Maddie Glass is so stranger to performing having graced the stages of several off-Broadway productions, and now she’s turned her focus to writing, recording and sharing her own music. Her debut single “Livin in 2021”, with a strong vocal, pop-punk rhythm and gritty guitar undertone, is a personal yet powerful track which details her struggles with anxiety and body image, making the song immensely relatable to many people around the world. PopWrapped caught up with Maddie to find out more about the single, her upcoming EP and how she’s kept creative and busy during the pandemic.

You grew up performing in several off-Broadway productions, and attended NYU Tisch. What made you decide to branch out into music?

I’ve always had a love for music and grew up singing and writing songs. As I got older, that passion grew and grew as I started finding my voice and figuring out who I was as an artist. Through that, music became just as big a part of my life as acting and I just ran with it! What’s cool about music that’s different from acting, is that I am telling my own story, speaking from my own heart, and sharing my observations about the world.

What is it about “Livin in 2021” that made you think it was the perfect choice for your debut single? Where’d the idea and inspiration for it come from? 

“Livin in 2021” was a no brainer for me when I sat down to think of what should be my debut single. Not only does it encompass me as an artist, but I also felt that I wanted to make a statement by releasing something that I thought would resonate with people. The idea for this song came on a cold winter night in December. I was having a repeated argument with my then boyfriend. We hadn’t spoken for a few days and he asked me how I was doing. I told him that for the first time in a while, I was doing great. He responded by saying “I forgot how conceited you are sometimes.” I took a second to take in what I heard and wondered if I could ever say the right thing. Am I not allowed to be doing great? Am I not allowed to feel confident?

In that moment, I reflected on that relationship and the way of the world right now. I was upset and just wanted to go home. As I packed up my things, I noticed that he was putting his shoes on too because living in New York City, I can’t walk myself home at night. I needed a boy who was nothing but disrespectful to walk me home. The second I got home that night, with my thoughts were boiling over, and I wrote “Livin In 2021.” Looking back, I am now so grateful for that relationship as the art that came out of that experience made it all worth it. The song is very personal but I think it addresses some of the things a lot of people are experiencing today so I really hope it resonates with people.

The song is taken from your upcoming EP Thank You For Breaking My Heart. What can you tell me about it and do you have a favourite track on the collection? 

I cannot wait for the world to hear Thank You For Breaking My Heart! It is super hard for me to pick a favorite because I love each song for such specific reasons but I think right now I am most excited for “Space Boyfriend” to come out. I think it has the potential to be the anthem of the summer and beyond. It is a sweet song about wanting to find your person, or in my case, my “Space Boyfriend”!

Who or what most inspires your song-writing? Whose songs and albums would you say most influence the kind of music you make? 

I would say that my biggest inspirations musically are Avril Lavigne, Green Day, and so many other 2000s bands such as All American Rejects and Fountains of Wayne. I am heavily inspired by Julia Michaels’ song-writing. I write all of my own lyrics and those women paved the way for me to feel confident in sharing my personal lyrics with the world!

This might be a difficult question for you to answer, but in your mind, what makes a song iconic, and which would you say is the most iconic, or the greatest, ever written – to date, at least? 

Ah!! I think a song is iconic when it leaves an impact and is still just as good and gives you the same rush it did when you first heard it, even years later. I don’t know if I can pick just one, and these are all super subjective to me and my upbringing, but I think “Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana for it’s impact, “Creep” by Radiohead because of it’s rawness, and “Sk8tr Boi” by Avril Lavigne because it’s always relevant and anyone can connect to the universality of it.

With live shows and other events having been off the calendar, how have you spent the last twelve months? How have you kept yourself mentally, physically and emotionally well during this pandemic period, and how might you say have the lockdowns and restrictions perhaps impacted your artistic creativity?

I think lockdown played a huge part in my artistic journey. I had so much more time to think about things; so much time to think about myself and why I am the way that I am. Through this self-evaluation, I got the courage to share my music with the world. With that, I watched A LOT of television shows, listened to SO much music, was on FaceTime with my friends for hours on end, and had a lot of time to workout which was instrumental in keeping me sane during quarantine! I think that the restrictions and lockdown really gave me the free time and space to write and write and if we didn’t have that forced experience, I would not have my next batch of songs ready to go!! 

Artists today, like much of society and particularly the younger generations, are very connected to their fans and others in general via social media. How do you personally feel about sites like Facebook and Twitter, and do you think it’s at all possible for an artist today to succeed without having that constant connectivity? 

I think it is such an amazing thing that in today’s day and age it is so easy to keep in contact with people. Although I do think that social media can be extremely toxic at times, I can’t wait to be in contact with fans and be able to have conversations and get to know them as people because I am eternally grateful for anyone who listens to my music. I do think it is possible for an artist to succeed without that constant connectivity, but I think that sometimes can lead to isolating yourself from your supporters, and I don’t want that. I want us to be a close-knit family!

The music industry has been hit hard over the past year due to Covid – do you think it can ever truly recover from the hit it’s taken and how keen are you to get back out on the road, meet fans etc? 

I think that the music industry is going to bounce back and then some. Music has personally been my outlet during this period and I think so many people feel the same way. I can’t wait to be able to perform and go to concerts and hear live music again! The feeling of hearing someone perform live and having a whole crowd singing along is like no other. I am definitely going to start playing and hit the road running when its safe! I have so much music about to come out and can’t wait to play shows and perform live. Growing up doing theatre, performing live is in my bones and I miss it so much.

Finally then, what can fans and those just discovering you and your music expect to see and hear from you in the coming months? What’s on the bucket list for the year? 

They can expect my second single, “Space Boyfriend” to release next and then my EP, Thank You For Breaking My Heart to drop very, very soon too. After that, there’s more music to come; I am going to be posting more on all of my platforms and hopefully tour wherever I can. And for anyone who is just discovering me and my music, reach out – DM me on Instagram so we can talk music!