We recently connected with Maddye Trew and have shared our conversation below.

Maddye, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?

I’ve held onto this one particular song that we’ve decided to release as my first single of 2024; it’s called “Your Song.” It’s always been a favorite of my fans, friends, and family…and it means the most to me for so many reasons.

I wrote it with Emma Rowley, one of my best friends from college. She was the first to sit down and show me what it meant to write a song and share that creative journey with a co-writer. And as a talent in her own right, she’s amazing. We wrote “Your Song” together, and I love that it was her that helped this come to life.

And this was cool. It was all a total accident. I had called Emma one afternoon, venting about a boy, all tied up about my crush on him and torn up about the fact that he had asked me about the relationship status of another friend of mine. I had been friend-zoned, and he was gunning for her instead.

I was crushed and felt so used. Rattling on to Emma over the phone about how it happened, why it happened…and then she interrupted me. “You’ve got to slow down. You are already writing the song!” So I grabbed a pen, she grabbed her guitar … and now we’re here.

We wrote “Your Song” in less than an hour…and though I wasn’t happy about the boy, I felt better having written it down. I guess that’s one of those “music is therapeutic” moments.

So many meaningful things touched this song. It was my first time taking one of my songs into the studio. My producer, Mike Robinson, was my first accompanist in college and has since gone on to receive a Grammy nomination. Emma and I are tighter than ever…

And every time I perform, I wear the guitar strap that my mom had specially made for me with the lyrics to “Your Song” engraved into it. I like to tell people it’s like a little hug…because that’s what it feels like to me.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Howdy-do … I’m Maddye Trew! (Credit to my friend, Cowboy Troy, for that one.) I’m originally from Memphis, Tennessee, and I now live in Nashville. I wake up every day excited to chase my dream of making music, performing my songs, and working to earn my way up the ladder in the music business.

Since moving here, I’ve received my bachelor’s degree in music from Belmont University, I’ve released four songs, and even saw my first music video featured on CMT (Country Music Television.) I’ve gotten to open up a few big shows, the coolest being with Big & Rich for my hometown.

But honestly, the friends I’ve made along the way are my favorite part of this journey. Making music and performing is great, but doing it with friends that share the same passion is the best!

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

A great part of this particular collaboration is sharing this with my friend and co-writer Emma Rowley. I never forget how it felt to have her guidance and heart as we wrote my very first song together.

So when I had the opportunity to do the same for somebody else, specifically a young aspiring artist named Maleah, I immediately called Emma. Maleah lives across the country, in California, so together, we brought Maleah into her first songwriting session over Zoom. It was so great to feed her creativity, see the lights go on. Passing on what had been passed to me.

Being on the other end of that…having the opportunity to give back what was given to me…I just loved that.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

For me, everything changed at the Waffle House! (No, really.) I had met a piano player named Jeff at a local real estate function that I attended with my godfather…and while he talked real estate, I talked to the musicians.

Nashville is all about networking, so I asked about getting coffee sometime and “talking shop.” When we followed up and made a breakfast plan, I figured that I might be able to get a line on a gig playing down on Broadway, maybe sing some songs at one of his gigs.

WELL… it turns out that he was a bit more plugged in than that. Jeff McMahon had toured for eighteen years with Tim McGraw, played on some huge records (“Live Like You Were Dying,” “Real Good Man,”) and even worked at a record label for McGraw’s producer, Byron Gallimore.

He thought that he might be able to help me, and we’ve been working together ever since.

That morning over coffee, I realized that I was looking in the wrong direction. He turned me completely around…and I’m forever grateful.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.maddyetrew.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maddyetrew/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/maddyetrew/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/maddyetrew
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/maddyetrew

Image Credits
Vertical with guitar strap is Randy Alan. The rest are Nomad Soul Photo