Madeline The Person Breaks Down Every Song on Her New Chapter 3: The Burning EP

Madeline The Person just dropped her latest EP, Chapter 3: The Burning, and if these songs don't hit you right in heart, we don't know what to tell you.

The 20-year-old singer-songwriter has finally been receiving the recognition she deserves after a recent string of hits, baring her soul with intimate, insightful and deeply personal lyrics that are more relatable than we care to admit. You can't even scroll through TikTok without hearing her hit song "MEAN!," proving the rising artist is well on her way to superstardom.

From the moment we heard the EP, we knew it was special, and we had the honor of getting to chat with Madeline all about the EP and what inspired each of its seven tracks.

Chapter 3: The Burning

Madeline The Person: The Burning represents the deep-rooted anger I've been holding onto for a while. My music is a way for me to talk about things that are harder to say, and I know that being angry is uncomfortable for me. It's not easy to communicate those feelings and be willingly heard at the same time. I wanted to compile my hurt feelings into The Burning and bring attention to the pain that we might be keeping in for the sake of the comfort of others.

Chapter 2: The Shedding was all about my identity and growing into a version of myself that I have learned to love. I've definitely evolved in every way. Fashion, music, art, expression, etc. I've learned a lot about myself and how my emotions manifest. I've learned to love even the unhealed parts of me, and I've learned to talk about things that hurt while they're hurting. And every day, I am more convinced that I will share my music forever just so that someone listening can feel less alone.

The main themes of The Burning are frustration, disappointment, getting f***ed over, and dealing with it all. I hope to create a safe space for people to get those feelings out by acknowledging that some things just suck and feelings just hurt. I want listeners to feel understood and encouraged to express their darker feelings, even if it's not always convenient for others.

 

'MEAN!'

Madeline The Person: I wrote this song in New York with Noah Kahan and Jonah Shy. I told them the story of how I was insulted at a party, and Noah started playing this guitar riff that sounded so perfect. I was thinking the words, "One thing I like about me is that I'm nothing like you," and then the song fell together that day. I was so happy at the end of the day. I felt so understood and relieved that I encapsulated that tough experience into a song.

"MEAN!" is my reminder that my kindness is powerful. I find my confidence in the way I make others feel.

My favorite lyric is the line I had stuck in my head as the song came together. "One thing I like about me is that I'm nothing like you and I never will be," is a line that completely flipped my situation upside down. At first, I was just so sad that someone said something so hurtful to me, but after the fact, I felt empowered by the fact that I am not mean.

 

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'Why I Broke Up With You'

Madeline The Person: I had written the first verse and the chorus a couple of months before I came into the session, but I knew that Andrew Jackson could help me get my story fully out in a beautiful way. Chris Loco sat with us while we were writing, completely absorbed the vibe of the song, and produced it absolutely perfectly.

"Why I Broke Up With You" is my way of dealing with trauma from my past and how it affected my relationship. I realized that there was still an unhealed wound I needed to tend to.

My favorite line is: "I lived so long with someone so uncomfortable in their mind, they fed themselves a little poison every day to survive." I feel that the lyric perfectly describes how I tried to rationalize addiction as a kid. Some things don't make sense until you are close enough to them that you are forced to understand.

 

'Step On Flowers'

Madeline The Person: When I was around 16, I wrote a poem including the line, "You step on flowers like they are the grass," and I had always wanted to make it into a song. Finally, in a session, with Annika Bennett and Andy Seltzer, I brought in the poem and we reconstructed and expanded upon it. Annika played the chords for the chorus, starting with F minor, and we were all in love. It sounded just how the feeling felt.

"Step On Flowers" is how I coped with feeling unappreciated romantically. I felt like I was giving this person everything beautiful within me, and it was disregarded. It felt like an important feeling to set in stone.

My favorite lyric from the song is, "I stuck around the morning after till the sky was your light blue," because it references a song that the person showed me, called "Say Yes" by Elliott Smith.

 

'Stupid Dog'

Madeline The Person: I came into a session with SIBA, Andrew Jackson and Gracey, having already written the chorus. I remember the session was so quick but it all just fell together so easily. I love when that happens. Andrew and Gracey helped me with the verses and the chords, and SIBA produced it to perfection.

"Stupid Dog" is a declaration that I will not be put in a box by a partner.

"You put your hands all over me, you know I'll follow at your feet," is my favorite line because it reminded me that I was literally treated like a pet. I was just expected to go along and follow behind just like a dog does.

 

 

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'Not Sorry'

Madeline The Person: "Not Sorry" was made during a beautiful writing session with Captian Cuts and Grant Averill. I just spilled open my brain's frustration about all of the fake apologies I've received and we started writing. Ryan from Captain Cuts came into the session with the chord progression, I loved it, and we built from there.

I love how simply this song expresses my hatred for s***ty apologies. It reminds me to take responsibility when I've done things wrong, and I hope it brings comfort to those who haven't gotten the true apology they've needed.

"If you're so full of empathy, then why won't it stretch to me," is my favorite line because it describes how sad it is when someone you love and trust won't put away their pride for a few moments just to give you a real apology. Especially if you know the person to be kind and empathetic, it feels even worse when they refuse to take responsibility for their actions.

 

'Baby Boy'

Madeline The Person: "Baby Boy" was birthed from a fun little session with Scott Harris and Jonah Shy in New York. I told them that this boy was acting like a baby and Scott started playing this awesome bass line. The vibe felt different from anything I've ever done before, so I just rode the wave.

This song is a silly one about how annoying guys can be when they act macho but also are too scared to hold hands in public. To me, it's a fun song I can sing to get my frustration out when a guy does something upsetting.

"Dropped my hand right when your friends walked in, didn't know I was that embarrassing," really describes how bad it felt to be ignored in public when I knew that it would change immediately when we were alone together. It's exhausting to feel like a burden in that way. I hope the song can reach people that have felt like an embarrassment in a relationship before, so we can sing this song together and feel loved again.

 

 

For more on the new music we're loving, click HERE to read our interview with Thomas Day on his new track, "Not My Job Anymore."