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Photo: Caity Krone

Madeline may be a novel name to your ears, but this Oklahoma-born vocal talent has been honing her craft since adolescence, with her striking voice gaining notable notoriety because of its immense presence. And with a string of delicious singles and an amazing cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark,” Madeline seems to have found her sound, and it’s safe to say we love it. Curious to know more about Madeline and her latest single “Relief,” we reached out via e-mail to better familiarize ourselves with this rising talent.

Ones To Watch: Who is Madeline?

Madeline: I would say Madeline is me at my most honest and genuine. Which, duh, of course, but I’ve always had a hard time feeling like myself or showing other people who I am. I can be shy and I used to feel like I needed a stage name in order to feel like an artist. It was really in lockdown when my project started and I finally felt comfortable with myself. If you listen to my music, you’ll have your own answer, but this project is the most like myself I’ve ever felt.

What is “Relief” about?

“Relief” is about a short-term solution for a long-term problem and the consequences of the gray area you find yourself in when you don’t solve the issue. A lot of last year, I found myself not being able to live in the moment but recognizing the problem. The song was me taking responsibility for the way that I felt and being stuck in this loop of feeling sorry for myself and half-attempts to change. I was watching a video of actor Bill Nighy, and he said he “wasn’t good at happiness but quite good at relief,” which sparked something for me. From there, the song came fast based on the feeling that everything for me is always 80% there but I always felt stuck in this cloudy feeling with little moments of relief from it.

What inspired the sonics of this single?

Jack and I had been listening to a lot of Christine and the Queens and Oklou during last year. They both have this ability to balance ethereal elements but cut through a beautiful soundscape with more severe sounds and create this sense of urgency and excitement. Jack has a Prophet V, which makes an appearance on all of my new songs. The synth became the heart of the song; it was gentle but still felt slightly rough. The song centers around a relentless feeling and we really wanted that to come across in the music itself, so we went for a more mechanical feeling in the drums to balance the prettier sounds.

Any collaborators? Who produced the track?

My main collaborator and boyfriend, Jack Kleinick, co-wrote and produced the song. We were hanging out in his living room, and he started playing the main piano line on his Rhodes. I had the opening line in my notes already, so I wrote the first verse to it and just kept building it out over the course of a week or so.

This effort feels more ethereal and dreamy. How do you find your sound evolving?

“Relief” and the others I’ve been working on are the closest to what I think my “sound” is. My last EP was the first group of songs I had written that felt like an artist project to me. I’m very proud of those songs, but I always knew that I wanted to explore the sound Jack and I made on “Guilty Conscience,” which I think we’ve done with this next project. Whenever I write something I’m excited about, it feels like I’m getting closer to “me.” It’s something I’ve always felt, and I think something that keeps me experimenting so I’m not sure if I’ll ever feel complete in that sense. However, I will say that it feels really good to be this close. I’ve already started to add things though. Recently, I’ve been thinking about the fantasy aspect of pop and wanting to incorporate my version of that into my music more.

Can we expect more of this style in the future, possibly on an upcoming album?

Definitely, I’m very fortunate to have been able to work with Jack on a batch of songs over the past year. He really understands where I want to go, and we’ve really been able to explore this style and make some of my favorite stuff. There is a project coming but before that I have another single coming next month called “Sad Eyes,” which I have my first production credit on.

Besides this excellent single, what else should we be on the lookout for?

Much more music this year stretching into early next year. I just did the shoot for a project coming next year, which I’m excited to share. In the meantime, I’m playing shows and writing.

What’s inspiring you outside of music?

I’ve really been focused on not thinking about music all the time. So, it's still a process as far as hobbies go but I watched Hacks recently on HBO and loved it. I love fashion. My sister is a designer, and she got me into it back in high school. Jonathan Anderson’s most recent show for Loewe is something I look at all the time. My brain just doesn’t work like that, so to see these clothes made from scratch feels magical. Also, I would say the people closest to me inspire me. I’m very lucky to have the friends I have.

Halloween is coming up, are scary movies a yes or no?

I wish I could, but I’m too much a scaredy-cat. I watched that Netflix show The Movies That Made Us on a couple different scary movies, and I loved it so I went into a google deep dive on different franchises, but even then, I couldn’t watch them, which is so silly. I have watched a few scary movies this past year but only with my roommates. One is a big horror fan and a composer so she’ll explain behind-the-scenes stuff as we watch and my other roommate will always add commentary to the movie, which keeps me from getting too freaked out haha.

Who are your Ones To Watch?

I’m the biggest fan of Chappell Roan and Grace Ives. They have a style that is all their own and it shows in everything they do, from the lyrics, melodies, cover art, and live shows. They both also have absolutely crazy voices. They’re very inspiring to me.