Hailing from Cranbrook, British Columbia, this Canadian beauty is a breath of fresh air in the indie-pop/folk scene. Finding inspiration in the mountains of rural Canada, Maddisun plays soothing, tranquil and pretty much chilled songs. We spoke with this young singer-songwriter about her upcoming album Self Reflections and much more!
Why did you decide to enter the music industry?
I have always been around music and growing up my family were very musical. My parents put me into piano lessons when I was just five years old and that really started my love for music. After I lived in Europe, I realised I really wanted to go into the arts fully after so much rich culture. When I returned home to Canada I immersed myself in the music industry and I love how rewarding and exciting it is.
Can you tell us about your upcoming album Self Reflections?
Self Reflections is my debut album and it is the most important release I have done to date! I wrote all the songs in my year coming home from Ireland; the songs are pieces of me and my true reflections. I wrote these songs when I was really finding myself and letting go of pieces or relationships that didn’t serve anymore. I hope to really turn heads with this album and have listeners hear my passion and hard work.
Self Reflections is a complete genre-bending/crossing album. You can expect to hear a lot of diversity on here and, if you know anything about me and my music, you’ll know I’m a complete free spirit and don’t abide by the rules of ‘genre’ in music.
What was the recording and writing process like?
The recording process was amazing! I took a very natural and off-grid approach to this album recording. Reaching out to Barry Jones of Sincerity Sound Studion, finding my perfect haven for hippie/music lifestyle. In just under a month, me and the studio band – Kyle Albrecht (guitar, bass and production) and Jordan Lysenko (drums) – created the beautiful Self Reflections.
We stayed for 25 days off-grid in the mountains and it was really a life-changing experience. Writing these songs gave me a lot of maturity in my writing themes and helped me to break out of the idea that I am writing for other people and not myself.
Does the album have any significant meaning for you?
The album has a lot of meaning and themes for me. The strongest is the theme of mirrors and reflections, always staying true to your authentic self and most honest reflection. So it is really me reflecting on myself, my experiences and my music.
Each song is a different reflection or different piece of me, and now that the songs are recorded it’s like each one is a tangible object or experience. This is my first album and I know there will be so much more to come, but being that this is a debut album, the theme is very ‘coming of age’ and breaking out.
What do you hope people take from your music?
I hope that listeners can feel my emotion and authenticity in my lyrics. I am very honest and open in my writing, and I almost thrive in vulnerability. I want people to really listen to what is being said in the lyrics and, hopefully, they take from that how hard I have worked on my own to get to where I am now.
I am a fairly solo/independent artist and until this project, I did everything by myself. It is amazing to have a team of musicians and collaborators behind me now, but I hope that the vast majority of the listeners just start taking me more seriously as a songwriter and not just a local indie musician.
What is more challenging – music or lyrics?
I have always found lyrics to come very easily. I write and write like word vomit. Sometimes melody can be tricky if I am looking for a very specific note or key and can’t seem to replicate this ‘idea’ on my instrument. Working with other musicians has been really cool for this, you almost work out the ideas together. I am excited to start jamming more and exchanging ideas on my upcoming releases.
How do you keep yourself motivated?
I keep myself motivated by always listening and staying current on new music and bands. I guess inspiration keeps me very motivated. I also am extremely business savvy and love computer stuff, so as soon as I get online sending press releases, doing up blog posts, and submitting to curators, I get like a buzz going. I just want people to hear my music so badly, so I think a lot of the motivation comes from the drive/yearning to be heard.
How would you describe your sound?
It’s actually quite hard to describe my sound. I have lots of different sounds going on and I don’t like to stick to one genre or feel. My music is very vocal-based, being that it is my strongest musical suit. I like to play with lots of classic rock, blues and soul vibes, but putting in a new indie/eclectic sound. Lots of feel-good, easy listening and harmonic tones. It’s just Maddisun music.
What do you think is the best way to discover new music?
Honestly, word-of-mouth. I find out the coolest new artists from my friends. If I have no friends at the time, I will go to Spotify. The Discover Weekly and Made For You playlists are really great; I tend to find loads of new music on there.
What does the future hold for you?
Hopefully, big things in music. I dream of being able to support myself solely off of my music; whether that be through songwriting, performing, royalties, Patreon…anything. I just don’t want to work for the man anymore. I love self-empowerment and choosing who I want to work with. Music gives me a lot of freedom to be creative in many different ways.
I hope to advance in my marketing and advertising skills and possible start helping some other artists too. I found that I’m pretty good at social media, so I think I’ll continue to get better and hopefully start a bigger following. Much bigger!
Do you have a message for our readers?
Please keep supporting independent artists. We are working so hard in the background here. I love lots of really influential and big-label artists, but it’s nice to appreciate the little guy once in a while.
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