Meet Madeline The Person
By Lucy Ivey
Tell us about yourself!
Hi! I’m Madeline The Person and I’m a singer/songwriter girl person. I have a lot of feelings and I sing about them. I like dogs and ice cream and dancing around.
When did you discover that songwriting was an outlet for you?
I wrote my first song in sixth grade after learning the basics on guitar at my school. I had so many feelings about middle school and girl drama and lots of feelings that were overwhelmingly new. That first song, even though it’s so silly, solidified my trust in writing as a healing process. Now, I simply can’t live without songwriting.
So your single that comes out tomorrow (which is so beautiful by the way), is about losing your dad at a young age. Talking about loss and heartache can be extremely difficult. What is it like being so vulnerable with your audience?
It can be really hard to be vulnerable! I think it mostly just feels really important. Once I started speaking up, the weight on my shoulders lessened and lessened. I feel powerful talking about things that break me. It feels really lovely to be so honest with my audience. I think it brings us closer in a really special way.
Do you find yourself ever getting nervous about opening up about things you’ve gone through?
I do! I think after time has passed, the nervousness happens a lot less. But healing is not linear, so some days I really miss my dad or can’t stop thinking about something traumatic and that definitely makes it difficult to speak up. The cool part is that those are the times that I feel most compelled to share, so I do!
Why don’t you tell us a bit more about the song!
The song acknowledges how heavy it feels to live on after losing someone really close to you when you’re young. A lot of times, that weight goes unnoticed because we get used to carrying it. I think it’s necessary to give ourselves a second to put it all down and realize how much shit we’ve been through. It’s pretty amazing that we’ve survived.
You’ve got a pretty big following on tiktok, what has that been like?
It’s been amazing to know that I can reach so many truly lovely people. I am constantly in awe of my tiktok followers. They are so kind, funny, and cool. I seriously want to have a sleepover with all of them because I just love them as people. Reaching a bigger audience also has landed me a lot of the amazing opportunities that I’m pursuing today, like my record deal with Warner. I owe it all to TikTok, honestly.
Do you think tiktok has changed the way you listen to music?
TikTok has definitely changed the way I listen to music. Scrolling through the app allows me to hear hundreds of songs in such a short amount of time. I have become diehard fans of new artists that I’ve found putting out their original stuff on TikTok. All of my playlists now include songs that I first heard on TikTok.
What has been an obstacle with your career? How’d you get through it?
A huge obstacle in my career (and life, really) is my self-doubt. I’ve struggled with feeling worthy of having my platform and my new success, and that affects the way that I go about life. I often have to remind myself that I make music for my heart and the hearts of others, and that’s the most important part. Remembering my passion and love for making music makes the self-doubt dissipate.
If you could give your younger self any advice what would it be?
This is such a cool thing to think about. I would tell my younger self that her feelings are valid and they make sense. I would let her know that she’s not alone in her sadness, frustration, anxiety, etc. I think I really needed to hear that I was going to be okay.
Where can our followers find you?
I’m Madeline The Person on all streaming platforms. Also Madeline The Person on Youtube, instagram, and TikTok.
