At 18 she has some words wiser than many twice her age. For Madison, using her position in the public eye to empower others is hugely important. She’s open about her own body confidence issues, her battle with social anxiety. Fighting for women’s rights is a cause close to her heart.
Madison has been in the industry since she was 12, having been discovered by Justin Bieber in a YouTube video singing Etta James’ At Last, so she’s had time to learn the industry, and herself, inside out.
And there comes As She Pleases – the EP that signifies the point in Madison’s career where she’s become completely in control.
‘I have grown so much as a person and as an artist,’ she exclusively told Metro.co.uk. ‘I put out my first record when I was 13. I’ve done a lot and I’m kind of able to drive my own ship now, I don’t really let other people control what I do. When I was younger I was with a major label and had management and I kind of let them control my career.’
She added: ‘Now I’m taking it all in my own hands, I look after my own Instagram. I like being in charge of my own career.’ At only 18 that’s quite an achievement and one many of us envy, Madison is running her own show, starting with the new EP.
It’s a seven-track record featuring hit Say It To My Face, which she explained is a varied EP, but a personal one. ‘Fans will get a lot of me. They’ll hear about very different parts of my life. It’s a true representation of who I am,’ she said.
She is a young woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to fight for it. The song ᴅᴇᴀᴅ, for instance, was one track she decided she wanted and she fought tooth and nail to make it hers. But the track Tyler Durden perhaps has the most meaning.
‘I think Tyler Durden is probably my favorite,’ she said. ‘Fight club is my favorite film, but it means a lot more than that to me.
‘Obviously right off the bat Brad Pitt’s character is H๏τ, he has a cool atтιтude about him, but it was more about the internal conflict, the double personality I’m in to. It’s really cool,’ she said. ‘It’s the concept that I feel like I’m at war with myself. There are a lot of reasons behind why Tyler Durden is a cool character. But it’s looks and atтιтude why I initially chose him.’
She added: ‘Every song is a different piece of me, every song has a very special meaning in a different way. ‘
Madison previously joked with Metro.co.uk that the video for her track Say It To My Face was a bit too raunchy for her grandma to watch, but in reality it was a sign of her embracing her Sєxuality – and her grandma did watch and gave it the thumbs up!
‘I like being Sєxual and having that part of me. I still have a lot of respect for myself,’ she said. ‘I’m not doing stuff that’s too crazy, but there’s nothing wrong with being Sєxual and Sєxy, pushing the envelope a little bit.
‘My grandma did watch that video, and she really liked it. She was like ‘you’re a little naked,’ but she really liked it, she gets that it’s artistic, it’s not just like ‘oh I want to be naked in a bed’ I’m trying to convey something.’
The importance of body confidence and empowerment are her messages for her fans, and for Madison it’s important for her to show her vulnerabilities to them so that they know they’re not alone in their insecurities.
Body confidence is definitely important. It’s something I try to be open and honest about, I feel like a lot of people are like ‘love yourself, love your body’ blah blah blah but they don’t feel it themselves, so I’m just honest.
‘I struggle with my body all the time, I compare myself to other girls. People who say they don’t are probably lying. I try to make them aware that when I say ‘love yourself, love your body’ that’s not me saying I do, because I struggle with it all the time. Everyone is different, everyone gains weight differently for example, there is stuff that isn’t comparable.’
Madison is all about female empowerment. When Kesha was going through her public struggles with her court case with Dr Luke, Madison was showing her support daily on Twitter. She’s a big advocate for women in music, and chooses to work with female producers because of that.
‘We’re progressing day by day,’ she said. ‘It’s great people are realizing. Only 7% of producers are women. More women need to feel they can be respected just like men.
Some of the best producers I’ve worked with are female. So there’s need for some more of that, we’re not living in stone ages.’ Madison has also just announced her first ever headline tour, which will take in the likes of London, Paris and Dublin along the way.