In this interview spotlight, I chat with Madeleine Kate about the latest project (Resilient), surviving lock downs, technology and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you from and how do You describe your style of music?
I am from Linton, IN. Linton has a population of about 5,000 people, so I have truly lived the small town life. I am currently based right outside of Nashville, TN and have been in this area for about 7 years. My style of music reflects both of the places I call home. I describe my music as Midwestern Rock; kind of like a female John Mellencamp. Midwestern Rock is a more slow, folksy rock. I believe my stories come out the most genuine through this lens. It’s easy to tell who I am by listening.
How did you get here? As in, what inspired or motivated you to take on this journey through music and the music biz?
I started writing poetry in song form when I was in the sixth grade because of Taylor Swift. I was kind of a lonely child when it came to my peers, so I really connected with her stories. I loved music and poetry and found that it was the easiest way to explain my own emotions. Being from a small town, I kept my love of that art on the downlow fearing that I would be excluded even more. My love of music was strong but also very personal. I had a band director named Mr. Puckett that really inspired me to learn music theory and how you can pull emotive responses through music. He was my biggest inspiration without even realizing it.
Things really started to change for me when I turned 16 as I visited Nashville with my parents for the first time. I immediately fell in love with Music City. I still cannot explain the emotion that came over me when I realized that the people that lived here deeply understood my connection with music. I wanted to move here, but I didn’t think that would ever be possible for me. Luckily, my mom picked up on that and started Googling music business programs in Nashville. She found Belmont University and forced me to do a college visit there the next year.
When we visited, there were many people playing music on the lawn. Everyone was so nice and a bit quirky. Again, I immediately felt that feeling of belonging. Still believing it may be too good to be true, I turned to my parents and said I wanted to go there. Between me, my parents, my grandparents, and my great grandfather; we made it work so I could pursue that dream of being in the music business. I started at Belmont in late 2015 and earned my degree in Music Business/Music Production in early 2019. I did four internships during my time there. I also wrote an entire mixtape based on following my dreams and going through a breakup with my high school boyfriend. I was on track to being a badass music industry professional.
The industry is tough to make it into, so I was having a hard time landing that first after-college career job. I was working retail during the day and job searching at night, and then, March 2020 happened. Honestly, that changed everything for me, as I am sure it did for most. I started freelancing to gain experience in entertainment marketing as that’s what I thought my path was. I was still too stubborn to let myself really go after the songwriter thing. I thought I had already “used up” all my luck by just being in the rooms I was in and helping others with their careers. 2020-2021 really knocked me on my ass as I worked retail through all of it. I am a very empathetic and sensitive person and with everything going on in the world, I was spiraling. I was told at work to take emotional abuse from customers as they were going through a hard time, so my mental health worsened even more. I had to go back to songwriting to survive it. I wasn’t even planning on writing an album until I had over 30 good songs that had a common theme. I landed what I thought was my dream job and that turned out badly. I realized that I needed to quit the act and start pursuing what I’ve always wanted to do: be a singer-songwriter.
Once I finally admitted that to myself, things started falling into place. I started recording my songs in my apartment and poured my soul into what became Resilient.
How does your latest project compare/contrast with your previous release(s)? Were you setting out to accomplish anything specific, follow a specific theme, or explore different styles of creation?
My previous release That Girl You Used to Know was written when I was 19, naive, and going through some hard relationship trauma. I am very proud of that release, even though it is demo quality. I still think the songwriting on it is very solid, considering I am the only writer on all but one song. This release is different because I wrote it at 24-25 while the world was actually falling apart. Instead of being sure of my path and shaky in my relationships, this album is the opposite. I was with the love of my life and suffering from severe imposter syndrome. I’ve also gotten a lot better at playing and producing music since my first release. I wanted this album to feel dark yet hopeful. I wanted people to pay attention to the lyrics yet feel pulled by creepy synthesizers. This album was about exploring the complexities of being and staying an empathetic person even though the world is urging you to give up. I wanted to show that I had grown up and gone through different things, but I was still the same person at my core.
Name the biggest challenge you faced as a creative during these unprecedented? How did you adapt? How have you kept the creative fires burning during all this?
Honestly, my biggest challenge was my day job. I wanted to spend all my time creating. I felt safer and more content creating. I had the opposite issue of most creatives during this time; I couldn’t stop writing. I had way more inspiration than I had time for. I was actually very frustrated that I had to spend 40-60 hours a week working retail when I could have used that time to create all sorts of content. I had to prioritize what songs I wrote and what content I created.
What was the last song you listened to?
The last song I listened to was “Vienna” by Billy Joel. It’s been on repeat for me recently. It hits a little too hard.
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? 8-tracks? Cassettes? CDs? MP3s? Streaming platforms?
I love vinyl the most! I love that it sounds a bit less polished and more intimate. I’m also a sucker for any retro music trends.
Where is the best place to connect with you and follow your journey?
I’m probably the most active on Instagram, but I also have Facebook, Tik Tok, YouTube, and Twitter. My username on everything is @MusicalMadKate. And here’s my Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/musicalmadkate
I really appreciate Your time. Anything else before we sign off?
Thank you for taking the time to interview me! I really appreciate anyone that takes the time to listen to my record as I’m the sole songwriter and performer on it! I am also the main producer and my buddy, Ace Coontz, helped me produce a few tracks. It was a lot of work, but I am thrilled at the result!
