Unveiling the Soul of Music: Rett Madison's Raw and Revelatory Journey

0:00: One day, I skipped class for a songwriting session with a man in his 70s. It's kind of wild how much I enjoyed working with him.

0:11: [Music] I really liked working with him.

0:18: Thank you for doing this, Rett.

0:24: Yeah, thanks for having me. I'm Adam, and this is about your journey in music and we'll talk about your album, which I believe is coming out this Friday.

0:35: Yeah, the album. I just had a chance to listen to it. It's really great.

0:47: First off, where were you born and raised?

0:54: I was born in Florida, but I don't really remember it. I just tell people I'm from West Virginia because that's where I was raised since I was two.

1:01: Wow, okay. What was West Virginia like? Tell me about living there.

1:08: There were a lot of good things about it. I still keep in touch with many of my close friends from there. I grew up in a smaller community in a town. It's a beautiful state, the nature is amazing. Sometimes, though, it was hard growing up in a religious space. I was raised Catholic, and being a queer woman, that was challenging at times. But overall, I have a lot of love for the place I'm from and the people there.

1:46: What about music? Do you come from a musical household?

1:57: Not really, no. Neither of my parents really did anything with music professionally. My dad had a phase where he got really into piano for about two years in his late 40s. He did a pretty great job, memorizing classical pieces, which is hard to do without much music training. My mom didn't play music, but they both were very supportive of me doing music.

2:34: Do you have any siblings that play music?

2:41: My eldest sister has sung before and has a lovely voice. She sang in public, but nothing that she's doing in any active way now.

2:53: How did you get into music? Did you take piano lessons at a young age?

2:59: Yes, that was one of the doors for me to get into music. I was around five or six when my dad was really into his piano hobby, so he put me into lessons, which I'm grateful for. My mom heard me singing when I was playing alone one day and suggested voice lessons.

3:35: Were you doing songwriting when you were younger, like on piano?

3:49: I started writing songs maybe around 11 or 12. They were really terrible songs, really embarrassing. But songwriting was a therapeutic resource for me, kind of like my journal or diary.

4:02: When did you start showing people your songs?

4:09: Even though they weren't good songs, I definitely wanted to show people. I'm a former theater kid, so I love to perform. I probably started playing my songs any time somebody would give me an opportunity to sing an original song, like at a local festival or a choir concert.

4:47: Did you pursue theater through high school?

4:51: Not as intensely as I did with music and songwriting. My dad was also really into musical theater, and he was kind of a stage parent. He was very into it, and since I loved performing, it was even more reason for him to help me be on stage in whatever way he could.

5:13: In high school, were you in a band or doing everything solo?

5:19: In high school, I was still mostly just playing solo. Then, my last two years of high school, I had the opportunity to go to a boarding school for arts. I majored in songwriting, and that's where I met a lot of peers that I could start really playing with for the first time.

6:08: Why did you decide to leave college?

6:14: Well, USC is very expensive. I wasn't investing as much time as I should have in the coursework for the tuition amount. I was cutting a lot of classes to play gigs in Los Angeles. At the end of my sophomore year, I got a gig singing background vocals for Lorde at Coachella. In my mind, I thought I could make money from music right away, but I didn't realize how tough freelance work could be. Overall, it was the best decision for me to leave college.

7:32: Let's talk about your new album, "One for Jackie."

7:38: It's largely about grieving my mom's suicide in 2019. I incorporated influences from artists like Bruce Springsteen and Fleetwood Mac into the album to honor my mom's musical tastes. The song "Death Don't Make A [ __ ] An Angel" was written before my mom's passing but had eerie timing as it relates to the events surrounding it.

8:21: You recorded the album at Sonic Ranch in Texas. Why there?

8:27: The producer, Tyler Chester, recommended it. It was a better deal than recording in LA, and we could focus on the record without distractions.

9:10: This is your first release with Warner Records, right?

9:16: Yes, it's special considering the personal nature of the album.

9:53: What about the upcoming shows with Grace Potter?

9:59: I'm really excited. Performing live is my favorite part of being a musician.

10:17: Can you talk about your interest in tarot and psychic mediums?

10:23: I love having my tarot read by others and talking to psychic mediums. After my mom passed, I was seeking answers and found comfort in these spiritual explorations.

11:02: Do you have any advice for aspiring artists?

11:08: Try to build a music community within your own scene. Make stuff with your friends and those passionate about you.