- Haven Madison released her debut EP, Turn off all the lights
- The American Idol alum, who made the top 8 last season, graduated from high school this week
- With a recent move to Nashville, Madison is ready to fly high
There’s a buzz around Haven Madison and she can feel it.
“I walk into those writers’ rooms and a few times I’ve been greeted by people saying, ‘Why are so many people talking about you?’ Madison, 18, laughingly tells PEOPLE during a recent weeklong writer’s visit to Los Angeles, “It was fun walking in all these rooms and proving why there’s a buzz.”
There’s certainly a confidence that oozes from the pop sensation who hit it big last year as a season 21 finalist American Idolsince she’s the one who recently signed her first label deal and recently released her debut EP for the label, Turn off all the lightsa sweet collection of angry songs, each of which has a lyrical flair.
“All the songs have a certain level of emotional pull,” explains the Clarksville, Tennessee, native who moved to Nashville last month. “They make you feel absolute rage or absolute power or pure heartbreak or pure sarcasm.”
“How You Like Me Now” is an example of that unique sarcasm.
“It’s super fun because it just scratches the surface of angry girl, but it’s also laid back,” Madison says of the bouncy ball in a lyric she co-wrote with songwriters Eric Arjes and Mary Kutter. “It makes him happy and cheerful.”
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Amongst this seesaw of lyrical emotions is an undeniable aural stunner who seems to be able to effortlessly hit notes some could only dream of.
“I think it was just a natural choice that came up when I go into songwriting sessions,” Madison says. “I just play a chord and start singing, and what naturally comes out is usually the melody we’re going with, because it’s a song. I think the best songs are the ones where it’s almost like the song was already there and I just had to find it.”
She hits some of those notes in the beautiful “Sky Up.”
“The high notes are a pain,” she says of the sounds found in the song she wrote with Grammy-nominated songwriter/producer Dave Pittenger. “That’s what makes you feel so much. It’s when you can feel that mojo and that pain in my voice, and I’ve learned what positions make me feel the most. Your voice is your instrument. So it’s just learning ways around it .”
This journey of learning began when Madison was just a little girl growing up in the spotlight of her father – Grammy-nominated Building 429 singer Jason Roy. Madison was also homeschooled until she began attending public school during her junior year of high school. “All public school taught me about how to do the truth was to survive people… and cheat,” he admits with a laugh.
It’s the life Madison has grown attached to American Idol judge Katy Perry, as the two made headlines last year with their collaboration on “Still Need You,” a poignant ballad Haven wrote about her brother Avery’s battle with depression.
“The moment we shared was vulnerable and raw,” Madison recalls of the pair’s jeans-and-shoeless performance. “We literally fought our hair and makeup team. We just wanted to be here. I think that made it such a special moment for both of us, and to this day, it’s one of my favorite shows I’ve ever done.”
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It’s all part of the somewhat surreal life of Madison, who recently went home for prom and walked across the Clarksville High School stage to receive her diploma this week. And her brother Avery will cheer her on there.
“He was struggling, he went through a long depressive phase and he was thinking about suicide,” she says. “I’m so proud of him today. And it’s amazing because not only is he my drummer, he’s awesome. Every night I play with him, he does something that just reinforces every reason why he’s not only an amazing drummer, but so necessary person to exist, we hug each other before we go on and say, ‘Look at us, and here we are.'”
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Source: HIS Education