FEATURE
MADGE’S WORLD
Written by Inès Lefebvre Du Prey
Photographs by Michael O'Donohue
Styled By Sarah Galinger
Published: March 17, 2023
Welcome to Madge’s world – colourful and dark in equal measure, where chaos bubbles just below the surface. Here we interview Madge about their creativity, process, future, and the world as they see it, as well as touching on Madge’s exciting event project ‘Drip Drop’ which blends live music, DJ sets and performance art.
Your sound is hard to define and pin down, how would you describe it your own words, to someone who was new to your music? How do you want your music to make people feel?
I describe what I make as pop music. I’m never trying to making something strange or unpalatable. My music is simply what happens when I try to make a pop song and it goes through the wires of my brain. I’ve heard that my music can be uncomfortable and I guess that’s simply a by-product of my natural baseline.
Who are your biggest musical inspirations?
One of my favourite artists of all time is Broadcast and I grew up listening to a lot of jazz. I have a hard time pinning down who my inspirations are because in many ways I do not really seek out music. I tend to listen more to soundscapes and audiobooks.
In a more general sense, what are key points in your personal story that you feel feed into your music?
I was raised Mormon and that always influences my writing for better or worse. I also think I never fully left the “magical thinking” phase of my childhood and that contributes to every part of my life. Sometimes it feels like I’m a bit emotionally and even physically stunted by this though.
How do you make sure that those magical, more liberating elements of our child minds stay with you?
I think I probably incorporate a lot of childishness in my personal fashion as well as many silly sounds in my music. However, I’m not ever trying to retain my childlike elements - I often find them to be draining and a part of me that requires constant attention. Almost like babysitting.
Can you tell us a bit about your idea of the relationship between music, fashion, and artistic aesthetic - it seems that your work ties all of these together so it would be interesting to know your thoughts.
These things are all just simply different modes of the same frequency. The way I chose to look is coming from the same brain pathways that lead me to create a specific sound texture. I can’t really separate the audio I make from the aesthetic that I find most comfortable.
When do you feel at your most creative, and how do you channel this drive when it comes?
I feel a certain level of creativity at all times. I almost never feel like I can’t write or create. And I find that the more I do it, the better I get and the easier the ideas flow. That said, I also find extreme emotions to be creative times for me and I’ve had to develop a healthier relationship with this tendency.
Linked to this, I was wondering if I could get your thoughts on the idea we have of emotional highs and lows being tied to creativity (the kind of ‘tortured genius’ idea) – do you think this is true, if so do you think it’s productive or destructive?
I’m sure it’s both. Everything in life is a cycle of death/rebirth I think. I wouldn’t particularly view that as highs and lows but rather circles that are either small or big, subtle or dramatic. I love drama.
What is on your mind at the moment, in terms of ideas you would like to explore in your work?
I think I’d love to explore releasing some instrumental piano works. I also think about quitting music everyday.
Inferno Gown by Zhexuan Katherine Hu
Steering away from music, what is on your mind in terms of external experience, the world, politics and society etc – have there been any developments that inform your work?
I tend to be an anarchist. Most political developments lead me to a feeling of wanting to get rid of all of it. I like starting over. Having said that, I have done some work with Pussy Riot and I tend to keep an eye on that world.
I wonder what your plans are for a new album, and if you can share what is next for you musically?
I do have an album completed and ready to be released. It’s a nice mashup of hardcore, hyperpop, emo and drum and bass. I am a bit frustrated with music at the moment if I’m being honest. I don’t know how much longer I can keep releasing it despite the amount I have ready to release.
You straddle lots of different musical genres – do you see lines between genres, is genre something you consider or is it something that is second level (i.e. imposed on music but ultimately not important)?
All I can say is that the closer to genre I stay, the more money I make. That is truly my only observation. So I guess that genre is something that is important although arbitrary.
I’d be interested in how you view disruption and absurdity. My experience of living outside the patriarchal norm is that we use disruptive forms of communication (music, speech etc.) to create a new space for freedom and self-definition - is this something you would agree with?
Absolutely. This is probably why I am also an absurdist. It seems to be one of the few ways to subvert the status quo. If nothing has meaning it can’t really be assigned a paradigm. This might also make subversion an illusion.
The Nude Tulle Pinstripe “Disappearing” Suit by Eva Heugenhauser
Do you find you can express ideas in music that you would struggle to communicate otherwise?
Yes! I can put words together in a way that doesn’t have literal meaning and yet every listener knows what I’m saying when it is combined with a beat and melody. I haven’t found another medium that can do this as effectively.
Where did the idea for 'Drip Drop' come from, and what is your aim for the project?
For some reason I use the lyrics “drip” and “drop” a LOT in my writing. I’m sure it has something to do with the Disney song “Drip Drip Drop Little April Shower”. I’m hoping to grow Drip Drop into its own world that welcomes the absurd and untraditional. I’m also hoping to tour Drip Drop in the near future. In many ways, it feels like a natural extension of my world without the ego or solipsism of a solo recording project.
Where feels most like home to you? Is it a place or is it the people around you?
New York feels like home to me. I can’t explain it. It always has.
Do you know where you will be in 5 or 10 years time?
I think in 5 years I’ll be mostly creating scores and sound designs and living off the royalties of my pop writing. I would love to dive back into making piano a key focus of my life. I’ve also been looking into an art conservation program at NYU. Maybe I’ll be in Italy restoring renaissance art paintings.
Check out Madge’s latest single ‘bbq’! -
Interview edited for length and clarity.
