Share
by hana faquir
Singer songwriter Maddie Richardson is just getting started with her professional musical career, but with a wealth of talent and unwavering passion, she is set on breaking into the music industry, and she’ll certainly make a big impact when she does.
Now 23, Maddie looks back on how singing has always been a part of her life: “I can’t remember a time when I started singing; it was just always there.” Music is clearly something that comes naturally to her, as she also picked up the saxophone at just 10 years old, followed by the guitar at age 15 to complement her singing.
“My favourite artists do tend to vary quite a lot,” Maddie shares, “I like to listen to different things every day and discover new people”. She draws inspiration from artists like Etta James, Guns N’ Roses, and particularly Hayley Williams from Paramore. “She’s obviously got natural talent, but I also admire the dedication she has to her craft because she’s so well trained.” After seeing Hayley end a 3-hour set with one of their most vocally challenging songs ‘All I Wanted’, Maddie explains how she “would love to be able to have that type of the ability to get on stage and sing like that every night.”
Besides vocal talent, musicians like Hayley Williams inspire Maddie in other ways. “Obviously, she’s struggled with her mental health, and the band had to take a break”. In a moment of refreshing honesty, Maddie shares how she hit a low point with her confidence after starting university, resulting in her not singing at all for 7 months. “I was just like, I can’t do it anymore. I’m never doing it again; that’s it. I’m done, and I’m out,” she laughs.
With the help of her vocal coach, Patty, Maddie found that spark again and even got the chance to work with a professional music producer, Charlie, in Spain. “He gave me some samples, and then I improvised something. We based everything on that one hook I had made. That was really nice to know that I could do that.” After spending a week doing nothing but singing, she had a moment of realisation; “that was when I thought, okay, well, I can tell that this is what I actually want to do for a living. I would love to have a future in music.”
Despite her aspirations, Maddie remains grounded, driven simply by her love for music rather than the idea of fame. “I don’t particularly want to be really famous. That’s never interested me,” she explains, “it all seems very fake, and I just don’t think that’s who I am.” Instead, she enjoys playing music for a much more personal reason. “I always feel really good after playing music for hours; I kind of get the same feeling you get after you’ve done a workout, that sense of ‘yeah, I can do that and enjoy it a lot’. My favourite part is how easy it is to lose track of time when I’m doing it.”
Looking towards the future, Maddie would love to create jazz music and later move into heavier genres like rock. “I would love to do both things, not be set to one genre, y’know? I like having the freedom to do what I want with something; I don’t like to be set.”
Ever the realist, she reflects that “it’s such a hard industry to break into,” but driven by the knowledge that being a full-time musician is her true passion, she’s not going to stop trying.
