Raised on Porn EP

 

Singer-songwriter Madeline Rosene has always played by her own rules by overcoming personal challenges and achieving success on her own terms. She is realizing her dreams by being brave and bold, having the courage to be herself and say what she thinks.

At age 10, she started playing the guitar after asking her brother Hub, to teach her how to play. She would write her first song at age 12 called Scattered Dreams. Later, at age 13, Madeline and her 17-year-old brother Hub, who was in high school, started a rock band. They played clubs all over Cleveland and Akron, sometimes on school nights, making their friends envious.

Madeline would make the decision to attend boarding school so she wouldn’t have to choose between her parents. Subsequently, she got involved with the music club on campus, producing live music shows on the weekends and playing at almost every event. But after two years, family trauma led her to run away from school and went to live her grandmother in Cleveland.

In her junior year of high school, she would figure out how to attend Hampshire College in western Massachusetts without graduating. She knew about the school because her favorite musician and writer, the late Elliott Smith, had attended there. Furthermore, Smith was a huge inspiration in her writing, especially the honesty in his lyrics, which she has similarly incorporated into her own.

Wanting to be a neurologist, Madeline studied pre-med for two and a half years. But feeling her creativity being sucked away, she changed her major to medical journalism. During college, she was signed to her first manager and played shows in western Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New York. However, she would get a better manager — her current one — who believed in her from the first day he heard her music.

She is well on her way to achieving her dream to be a full-time indie-pop singer. She has had several of her original songs and music videos produced in addition to the success of her recent album, Raised on Porn.

Currently, Madeline is writing and working on projects remotely with her producer. Her new album, Everyday Existential Crisis, will be released this October.

I interviewed Madeline recently about her successful album, Raised on Porn, her production process, songwriting, producing live shows, overcoming dyslexia, getting her first manager, and more.

Congratulations on the success of your album, Raised on Porn. It has racked up 23K Spotify streams since its release. What is the meaning behind the title? What is the concept or theme of the album?

Thank you. It’s about living amongst inauthenticity, phoniness, plastic culture, dating apps, photoshop, and all the distractions, illusions, and decadence that millennials have grown up with. The songs on the album don’t directly confront these issues. Rather, the album is a collage of my dating experiences, feelings, rejections, triumphs, and self-truths that have been molded by my experience of living in this world.

What would you like the listener of your album to experience or come away with after hearing it?

I would hope that the listener feels a certain comfort in knowing that they’re not alone, that there are other weirdos (me) out there. I think my songs are relatable in some ways. They comment on insecurities, uncertainty, lack of feeling, feeling too much, hope, hopelessness, loneliness, anxiety, regret, blame, honesty, authenticity, and whatever else people derive from them. 

Explain your production process.

Each song is different. I usually start by writing a chord progression on my acoustic guitar, hum a melody, makeup words, or fit words that I’ve already written. Then I will share what I have with a producer and we will build it from there.

At age 13, you and your 17-year-old brother, Hub, formed a rock band and played clubs all over Cleveland and Akron, Ohio, sometimes on school nights. How were you able to play at clubs at such a young age? What were those experiences like? Do you have any particularly memorable performance?

They used to take a permanent marker and put exes on our hands to indicate that we were under 21. I mostly remember singing 99 Red Balloons with my brother. He would sing the German verse and I would sing the rest in English. I was very captivated by our bass player. I had a big crush on him. I was a dorky middle schooler at a private school.

You struggled with dyslexia as a child but you don’t anymore. Explain how you overcame it and what advice do you have for someone struggling with it?

I used to be pulled out of class to see a tutor. I would also stay after school to see the tutor. It was a lot of extra work to overcome it. I also had underdeveloped motor skills. So my handwriting was total shit. I think it’s about retraining your brain. I’m definitely not an expert on the subject. I just know it took a lot of extra time and practice to get past it.

In your junior year of high school, you discovered how to and did attend college without graduating from high school. Why did you want to do that? How did you achieve it?

I had to transfer to a public school in my junior year. I had some trauma in my family. I was at boarding school outside of Philadelphia for my first two years of high school. I was miserable at my new school. I sometimes ate lunch in the bathroom. I didn’t know anyone. I would also hide in the bathroom during pep rallies. I had never been to a pep rally. They were loud and horrible. I’m not sure why anyone wouldn’t want to go to college early. I went to a very progressive college, Hampshire College. They accepted me based on my essays and the recommendation letters that my high school teachers wrote.

Tell us more about why you first chose to study pre-med for two and a half years before you switched to medical journalism. What were your plans if you had graduated with a medical degree? What was it like to watch and write about plastic surgeons and their procedures?

One of my favorite authors was Oliver Sacks, a neurologist, and prolific writer. I learned a lot of writing about plastic surgeons. I had both troubling and very positive experiences during that time. It would take an entire other interview to get into that.

In boarding school, you were involved with the music club on campus and produced live music shows for the school as well as playing at almost every event. Why were these shows “a blast” for you? What did you enjoy about producing a live show? Did you incorporate what you learned into your own live shows/performances as an artist?

I think just having the freedom to create meaningful events with your peers at school was exciting. I will say that it gave me a lot of experience performing in front of people and helped me get used to that.

Tell us more about how you got signed to a manager while you were still in college. How did that opportunity come about?

I met my first “manager” when I was in high school. Then I left for college. He found me on the Internet. I can’t really remember. He sucked. My manager now is awesome. His name is Pedro Garduno and his company is called Musiklists. Pedro has believed in me from the first day he heard my music. If it wasn’t for him, I’m sure I would have given up by now.

You’ve noted that your favorite writer and musician of all time, the late Elliott Smith, was very influential to you. Who else has affected you similarly?

Alanis Morissette, The Shins, Nirvana…

Explain your songwriting process.

I sort of explained this in the production question, but it usually starts with a chord progression. Sometimes I will write down lyrics randomly when they come to me. Like the other day I wrote down, “my head is a cauldron,” so I will probably use that in a song at some point.

What has been your biggest challenge so far in your music career? How did you overcome it?

Having the courage to be myself and say what I think has been hard. But after a while, you realize that’s what people actually respond to. That’s what people listen to. I consider myself a brave person. I’m not fearful of many things. I do think, though, that I have gotten braver and bolder.

What is your favorite microphone or instrument to use when performing or recording and why?

I love the way Manley microphones sound. I want one of my own— the large-diaphragm tube condenser. 

What does it mean to you personally to be an indie music woman artist?

It means I get to play by my own rules.

How do you think women artists can be better supported in the indie music industry?

We need help with sync-licensing!

What advice would you give for young women who want to pursue a music career?

Only do it if you have to. Listen to your mind and your body.

How has the current climate affected your projects?

It has definitely helped my streaming numbers and my social media following.

What projects do you have planned for the rest of this year?

A new album, Everyday Existential Crisis, coming October 2020.

 

You can connect with Madeline on her:

Spotify Artist Page | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube