By Mateeka Lanee – Mateekalanee.wordpress.com
“I don’t think there is such a thing as an overnight success“, says 18-year-old pop/rock singer Madison Rose. “It takes many years of challenges to get to the point where you feel that you have ‘made it’, but I think the rewards are worth the challenges”.
For Madison, the rewards for starting young (she has been singing since age 7) and working hard have already proven massive. In 2010, her song “Teenage Runaway” became a viral hit, telling the story of Madison’s feelings toward a self-destructive friend, running not only from home physically, but from the love of her friends and family as well. This year, she celebrates the debut of her album Aftershock, a body of work inspired by classic Rock and Roll, and which delves into aspects of the teen’s life just as emotionally intense.
Madison’s style of music–a fusion of the classic and the modern in rock music–is inspired, she says, by the music her older brother, Justyn, introduced her to. “Def Leppard definitely [has influenced me], Van Halen has really inspired me, Stevie Nicks of course! Also The Beatles. I can’t forget about The Beatles!! Every time I hear The Beatles I feel inspired”.
It’s been artists like these who have given her the drive to pursue music in the first place, starting after attending a Def Leppard concert with Justyn at age 13. “That show inspired me so much,” she explains, “that I went home, and I wrote my very first song. I haven’t stopped writing since. I fell in love with rock music that night.”
The relationship between Madison and her brother goes beyond that of just siblings who share similar tastes in music. Justyn is a member of Madison’s band, and was a collaborator on much of Aftershock. Madison gushes “I love working with my brother!! […] He always listens to my crazy ideas, and he is always so respectful of my vision.”
With the help of her brother, acclaimed writer/producer/rocker Gary Hoey, and an arsenal of thoughtful lyrics, Madison Rose went to work on writing her very first album. When asked how she finds inspiration to write, she says: “I get inspiration from anywhere, maybe something that has happened to me, a story I heard, maybe something about a friend. Anything, and everything can inspire music. To me life is art, you just have to open your eyes, and the inspiration is there”.
Madison’s story is an inspiration in itself. I asked her what advice she would give to aspiring young people looking to break into the music industry, and she says “I would tell them to never give up their dreams. If you really want to play music for a living, then you have to work really hard. But trust me, all that hard work is worth it. No matter what anyone else says, there is a place for you in the music industry. Don’t listen to all the negativity that is out there. Just believe in yourself, and you will go far.”