'

Madeline The Person: When I was around 16, I wrote a poem including the line, "You step on flowers like they are the grass," and I had always wanted to make it into a song. Finally, in a session, with Annika Bennett and Andy Seltzer, I brought in the poem and we reconstructed and expanded upon it. Annika played the chords for the chorus, starting with F minor, and we were all in love. It sounded just how the feeling felt.

"Step On Flowers" is how I coped with feeling unappreciated romantically. I felt like I was giving this person everything beautiful within me, and it was disregarded. It felt like an important feeling to set in stone.

My favorite lyric from the song is, "I stuck around the morning after till the sky was your light blue," because it references a song that the person showed me, called "Say Yes" by Elliott Smith.

'Stupid Dog'

Madeline The Person: I came into a session with SIBA, Andrew Jackson and Gracey, having already written the chorus. I remember the session was so quick but it all just fell together so easily. I love when that happens. Andrew and Gracey helped me with the verses and the chords, and SIBA produced it to perfection.

"You put your hands all over me, you know I'll follow at your feet," is my favorite line because it reminded me that I was literally treated like a pet. I was just expected to go along and follow behind just like a dog does.

'Not Sorry'

Madeline The Person: "Not Sorry" was made during a beautiful writing session with Captian Cuts and Grant Averill. I just spilled open my brain's frustration about all of the fake apologies I've received and we started writing. Ryan from Captain Cuts came into the session with the chord progression, I loved it, and we built from there.

I love how simply this song expresses my hatred for s***ty apologies. It reminds me to take responsibility when I've done things wrong, and I hope it brings comfort to those who haven't gotten the true apology they've needed.

"If you're so full of empathy, then why won't it stretch to me," is my favorite line because it describes how sad it is when someone you love and trust won't put away their pride for a few moments just to give you a real apology. Especially if you know the person to be kind and empathetic, it feels even worse when they refuse to take responsibility for their actions.

'Baby Boy'

Madeline The Person: "Baby Boy" was birthed from a fun little session with Scott Harris and Jonah Shy in New York. I told them that this boy was acting like a baby and Scott started playing this awesome bass line. The vibe felt different from anything I've ever done before, so I just rode the wave.

This song is a silly one about how annoying guys can be when they act macho but also are too scared to hold hands in public. To me, it's a fun song I can sing to get my frustration out when a guy does something upsetting.

"Dropped my hand right when your friends walked in, didn't know I was that embarrassing," really describes how bad it felt to be ignored in public when I knew that it would change immediately when we were alone together. It's exhausting to feel like a burden in that way. I hope the song can reach people that have felt like an embarrassment in a relationship before, so we can sing this song together and feel loved again”.

An amazing artist who is going to be one to watch this year, I hope that Madeline the Person is able to come to the U.K. at some point. I love her music, and the fact her fanbase is rising shows there is a lot of love for her. So infectious and astonishing, I love what this incredible artist is doing! Long may she reign. Somebody I would recommend to everyone, go and follow…