We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Maddy Rose Weisman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Maddy below.

Hi Maddy, thanks for joining us today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

I think the most meaningful project that I’ve worked on is the record Madska is working on now. Often, being creative can be a very solitary and lonely process and that kind of vacuum can quickly turn into tunnel vision. It’s hard to gain perspective, and often becomes a struggle of trying to self edit. This record we are working on now is a complete team effort. Writing with my partner Sean and our awesome synth player/organist Gabe has been incredibly rewarding. Some people can do everything themselves, and I admire that tremendously. Personally though, having other talented musicians and writers around me pushes me to think outside of the normal places I go when I write alone, and allows us all to lean on each other’s strengths.

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?

Madska is a quirky indie pop powerhouse hailing from Philly, PA. Headed by two friends who met on Facebook, Madska crafts music that feels both nostalgic and upbeat. With hauntingly beautiful vocals, Madska’s sound invites you to dance, hug your friends, and shed a tear all at once. Their songs evoke a sense of home and a desire to relive your favorite memories. Inspired by the likes of boygenius, Maggie Rogers, and Holly Humberstone, Madska is endearing, fun, and unapologetically vulnerable.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

This summer, our band got booked for the biggest show we’ve played yet and we were so excited. For months before the show we planned everything out meticulously, from booking transportation, lodging, and personnel so that everything would be handled for the day of the show. But the week leading up we were met with a series of difficult circumstances that complicated matters. One of our band members caught covid so we only were able to rehearse with them once, and when we arrived to the airbnb the night before, we found that we couldn’t stay there. The next 48 hours consisted of a struggle to find lodging, food that met everyone’s needs, and inclement weather threatened to rain out the show. Everyone was exhausted from constantly having to pivot plans – but when the time came, we all got on stage together and everything fell into place.

Despite struggles that could have easily ended in a bombed show, we had surrounded ourselves with people that not only could handle tough and unforeseen circumstances, but could also remain positive and professional while troubleshooting and moving from plan B, to C, to D. We ended up being able to bond and look to each other for support AND had a pretty fun time regardless of all the mix ups.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the most rewarding parts of being a creative is collaborating with the people in your community and your close friends. While communication is an integral part of working with other people, we have found its also really important to detail agreements in writing. It might seem “over the top” or “extra” especially when you are just starting out, but the best time to come up with mutually beneficial written documents is before you need them. It helps set expectations and assures everyone involved that their needs will be met. Even if you are just writing a song with a friend, but want to release it on streaming, make sure you both are on the same page before you hit upload. You never know if your demo will be a hit :)

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.madskamuse.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madskamuse/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/madskamuse
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@madskamuse
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/madskamuse

Image Credits

Sara Giordano
Caleb Wyatt
Zoë Larson