Hailing from Columbia, MD, Madison Lawrence is a lot of things, but first and foremost, she’s a singer/songwriter. On top of that, she’s side stitchingly hilarious, and also works as a skincare specialist and licensed medical esthetician partering with a vegan brand called Arbonne. (Sidenote: she also told us she does voiceover and audiobook work!?)
Now Nashville-based, Madison has been surrounded by music since she was a baby. She got heavily involved in musical theater, and has been on stage since the early age of 3 years old. Her parents bought her her first guitar for her 15th birthday, and she never put it down. She started writing at the age of 16.
Take Emotional Creative Risk
Madison just dropped a new single called “Lies” on November 9, 2017 and it is incredible. The production is super clean and airy future pop, and Lawrence’s vocals are silky smooth as ever. She says she has previously went the “hole up in your room and write a song alone” method, but recently she’s been co-writing with partners Joe Tounge and Nate Dodge and said she, “really wanted to see what would happen if I allowed myself to let others in on those emotions, and see what they do with them. Turns out it was a great idea! Joe and I took about 15 minutes to write the whole thing, recorded the scratch vocals that day, and Nate built the track around it. We really extended ourselves and thought outside of our boxes, and I’m so happy with how it turned out.”
The Idea Behind The Video for “Lies”
Madison said, “I contacted my friend Danielle, who is the actress in the video. We got together one day and basically just put together home footage of the two of us to create a backstory. I want people to expect a relationship when they watch the music video so that they really understand what’s going on in it.”
Keep your eyes out for the official music video though, because this video for lies is just the precursor of a series of visuals. “I wanted to get very conceptual and use some of my art background to create something that felt real and raw. I had a whole concept immediately when we wrote the song- that’s usually how I think, in visuals. That’s also how I know a song is good, if I can visualize a video to go along with it.”
“That’s also how I know a song is good, if I can visualize a video to go along with it.”
Creating a visual that is so openly queer is pretty brave and admirable, especially from an indie artist, but Madison has put a considerable amount of thought about how she presented the visual behind “Lies”. She said, “I had some trouble with the video concept at first, because I wanted to be as clear as possible about the relationship being with a woman. But, as a queer and self identified bisexual woman, I was really worried about perpetuating the stereotype against bisexuals- especially bi women and femmes- that all of them are cheaters. After talking to some queer and bi friends, I came to the conclusion that to be as honest as possible in my art, I would have to share my experience.” The complexity in human sexuality and the creation of art that uses it as a foundational topic relies on artists remaining authentic and visible in their truths. “I find incredible solace and security in my identity and who I am, and I believe the more representation I can provide, the better off we all will be. Visibility is so vital.”
Pick up Madison’s new single “Lies” on iTunes / Spotify / Apple Music.
We demanded she give tips to anyone trying to get into music:
“Stay focused, save everyone’s number that you meet, don’t make yourself an island because burning bridges will bite you in the ass later…”
…do one thing a day to get you closer to your goal (it could be something as small as learning a new chord on an instrument, or rewriting lyrics over tracks to get more comfortable with writing), stay humble, BE PATIENT. Great things will come as long as you’re moving toward something. My mom always says, “A step in any direction is a step toward the right direction.”
Follow Madison
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Madison Lawrence’s Girl Gang Music Picks
Grace Weber
“She’s just SO fantastic. Great voice, great lyrics, great music. Almost jazzy but still brings it home to R&B and I absolutely love it. She just released a new single called More Than Friends and it absolutely killed me.”
YEBBA
“Yebba just came out with an incredible single, ‘Evergreen’, that I haven’t turned off since it came out. Knowing the story behind it makes it even more emotional. All the feels.”
Heather Hills
“Heather Hills is a TGIRL hip hop artist, and I CANNOT. STOP. LISTENING TO HER. She’s only got four songs out on her Soundcloud (so consider this my plea for more music, Heather!!) but her attitude and skillset is so fucking present. She’s clever as shit and slaps hard and I love that. I’ve listened to her song ‘Poisonous’ so much that I go to bed and wake up with it stuck in my head. Check her out immediately.”
https://soundcloud.com/heatherhillsmusic/sets/beverly-who-the-dead-ep