We recently connected with Madeline Stadel and have shared our conversation below.

Madeline, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. If you could go back in time do you wish you had started your creative career sooner or later?

I think a lot of people (including myself) spend time waiting to start working towards their goals because they don’t “feel qualified”. What I’ve learned in my time as a full-time musician is that the groundwork of practice, technical skill, and talent does need to be present, but there is no “perfect time” to start. Starting is how you learn. The more you learn and stay consistent, the more you grow.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

ADORNER is the new psychedelic pop-rock force, with a personal mission to adorn their creation “for the sake of beauty alone”. The group is the brainchild of songwriter Madeline Stadel, and is based out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ADORNER is known for the powerful and evocative lyrics and vocals of Madeline, combined with celestial song structures and instrumentation brought to life and fully realized in a psych-inspired rock canvas.

Madeline had an early start in music and songwriting influenced by her parents musicianship.. Her first experiences playing in group settings were humble and at home with her family. Her first instrument aside from singing, was guitar taught by her father, but she quickly switched over to piano. Her mother was her first piano teacher starting at age 7, and she continued to study piano as well as voice lessons, choir, and solo performance all through her youth and teen years. Madeline was committed to the daily lifestyle of songwritership. She would continue in her private instruction in voice and would later attend college as a vocal studies major, although songwriting took a backseat in her early college years.

In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person instruction, Madeline was hit with a flood of inspiration for her outlet of songwriting again. She knew it was time to launch her project, after having a dream of the word “ADORNER”, appearing in text with dried flowers around it. She felt as if she was being called for first time by a familiar name.
The first original members were two prolific musicians Madeline found through the local music scene, named Elly Bird (guitar) and Kay Speidel (drums). The trio brought to life the songs Madeline had written, as well as new original songs and selected covers. The band would go on to release their debut single “Right Time/ All the Time” in July of 2021, and had a positive response from local audiences after the reimergence of live music.

In May 2022, the group released their first self-titled EP, produced and recorded with immense help from Elly Bird and Co-engineer JJ Agara, and mastered by Sterling Dorsey. Madeline graduated with her degree in Voice Performance in the same month. The group continued to play live, while Madeline continued to write. Later that year, Kay also then graduated with her degree in percussion performance. In early 2023, the group received a WAMI nomination for “Best New Artist”, Shortly after in the group released their first official music video in collaboration with director and cinematographer Austyn Meyer, for the original song “End Of My Rope”, as a remastered version (remastered by Ryan Kutz). Shortly after, Elly gracefully stepped away to new oppertunities, and the roles in the project would be filled while Kay has remained consistent as a member and co-writer with Madeline.
The group has continued playing live shows through 2023, spreading to the surrounding areas beyond Milwaukee, into Chicago and Madison. ADORNER released their newest single “Black Night” with the generous help of their friend, local musician and producer, Dan Niedziejko. The song qued a new wave of presence for the band, taking the quality of the group’s discography higher. “Black Night” released in July 2023 after mastering at Tide Studio London. ADORNER is still active, expanding their roster of musicians, releasing new music, and is on track to release their first full album in 2024.

Madeline sustains a full-time musician lifestyle by teaching voice lessons at various for-profit and non-profit organizations as well as a small private studio. She also performs solo as well as with her band. She is most proud of her accomplishments as Adorner, as well as her ability to inspire and impact others around her through music.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Growing up in music I started playing in bands in high school. I was surrounded by mostly boys in the band scene, making me feel inferior with my more emotional songs I wrote on keyboards. They would often explain things to me, give me unsolicited advice, or exclude me. It was because of this that I felt I needed to be the best at what I did. It pushed me to go through music school and become technically advanced as a musician. My need for people to take me seriously and refusal to be ignored is a lot of what fueled my fire when the journey was hard. It was because of the way that men and boys made me feel inferior as a musician when I was young, I don’t know if that hard edge will ever leave me. It made me very competitive. I focus on growing for myself and for my audience now, and to bring goodness into the world. I refuse to put others through what I had to go through to get where I am. The amount of gatekeeping I experienced was dizzying. Only just now in my life have I started to have opportunities come to me and have my skill recognized. My hope is to be a light bringer who can provide inspiration and opportunities to musicians coming from similar situations I came from.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Adorner is a made-up word that came to me in a dream. It means to Adorn, personified. It is a way of life. It is a mantra. It is “to create beauty for the sake of beauty alone”. My goal is to bring excellence, skill, emotion, and empathy to my listeners. People can sense authenticity, I was born to be an artist and to take the darkness and unjustness I have faced, the suffering that was inevitable, and to make it into something beautiful. I refuse to take the struggles of this life lying down. My hope is my songs will provide a space for empathy, courage, resilience, and honesty for my listeners.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://adornerband.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adornerofficial
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdornerMusicOfficial
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@adornerband
• Other: https://linktr.ee/ADORNERband

Image Credits
1- Bobbie Knopp 2(red bachground)- Meredith Rice