Maddie Zahm has spent the last few years building a reputation as one of pop music’s most brutally honest songwriters.
But if fans think his next album is about finally having it all figured out, Zahm says they’re missing the point.
The singer-songwriter is preparing to release her second album, Everything All The Timeon September 25, and the project encompasses something that many people spend years trying to avoid: realizing that growth never ends.
Along with the album announcement, Zahm released the title track, “Everything All The Time,” which sets the tone for an album focused less on finding answers and more on learning to live with the questions.
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PopCrush We caught up with Zahm to talk about the new album, the biggest misconceptions people have about her, and why she’s learned to accept the “doodles” of life.
If the Maddie who wrote “Fat Funny Friend” sat down with the Maddie who made Everything All The Time, what would they argue about?
Maddie Zahm: Dead… I had to think about this question for a while. Honestly, I think they would argue about his need to tell everyone all of his secrets and deepest feelings.
Sometimes things are just internal thoughts and the relief you feel from opening up in that moment DOES NOT outweigh the anxiety of wondering if you opened up to the right person.
Growth is not the goal of this album. What’s a lesson you thought you’d mastered that keeps coming up like an unwanted sequel?
Maddie Zahm: Oh God, probably my need to be a father. I spend most of my time reflecting on the mistakes I made at age twenty-three and delving into what they mean to me and my character. Sometimes it’s okay to say “this just didn’t work” and move on instead of making a twelve-step plan for how to be a better person next time or texting someone I think I offended twelve years ago.
What’s something people assume they know about you from your music that is completely wrong?
Maddie Zahm: I’m probably a deeply serious trauma eater, haha. In fact, I spend most of my time outside of music, joking around or playing TopGolf.
Sometimes I find it difficult to be intimate with my closest people because I feel connection through humor and lightness. Especially recently.
Yeah Everything All The Time If it were a physical place that someone could walk into, what would they find there?
Maddie Zahm: Your favorite children’s television show, candy, and lots of comfort food.
Social media rewards certainty, but your songwriting often lives in gray areas. Have you ever felt that the Internet and good art want things opposite to you?
Maddie Zahm: 100%. However, I believe that the community of people that I have built with my music is made up of black and white thinkers with very gray realities. I used to love straight lines, but now I prefer scribbles. They are prettier anyway.
What’s next for Maddie Zahm?
Everything All The Time arrives September 25 via MNRK Nashville. To celebrate the release, Zahm will head overseas for dates in the UK and Amsterdam before launching a US headlining tour this fall.
Fans can also listen to his new single, “Everything All The Time,” now.
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Gallery credit: Ellen Wulfhorst, Katrina Sirotta
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