We love Madeline Lauer, we chatted with her last year about her soulful sound and how she got started in music, now she has a gorgeous new video and is talking to us about her new song "I Know You've Heard."
Tell me about your new song “I Know You’ve Heard” what’s the story behind it?
M: This might sound crazy but I actually write songs in my sleep on occasion. One night, I wrote the first verse to “I know you’ve heard” which was surprising due to the fact that most of my “sleep songs” are comical. I remember waking up around 4a.m and running to my living room to take a voice note before I forgot the melody.
M: The next day, I just filled in the spaces where I needed better lyrics and kept singing it to myself. Drew Drucker, a producer I frequently work with, overheard me and asked what I was singing. I laughed and told him I had written it in my sleep (my sleep songwriting was a joke at this point). However, he liked it and we decided to finish writing it together on the spot. A guitar player we collaborate with named Drew Dvorsky came by the studio later that day and wrote that groovy guitar part to our melody. Next thing you know we had an entire song that literally started from a dream.
And what can you tell us about the video?
M: A very talented photographer friend of mine named Karli Feder approached me about doing a photoshoot that had a story line. She asked me if I had recorded any songs recently that used a lot of imagery and I immediately thought of “I know you’ve heard” because of all of the elements the song describes. She found this amazingly cute space called “The RagDoll Pink Palace” to shoot at and the producer of the song, Drew Drucker, was actually the one who suggested we make a music video based around the photoshoot. The video was shot by the brilliant Chris Fox. This is the fourth video he’s completed in collaboration with me! I think it turned out very spicy.
What has been inspiring your sound lately?
M: The guitar. Lately I have been primarily writing my songs with a guitar, which is new for me. On Open Book, I wrote everything to tracks that were already made but I’ve been taking a new approach this time around and started creating the bare bones of the songs myself. After a few writing sessions with Emily Herndon, a singer/songwriter friend of mine, I got obsessed with how well my voice complimented the guitar. I even started learning how to play myself.
What’s been the biggest challenge in your career so far and how did you overcome it?
M: There are a multitude of challenges that come from choosing to be in this particular industry. It’s like the wild west in which no rules apply on how an artist can become successful in it. I think the biggest challenge for me is trying to navigate my own path. I’ve always felt strongly about not conforming to what’s trending In music but rather creating music that is timeless. I grew up listening to James Taylor & The Beatles and I have always admired the longevity of their songs. I often get a lot of opinions from people who perceive me as an artist who fits in a particular box. This box is typically something someone else is already doing, so they think “since that already works, then you should do that too”. In response, It’s been a consistent and silent objective of mine to prove that I already know who I am as an artist, which is much more than one particular box. This past year, I’ve been challenging myself with simply making well written songs and not worrying about if it fits in with what R&B sounds like today. I am very excited to show everyone what we’ve been working on!
How do you want your music to make people feel, what’s the message behind it?
M: It’s no question that my music has an overall sensual nature. However, I do tend to write from a very vulnerable place that isn’t always about sex. I actually think one of the sexiest things about someone is their vulnerabilities and their willingness to admit their weakness. Exposing those elements is just as human as sex and I like to take it there too. I’ve always said I don’t mind a little bit of heart ache, pain is a gift for an artist. I think you’ll hear more about some of my personal heart ache in my upcoming projects.
What do you have coming up this year?
M: Well, I don’t want to say too much quite yet. I am very superstitious. However, I can say that there will be much more artistry involved in my new endeavor. One hint I will give you is that in preparation, I started taking acting classes *insert winking emoji*. I would keep an eye out for new music in the meantime. I will dropping singles while working on the new project.
Follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Spotify and watch the new video.
