On the Rise
Rett Madison

Raised in West Virgina by supportive parents, she was exposed to music from a young age, her parents each contributing their own formative influence. Her mum was a big fan of Fleetwood Mac, Prince and Yusuf/Cat Stevens, while her dad was always playing Billy Joel. “I think as I got a bit older and started to discover music myself I became a really big fan of Jeff Buckley and I really got into Bob Dylan for a while,” she says. “I feel like there's always these different seasons of my life where I'm becoming a fan of a new discography, even if I wasn't raised with it.”

She began playing music from the age of five, taking voice and piano lessons. “I'm very, very lucky that both my mom and dad had the resources and were willing to drive me to music lessons as a kid,” she says. “I know that's not everybody's story, but I'm lucky that both of my parents saw that I had a passion for it and did what they could to help me learn the skills.”

As a teenager, Madison began to write her own songs as a form of journaling, a catharsis for teenage existence. “I think I started writing songs when I was twelve, just having those big feelings in middle school and trying to figure it out,” she laughs.

Her passion and focus also stemmed from the support of her teachers. She calls her piano teacher Carla “another mom,” who would bribe her into learning classical pieces with the promise of new chords. While her school teacher, Miss Warren’s belief in her was pure motivation in those teenage years. “Those kinds of teachers really make all the difference,” she smiles. “She would give me these solos during the choir concerts to play my original music, which is the biggest validation I could have had as a kid. For somebody who wasn't my immediate family member to believe in me kind of gave me the green light to think, maybe I should keep trying to do it.”

In her last two years of high school she was awarded a partial scholarship to attend a music school in Northern Michigan, which led to her being offered a place to study songwriting at the Universtiy of Southern California. Although she only stayed for two years, it gave her the opportunity to move to LA. “I wanted to try to land in a spot where I could easily start to work and make connections in the music industry while being in school. I wasn't expecting to get to USC, but I'm glad that it happened so that I could start my career at eighteen.”

Local showcase venue The Hotel Cafe played a pivotal role in Madison’s career, with booker Gia Hughes offering her opening slots for incoming touring artists. “I really owe a lot to that venue and to the community that was there,” she says. “All the folks that worked there were also big fans of music, so it just felt like a really supportive space. I really feel fondly about that venue and it was a really important part of my early days in LA.”

It was during one of The Hotel Cafe’s songwriter nights that she met musician Theo Katzman, who would produce her first album, 2021’s Pin-Up Daddy. A lasting partnership, he also travelled with her to Texas for the recording of her follow-up One For Jackie.

Recorded at the legendary Sonic Ranch residential studios, the album sessions were both emotionally cathartic and impactful for Madison. Penned after the death of her mother, who had suffered with addiciton, she unpacks past trauma while remembering and celebrating her life. Tracks like “Flea Market” juxtapose small triggers against a landscape of feelings, and across the record she balances pain and regret with love and hope.

Working with musicians she trusted and bringing her partner to capture the process on film, the experience of recording One For Jackie became more of a retreat. “It's so beautiful there. It feels like a summer camp, just everybody's focused on the music. I was with musicians that I really admire and adore and feel safe with,” she says. “As heavy as the songs are, it was very cathartic and I felt very held by everyone that was there.”

For the one year anniversary of the record, Madison is sharing One More For Jackie, a digital deluxe edition of the album which includes four new tracks. “Honestly, largely the decision for the first iteration of the album was just for vinyl considerations. We felt with all fourteen songs that we brought down to Sonic Ranch it might run a bit too long for vinyl,” she laughs.

Alongside the technicalities, some of the tracks recorded in the album sessions didn’t fit thematically with record. Recent single “Apocalyptic Folk Song” is a sobering reality-check on the state of the world. “I worry for everybody,” she says. “Being based in Los Angeles, it's like, how often are we gonna be inhaling the smoke of wildfire? It's all the stuff everywhere.”

There’s a glowing cover of Fleetwod Mac’s “Everywhere,” a direct homage to the Greatest Hits CD she’d spin on long drives with her mum, and a new version of “Kiki” where Madison takes the lead, an intimate response to the original moving Iron & Wine guest spot.

New track “Head On” is a standout moment rich in uplifting melody and delivered with arresting immediacy. The song’s inspiration was taken from a story submitted to Madison from a fan. “I used to do this thing on Instagram earlier in the pandemic, during the lockdown portion, where I would ask folks online to send me their gossip or their salacious updates and I would make a jingle about it. Somebody sent me a story about how they were driving and another driver almost hit them head on, and they realised that the other driver was their ex,” she says. “It was completely accidental. What are the odds? I thought that was such a wild thing to happen to someone that I wrote that song.”

The new additons on One More For Jackie add an extra layer of context and personality to the original work, while still honouring the depth of Madison’s writing and platforming her direct but tender vocal. It’s testament to her talent for conneciton, and further highlights the emotions and inspiration she absorbs from the communities, both around and before her.