Got This Way Exclusive Interview with Madison Mueller
Madison Mueller is a 18 year old singer/songwriter and Multi-Instrumentalist from Barrie, Ontario. She has been playing and studying music for twelve years, and started performing wherever possible since she was 8 years old. Over the years, performing developed into a love and a dream to make it her whole life. Madison has released 3 studio produced singles and is looking to have an EP in the near future. All 3 songs have received plenty of airplay around the world and they are continuing to circulate and garner attention from industry professionals. All 3 have been added to the CBC catalogue and are getting FM airplay across Canada. She was selected as a feature performer at The 22nd Millennium Music Conference in Pennsylvania. Her song "Breath of Air" had been selected to be on their compilation CD which goes out to all attendees, and then to all record companies. Madison was invited to Nashville in Nov. to attend a song writing retreat, with Judee Stakee, to write with some amazing artists. As much as she enjoys being in the studio, Madison can't help but love the feeling of live performances and is always ready and searching for gigs around southern Ontario. Madison offers up her time for local charities supporting mainly youth programs.
Madison is one of the newest young members of the SocialStars Family and was featured for the month of May 2018 as a featured artist. During this time I had the chance to get to know her and learn more about this remarkable young lady and her career in the music industry. Besides working on her own career, Madison also coaches other young artists and helps develop and promote music programs in schooling. It was such a fun month with Maddie as our featured artist! She is full of life, fun and witty and enjoys being involved socially with other artists by participating in group chats, sharing in the enjoyment of others and supporting the love of music that we all love.
My personal experience with Madison as a SocialStars Featured Artists was a relationship building adventure that I will carry for years to come. I had the chance to get to see her passion for music and her devotion to her art, her dedication to her fans and learned about her well grounded ethics. Madison is an upcoming artist that is on the rise in such a great industry and is reaching new goals all the time. The following interview will give you a chance to get to know her the way I did and we hope you enjoy it as much as we did creating it for you.
Get In The Know with Madison Mueller
Welcome Madison "Maddie" Mueller as our Featured Artist of May! Tell us a little about yourself that we haven't learned in you Bio above!
Maddie: The name’s Madison Mueller and I’m from Barrie, Ontario Canada! I just turned 18 years old at the beginning of June, and I’ll be graduating high school this month. Something that may not be in my regular bio could be that I love puns. I’m a pun maniac. If you don’t like them, I think you should be expunged. My favorite movie of all time is Wayne’s World and the place I would like to travel to most is Greece.
SocialStars: Being expunged doesn't sound like too much pun to me!!! I love Wayne's World it is a classic favorite of mine also! The Queen-Bohemian Rhapsody sing along was epic!
Tell us about how you first began getting into music and performing. Was your family involved in helping you and did you come from a family that was involved in music prior to you getting into it?
Maddie: Music has always been in my life. My mom says that she could live without the TV, but she couldn’t live without music. I first got into learning music when my grandparents wanted to get me into piano lessons at the age of 6. From there I later took singing lessons although I’ve been singing since I can remember, and that turned into guitar, ukulele and a bit of drums as well. My family is extremely supportive and there’s no way I would be where I am without them.
SocialStars: Having your family and friends support is the best thing in the world for your career. I would not be here if it wasn't for music and the support I have received.
We talked about you growing up with classic rock as a main influence in your style. Let's dig a little deeper and talk about how you have taken these influences and incorporated them into your own music?
Maddie: I am still learning and developing my own style of music currently. I take inspiration from all the music that I listen to, which changes all the time. I really like to write lyrically so I like to look into the deeper meanings of a song’s words. Lately I have been listening to Joni Mitchell a lot so some of my writing has definitely reflected that. I try to learn a song that challenges me, and then I try to find ways of incorporating the things I learned into my writing. It helps me develop in every way - musically, lyrically, and even personally.
Tell us about how you began using your talent to help others develop their talent also and how it feels to see someone that you helped go on and succeed like you have?
Maddie: I teach piano and vocals at a local music studio and the feeling I get from seeing someone develop is unlike any other. It’s extremely fulfilling to the student and myself when they finally are able to do the thing that they have been practicing for weeks. Knowing that I am helping inspire other musicians and people is my favorite thing about where I am heading so far.
SocialStars: We share nearly the same sentiment when it comes to helping others. When I can help an artist achieve a goal or even just making them smile I get a sense of accomplishment, that is a feeling that brightens my day.
"My personal experience with Madison as a SocialStars Featured Artists was a relationship building adventure that I will carry for years to come" -SocialStars
Over the last month I have got to know you and you have showed that you are very grounded and focused on your goals. Tell us about how you juggle your schooling, work, social life and your music all together.
Maddie: I’m glad it looks like I have been juggling it all well because at times it’s almost impossible to do. A lot of times something ends up having to give - and that leaves my friends annoyed sometimes. I’m known as “the one that’s always busy”. The thing I try to do is schedule out my time and try to remain productive - which is definitely not as easy as it looks. I’m still learning how to balance everything, but knowing that I have the support of my friends and family helps a lot.
Let's talk about fame and how it affects people in the spotlight in the entertainment industry. How do you as a young artist handle the fame and remain humble and loyal to your fans and stay true to your art?
Maddie: I don’t think the fame has hit me quite yet. I still find it hard to believe that there are radio stations around the world playing my music. Even when it starts to hit me, I don’t think it will affect who I am as a person. My friends and family know me so well that there will never be a time that they won’t be able to snap me back into my place. Everyone starts this dream the same way, and I could never forget that. I wouldn’t be an artist without those who support and listen to my music, and I will never take that for granted.
SocialStars: Fame has not hit me yet either. But I do get excited when I am noticed for the work I do for others and I take enjoyment out of seeing others get their spotlight moments.
“Got This Way” is your latest single- Give us the story behind this song and where the idea came from for it?
Maddie: This song is about the feelings involved in being in a relationship.“I hadn’t felt a lot of those feelings before and I wanted to write a song for the person that I was with at the time. The song reflects a lot of good memories that came with that relationship and I am happy that I will always have a reminder of how nice it was.”
SocialStars: First loves are the ones that have the most memories that we hold close to our hearts. It is awesome that you put those feelings into something you can look back on at anytime. I have a few lyrics I have written about my past relationships and they are great reminders.
Describe your writing process and where you get inspiration for your songs?
Maddie: My inspiration comes from whatever is going on in my life at that time. My songs are my way to get my feelings out, so I draw from whatever is going on around me. I tend to start with a basic chord progression and melody and the lyrics follow after that, but that’s not always how it goes. I’m a very go with the flow kind of person and I prefer to write where the music takes me.
Tell us how social media has helped you and how important it is to your career? Does maintaining your social media take up most of your time and how do you balance it in your everyday life?
Maddie: In the current generation that we live in, social media is a key factor to any career within the entertainment industry. People are able to get to know more than just a picture of their favourite artists and I think that is amazing. Taking care of social media takes up a lot of time but it is worth it. I’ve made a lot of fantastic friendships online and it’s worth it to spend the time doing work for the relationships you make.
Besides music, what are some things you enjoy in your free time or what other hobbies do you enjoy? Favorite books, movies, tv shows, favorite food and drink ect…
Maddie: I play fast-pitch softball during the summers and it is one of my favorite ways to spend my time. The girls on my team are girls that I have played with for most of my childhood and it’s a safe place for me. I wish I got the chance to read more, but I have loved the series called The Underland Chronicles by Susanne Collins since I was little My favorite TV shows are very hard to narrow down because I have so many but the first ones that come to mind are: Prison Break, The 100, Supernatural, Dawson’s Creek and Gilmore Girls. My favorite food is a German meal called Goulash and I love anything Lime flavored.
SocialStars: Baseball and softball were two of my favorite sports to play also and I know we both share the number 7 jersey's! The 100 is my favorite series currently! Sky Crew all the way! I love Goulash or anything with pasta in it!
I want to ask you about some hot topics that affect teens nowadays. Bullying is a big subject currently and it is more prevalent now with social media. Have you fell victim to the bullying or have you had friends that have and how do you fight back to avoid it or even prevent it?
Maddie: When I was in elementary school, while I wouldn’t consider it bullying exactly, I got teased about my appearance a lot. Guys in my grade would constantly make jokes about me and it really affected my self esteem for a lot of my younger years. There wasn’t much social media at this time, but the thing that worked for me was to laugh about what they were saying. As cliche as it sounds, the bullies aren’t laughing when you’re laughing to. Not to mention the fact that it no longer feels like they’re laughing at you, but with you. For younger kids in today’s generation, I would suggest staying off of social medias, or keeping it between you and your close friends. Don’t open yourself up to the online public if you aren’t aware of the mass amounts of hate that can be found there.
SocialStars: I was one of the misfits in HS because I was new and didn't really fit into any particular click. Bullying though was still an issue throughout the ages and I endured it myself but it has progressed over the years and I applaud you on the way you handled it. I hope it changes for future generations but knowing what to do if you are being bullied is the first step.
Tell us about some of your best performances, fan experiences, funny stuff that has happened while performing and some of your random memories?
Maddie: My favorite part about performing is always audience interaction, so I live to hear the crowd singing with me. I do a few songs that get everyone involved and it’s always the most memorable part of my performance. I recently did my first street performance in the downtown area of my city and to say I met some interesting characters is an understatement. My favorite interaction was with a guy who came up to me while I was performing and put four rocks into my guitar case and they told me, “better than money, that is the sun and the earth!” and then he walked away. I definitely can’t wait to add more crazy stories to this list!
Charitable causes are a way to give back to those who are in need and to make life a little easier on people that have unfortunate circumstances. What charities are you involved in and which are closest to your heart?
Maddie: I recently did a charity show that donated proceeds to a school so that they were able to have a music program which I think is very important for a child’s development. I wish my school had a music program, so making it possible for others makes me very happy. I also do a charity walk called “Move It For Young Minds” annually for mental health which is very important to me. I see friends and family dealing with a lot of issues mentally, and gathering the funding to allow people to get the necessary treatment that they require it something I love to be a part of. My song “Who Am I” has been the song for the walk the past two years, and I can’t wait to participate for the third year.
Now that your month of being featured artist is over describe your experience and what you would say to our future featured artists?
Maddie: I was so honored to be one of the feature artists and I am so thankful for it. The people behind Social Stars are so genuinely kind and driven by the artists. I gained a lot of exposure and dedicated fans through the month and it has been such a push in the right direction. I loved getting involved with every chat I could attend and I couldn’t be more happy from the experience.
SocialStars: This month with you as our featured artist was a growing experience for me also, I learned so much and have some great memories to take from you. We Thank You with the bottom of our hearts for representing us and look forward to seeing you grow in the future!
What do you have planned currently, any new songs, upcoming concerts, awards or events and what can your fans expect from you in the future?
Maddie: I am in the midst of putting together a music video for my song “Got This Way” and hope to have it released in the next month or two! I’m super excited about the idea behind this one. I will be traveling down to Nashville to attend the Josie Awards as I have been nominated for four! I am being considered for: Female Vocalist of the Year, Artist of the Year, Song and Music Video of the Year for Breath of Air. I’m completely blown away and can’t wait to get to Nashville!In the further future, I hope to have an EP release in the next year!
SocialStars: I am so excited for the Josie Awards and all the nominees that are involved. I am also being considered for Promoter of the Year and looking forward to meeting everyone there.I hope to do some live interviews with many of you while there.
Thank you so much for taking time to get to know Madison Mueller through this interview and if you want to keep up with her make sure to follow her at the links below! Leave your comments below to share your thoughts or ask Maddie any questions you would like to know!
Website - www.maddiemakesmusic.com
Twitter - https://twitter.com/_maddiemueller_
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/maddiemakesmusic77/
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/maddiemakesmusic/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJRBaGpjF0gpW60BIhMGusQ
