From New Jersey to LA, Maddy Davis is an exceptionally talented artist that captures a perfect indie rock sound with pop influence. From throwing concerts in her mom’s basement as a teen to playing her first ever festival last December, Maddy is quickly making a name for herself. Read more about Maddy in our interview with her below!
Hi there Maddy! Thanks so much for taking the time to answer our questions. I’ve read that you spent your teenage years throwing concerts in your mom's basement, so what was your musical upbringing like? When did you first start expressing an interest in it?
My mom has always encouraged a musical household for my siblings and I, teaching us piano when we learned to walk and always educating us about good music. She also worked as a recording engineer for a number of years running a recording studio out of our basement. I’d sometimes sit in on the sessions which is also where I learned to wrap cables the right way and observe the music making process at the ripe age of 13. When I got to high school, she let my sister and I host charity shows where we would book local bands (including myself) to perform on the DIY stage we built out of 5 gallon buckets. She was honestly such an icon for allowing that many high schoolers into her home and letting us create the opportunities for ourselves that our little suburban town didn't typically offer. She also ran sound for the shows and was the most popular girlie there. So I’d definitely say my mom is 100% responsible for my musical childhood and I’ll always be so grateful for her <3
Do you think that being a self-taught vocalist, songwriter, and producer has allowed you to develop your own unique creative process? What did you learn about yourself as an artist while on that journey of learning?
I think it's pretty tough to “teach” songwriting. Yeah there can be tricks and tools that make the process a bit more streamlined, but the best advice I got from a mentor of mine about writing music was the importance of having something to say. In my opinion there is no point in me writing a song if it's not saying something that hasn't been said before or is being written from a different perspective. Until I really was able to drill that into my brain, songwriting and production could sometimes be so frustrating when the music I was making wasn't turning out the way that I wanted it to or felt like it should. It took a lot of patience, a lot of hours alone in my room, a lot of waking my little brother up because my room was above his when I was learning to produce, and a lot of getting over the discomfort of writing about vulnerable topics. And I'd say that in all those moments, the biggest thing I learned about myself was if I'm not being honest with my writing, then the song's going to suck.
Who are some artists that helped you to shape and mold your sound? Is there anyone in particular that caught your attention early on in the game when you were first starting out?
My top two favorite artists have always been Bruce Springsteen and The Killers. I also think it’s really cool how Brandon Flowers from The Killers credits Springsteen for being one of his biggest inspirations, despite The Killers having their own unique sound. When I learned that, I was excited to continue that lineage and be inspired by Flowers who was inspired by Springsteen. Hopefully someday, someone will be inspired by me who is inspired by Flowers who is inspired by Springsteen!
How would you say your upcoming EP Would You Object for a Happier Life? differs from your 2022 debut EP MUD? Did the creative process look any different this time around?
MUD was my first EP and I really used it as a springboard to reflect on my childhood and adolescence. Though sometimes terrifying, growing up was so inspiring to me, so it made sense to me that my first EP came right from the source. Would You Object for a Happier Life? was written after MUD, in a time when I felt a different type of growing pains. At this point, life started feeling a bit more real and like every single decision that I make has a big impact on my future. That being said, the project really dives into my hopes for my future and tells stories of hypothetical scenarios I envision happening in my future or that I want to avoid happening.
I’d love to talk about your newest single “Would U Object?” and “Happy Life.” They’re both great tracks! What made you want to lead the release of all of the EP songs with these two?
Thank you so much!!! They’re definitely two of my favorites, both hold such a special place in my heart. I felt like the two of these tracks together were a really great introduction to the project in a sense of growth and maturity compared to MUD). The concepts were more intense and emotional than the ones I explored in MUD, and I was excited to put something out that I felt was a shift both conceptually and sonically.
Could you talk about some of the themes and inspirations behind these songs?
A big motif in the whole EP but especially the first two tracks is that act of settling down. For whatever reason, nothing freaks me out more than settling down too early and being bored of my life, and I feel like the two tracks were a defense mechanism to avoid this. “Would U Object?” is questioning whether or not the right person is willing to fight for you. I always loved the theme of a cinematic wedding objection; It’s so beautiful yet so haunting. I had somewhat of a tumultuous relationship in my late teens, that was incredibly unstable yet the most exciting version of love I've ever experienced. The song basically asks this person whether or not he would object at my wedding if I were to settle down with someone else. The song begs the question, is the boring stability going to win over the toxic instability? Or would you object? Continuing on the saga, “Happy Life” was written about how it would feel to lose someone that you can't live without versus losing someone that you can live without. Losing one person might slightly disrupt your daily routine, but losing the other person would cause a metaphorical explosion in your life. I envisioned the two realities of settling down with someone who you “get along with” and settling down with your soulmate, and how the two lifestyles can’t compare.
If you could describe your new EP in 3 words, what would they be?
Complex, cinematic, and imaginative
Thank you so much for your time, Maddy! We absolutely cannot wait for the EP. What’s in store next for you? Any goals or hopes for the future?
Thank you so much for having me! I definitely plan on continuing to release the rest of the music in my vault post-EP and hope that it connects with people, but as usual, I plan on playing live as much as possible and hopefully going on tour within the next year!
Keep up with Maddy!
Listen to "Would U Object?" here
