Maddy Michaels Visits Section 36!

Section 36 Music has another visitor! Maddy Michaels is a wonderful singer that I can’t seem to stop listening to. I was so glad that she agreed to visit with us and discuss her music, her past experiences and more. I’m sure you’ll love everything she has to say.

So, let's see what happens when Maddy Michaels visits Section 36!

You’re preparing to release your debut single. What can you tell me about it?

I recorded my first single, “Sanity” to be released later this year, for my Senior Capstone Project at Berklee. My song is about my experience with mental health, specifically anxiety. I wanted this song to give listeners an idea of what it’s like to deal with anxiety on a regular basis and even though I face challenges because of it, I know that everything will work out and be alright in the end. 

How would you describe your musical style/genre?

I was classically trained but have always been into pop, contemporary music and jazz.

As an artist, my mission is to spread awareness about real-life issues like mental health and bullying and bring positivity and encouragement through my music and uplifting lyrics. My hope is that when people listen to my single once it's released, they’ll find a way that the song relates to them on a personal level. I feel it’s important to talk about mental health and I know music is a great way to help bring about change and awareness.

You’re a graduate of Berklee College of Music. What’s the most important thing that experience did for your career?

I had so many amazing experiences at Berklee but recording my first single in the studios would have to be the most important experience for myself as an artist and my career. I remember standing in the studio during a take when we recorded all the instrumental parts and listening for the first time without headphones, it was really eye-opening to see something I created come to life. To be able to write and record my single as well as getting my degree at Berklee has been invaluable to me as an artist.    

What is your favorite part about performing in front of a live audience?

Photo by
Chris Fong-Chew

Ever since I was young, performing has been my passion. Sharing my voice and music with others is why I love performing. Music keeps me going and every time I perform on stage my goal is to engage and connect with the audience to make them feel a part of the performance. 

Your Instagram account is full of wonderful informal videos of your music. What do you enjoy about making and sharing these videos?

Although it takes a while to get a good video recording it’s worth the extra time. I like to see what engagement the post gets which in turn helps me want to expand my following. A goal of mine is to be consistent when posting things on all my social media channels. I may not be the only person that feels this way but being consistent is hard sometimes when posting on social media. From taking a digital marketing class at Berklee I learned it’s better to have a lot of content lined up, so you don’t have to worry about what to post one day to the next. As creators, we need to be active and that is something, I’m pushing myself to do more on my social media. I post a video and take a hiatus for a while but during this shelter, in place, my goal is to get more projects done for myself, like posting covers on my pages. Of course, right now it’s hard to get that drive and motivation to do things while staying inside 24/7 but having the idea in my mind that I want to gain a bigger following and put myself out there will push me to work at being active on my artist pages. 

Other than COVID, what would you say is your biggest career challenge?

For me my biggest career challenge is sometimes putting myself out there to get a following on social media or even in-person when finding the right opportunity for an internship or performance. I did a couple of gigs in Boston when I was attending Berklee but looking back, not enough as I would’ve liked to have done. Last summer was really hard for me mental health wise after coming back from studying at Berklee Valencia because of the numerous rejections I faced after applying for internships and programs at Berklee. I didn’t have a plan for the summer, so it brought me into a state of depression. But in an unconventional way, I reached out to a non-profit to see if they needed help with their social media as it was a family friend who founded it and spent the summer helping them with their website and Facebook posts as an internship. At times I do get voices in my head about the idea of feeling behind because everyone around you has released music while being at Berklee or has had a great performance opportunity. Everyone is at different stages in their passion and career and I just need to focus on myself in the moment because that’s what’s important. 

What are your immediate career goals?

Unfortunately, due to COVID, I wasn’t able to finish recording the rest of my single. Berklee is planning on doing an in-person graduation ceremony sometime in the future and my plan is to travel back to Boston for the ceremony and finish recording the final part of my song. My goal is to release my first single later this year, even though there are a lot of uncertainties with COVID I’m not giving up hope on when I can finish and release it. I know it will be worth the wait as I want to release music, I’m proud of and I will be, once my single is finished.

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I know I can’t wait for that single to be released!

As always, I want to thank Maddy for visiting, and for sending along the wonderful pictures and videos to accompany the interview.

I know you’ll want to follow along with Maddy to see what she's up to. You should definitely check out her Instagram and  Facebook accounts, and visit her website. They’re great ways to make sure you don't miss a thing.

You should also check out her Section 36 Music page. There you'll find more links, pictures, and samples of her music. It's a great way to enjoy everything Maddy has to offer all in one place.

Thanks again Maddy, and good luck in reaching your goals!