The Sit Down with Madeline Merlo
Hailing from Maple Ridge on the outskirts of the Greater Vancouver metropolitan area in British Columbia, Madeline Merlo has been one of Canada's premier female country music artists and songwriters for the last decade. Her promise was first recognised in 2015 when she won the CCMA Rising Star Award but her real break came in April 2020 when she appeared on NBC's Songland with her song "I'll Drink to That". The song won the first episode on the second season which resulted in the re-worked version of the track becoming number one hit "Champagne Night" for Lady A and led her to sign a US record deal with BBR Music Group in Nashville, where she now calls home.
Four and a half years later she now has a string of Female Artist of the Year nominations from the CCMA under her belt and has just released her powerful new breakup centred EP "ONE HOUSE DOWN (from the girl next door)" through BBR's Stoney Creek Records on October 11th which she told us all about when she recently jumped on Zoom for a chat with Jamie.
It’s so great to talk to you FINALLY because I feel like you are one of the only people in this really exciting group of Canadian girls who are doing amazing things right now who hasn’t had the misfortune of spending time with me over the last couple of years so, I know this is going to be fun. Let’s start back at home, the CCMA’s were a couple of weeks back where you were nominated for Female Artist of the Year along with Tenille (Townes), Lindsay (Ell), Alli (Walker) and MacKenzie Porter who took the award home, where there is like a sisterhood of girls who are doing amazing things right now. Then you have girls like Meghan Patrick, Robyn Ottolini, Hailey Benedict and Tenille Arts just as a few examples that weren’t nominated this year, there are so many of you that have come down to Nashville so it must be really cool to see each other thriving and not just be a part of it but also be able to celebrate each other.
“It really is and you are so right about just being able to celebrate each For the younger girls like Hailey Benedict or Alli Walker at her first CCMA’s and her first year nominated, that’s so exciting. I’ll never forget the year when I was nominated and then won the Rising Star, I literally felt like I had peaked there and it was so exciting to just get that nudge that you are going in the right direction. We all work so hard, it’s a competitive industry but we are all just like little kids that have big dreams, then you put it all on the line and certainly moving to Nashville too, you are moving away from your family and starting over in this new country with the sacrifice and work that it takes to do that. It’s a huge thing to be nominated and I’m honestly so proud of all of those girls.”
It is very interesting with you being down in Nashville and a lot of girls have moved down to be based in town whilst apart from Josh Ross really, the guys tend to think we are quite happy with how things work so, we’re going to stay with it at home. We said there’s almost a sisterhood and girls celebrating other girls is a really big thing because it is well documented how male artists don’t face the same challenges that women have in the music industry but you are part of this year’s CMT Next Women of Country class, which even by previous years is a very talented class. Just this year alone over here, we’ve seen Ella Langley, Lauren (Watkins), Karley Scott Collins, Tanner Adell, the Tigirlily Gold sisters and of course Twinnie is one of our own, where it must be great have organisations like that who look out for emerging female artists. I know that Paramount have recently announced some interesting decisions with CMT but just to talk about Leslie (Fram) in particular, how important is it to have people like that in your corner who don’t just support you but can really make a difference?
“It’s so important, it really is. I think we have come a long way where girls are doing so great right now where there is so much more visibility than there has been in any era. It’s a pendulum which swings back and forth but it is tough, when you still look at the charts and lists, they are very male dominated so to have someone like Leslie that has been committed to empowering women, giving us a voice and also cultivating a sisterhood in a supportive environment is huge. I’m really big on that, I get very competitive with myself but when I see another female artist doing really well, that’s so exciting for me because I feel it opens the door a little bit more. I was raised on nineties country where is was dominated by women, I loved Dixie Chicks, I loved Martina, I loved Faith, I loved Shania and loved all of them so there is definitely enough seats at the table for everyone. With the CMT Next Women of Country, what an honour that has been, that was something that I had written down a lot and how I really wanted to be a part of it each year, then finally got it so it’s huge and that class this year is stacked, so it was a real honour for sure.”
You said about being competitive with yourself and setting yourself goals when you moved to town, where that was one of them and I’m guessing another was what you are going to tick off next week and play The Grand Ole Opry. It’s obviously a huge honour and something to be really excited about but some people have said they get more nervous than they do for other shows because of how prestigious of a country music institution it is yet it is something that really provides validation to yourself of this has all been worth it and this is where I really belong.
“Totally and it goes beyond a music thing for me, this is a life moment. No matter what happens in the rollercoaster of this industry, The Grand Ole Opry is as prestigious and historical as it gets, I’ll be able to tell my future kids one day that their mom played The Grand Ole Opry, that happened. It’s just a huge, huge bucket list thing for me and I’m going to be a nervous wreck for sure but it’s hard to even imagine. I’m so excited and so grateful for that opportunity, it just feels like a life event that I can tick off.”
I did have a little look earlier who else is playing that night and I know it’s always awesome whoever is playing there but it looks a really cool one with Dustin Lynch, who we will talk about in a little bit but Scotty McCreery and Jackson Dean on there too.
“It’s amazing and really interesting too because this year I opened a show for Scotty so, got to see his show and he’s incredible, then saw Jackson’s show when I played a festival with him this summer and he’s incredible too so, I think it’s going to be a stacked and amazing night which I’m very excited for.”
Four and a half years later she now has a string of Female Artist of the Year nominations from the CCMA under her belt and has just released her powerful new breakup centred EP "ONE HOUSE DOWN (from the girl next door)" through BBR's Stoney Creek Records on October 11th which she told us all about when she recently jumped on Zoom for a chat with Jamie.
It’s so great to talk to you FINALLY because I feel like you are one of the only people in this really exciting group of Canadian girls who are doing amazing things right now who hasn’t had the misfortune of spending time with me over the last couple of years so, I know this is going to be fun. Let’s start back at home, the CCMA’s were a couple of weeks back where you were nominated for Female Artist of the Year along with Tenille (Townes), Lindsay (Ell), Alli (Walker) and MacKenzie Porter who took the award home, where there is like a sisterhood of girls who are doing amazing things right now. Then you have girls like Meghan Patrick, Robyn Ottolini, Hailey Benedict and Tenille Arts just as a few examples that weren’t nominated this year, there are so many of you that have come down to Nashville so it must be really cool to see each other thriving and not just be a part of it but also be able to celebrate each other.
“It really is and you are so right about just being able to celebrate each For the younger girls like Hailey Benedict or Alli Walker at her first CCMA’s and her first year nominated, that’s so exciting. I’ll never forget the year when I was nominated and then won the Rising Star, I literally felt like I had peaked there and it was so exciting to just get that nudge that you are going in the right direction. We all work so hard, it’s a competitive industry but we are all just like little kids that have big dreams, then you put it all on the line and certainly moving to Nashville too, you are moving away from your family and starting over in this new country with the sacrifice and work that it takes to do that. It’s a huge thing to be nominated and I’m honestly so proud of all of those girls.”
It is very interesting with you being down in Nashville and a lot of girls have moved down to be based in town whilst apart from Josh Ross really, the guys tend to think we are quite happy with how things work so, we’re going to stay with it at home. We said there’s almost a sisterhood and girls celebrating other girls is a really big thing because it is well documented how male artists don’t face the same challenges that women have in the music industry but you are part of this year’s CMT Next Women of Country class, which even by previous years is a very talented class. Just this year alone over here, we’ve seen Ella Langley, Lauren (Watkins), Karley Scott Collins, Tanner Adell, the Tigirlily Gold sisters and of course Twinnie is one of our own, where it must be great have organisations like that who look out for emerging female artists. I know that Paramount have recently announced some interesting decisions with CMT but just to talk about Leslie (Fram) in particular, how important is it to have people like that in your corner who don’t just support you but can really make a difference?
“It’s so important, it really is. I think we have come a long way where girls are doing so great right now where there is so much more visibility than there has been in any era. It’s a pendulum which swings back and forth but it is tough, when you still look at the charts and lists, they are very male dominated so to have someone like Leslie that has been committed to empowering women, giving us a voice and also cultivating a sisterhood in a supportive environment is huge. I’m really big on that, I get very competitive with myself but when I see another female artist doing really well, that’s so exciting for me because I feel it opens the door a little bit more. I was raised on nineties country where is was dominated by women, I loved Dixie Chicks, I loved Martina, I loved Faith, I loved Shania and loved all of them so there is definitely enough seats at the table for everyone. With the CMT Next Women of Country, what an honour that has been, that was something that I had written down a lot and how I really wanted to be a part of it each year, then finally got it so it’s huge and that class this year is stacked, so it was a real honour for sure.”
You said about being competitive with yourself and setting yourself goals when you moved to town, where that was one of them and I’m guessing another was what you are going to tick off next week and play The Grand Ole Opry. It’s obviously a huge honour and something to be really excited about but some people have said they get more nervous than they do for other shows because of how prestigious of a country music institution it is yet it is something that really provides validation to yourself of this has all been worth it and this is where I really belong.
“Totally and it goes beyond a music thing for me, this is a life moment. No matter what happens in the rollercoaster of this industry, The Grand Ole Opry is as prestigious and historical as it gets, I’ll be able to tell my future kids one day that their mom played The Grand Ole Opry, that happened. It’s just a huge, huge bucket list thing for me and I’m going to be a nervous wreck for sure but it’s hard to even imagine. I’m so excited and so grateful for that opportunity, it just feels like a life event that I can tick off.”
I did have a little look earlier who else is playing that night and I know it’s always awesome whoever is playing there but it looks a really cool one with Dustin Lynch, who we will talk about in a little bit but Scotty McCreery and Jackson Dean on there too.
“It’s amazing and really interesting too because this year I opened a show for Scotty so, got to see his show and he’s incredible, then saw Jackson’s show when I played a festival with him this summer and he’s incredible too so, I think it’s going to be a stacked and amazing night which I’m very excited for.”
I’m guessing one of the songs you are going to do will be ‘Broken Heart Thing’ with Dustin being there too but with the track what was it about him which made you think he was a good fit when you were looking for a male voice to collaborate with on the song and also when you were writing the song, did it always have the feel of seeing it as a duet with a male artist?
“The song didn’t start off as a duet, my producer or it might have been my publisher actually, said this would sound cool as a duet and I thought, yeah, oh my gosh, that would be so cool. I think it’s just the subject matter feeling like it’s a really practical song where you are just getting used to this new life which you stepped into where you are used to calling them all the time and regardless of who is the breaker and who has been broken up with, you both feel that adjustment period so if felt like it could go both ways. Dustin is someone that I got to sing background vocals on his record so I knew him, he’s such a good guy that has been so great to me then he’s an emotional guy and with the texture in his voice, it just felt like he would be able to convey the emotion in the right way that the song needed. I had the song so I text it to him, saying hey do you want to sing this with me and he said yes so, I was really grateful for that, I just knew it needed to be somebody that would bring the right emotion to it.”
This project comes two years after you put ‘Slide’ out there is a theme that runs through the six tracks. You don’t really want to badge things and have “THIS IS A BREAKUP ALBUM” in big flashing lights but that is what it is. Were you purely writing towards that as the theme or, hopefully you haven’t had too many big emotional breakups but were any of them songs that you had ideas for and had been kicking around for a while?
“I think the first song that I knew was definitely going on was ‘Middle of the Bed’ and I had this idea for a while when it came from this real moment where I was off a breakup and I was lying in bed thinking I’ve got this, I’ve got all of this room in the bed, I feel strong, I can do this and am empowered. Then in the middle of the night, I woke up and almost forgot we broke up and thought where is he? This was such a niche, small, zoomed in moment which felt very bizarre and weird so, I remember writing it down and thinking I want to write a song about this so, that was the first one. To write this themed album, it really takes place in the snapshot of my life which was really hard but there was so much evolution and I think the most that I learned in this few year period where I left this big love, I was on my own, I was trying to figure it out and by the end of the EP was when I met my husband, where you get this full circle and you end up where you are supposed to be. Sometimes they say, don’t let your boyfriend keep you from your husband, it was that kind of feeling, it was a difficult period and for me as a writer, I find having an outside perspective helps me write the situations a little bit better because you can look at it from all angles and you have a better perspective after the fact rather than when you’re in the deep of it,”
You talked about the change between the start and the end of the EP, where it rounds off with the title track which when you see it written down with the brackets, it’s a long one but as a song, it does tell people who you are. You’re saying that’s right I am not going to be the “girl next door” but equally I’m not a million miles away from her.
“Exactly and when I wrote that song, I just knew that was the title because it expands on this evolution kind of period of acceptance of who you are but also in general, my brand and who I am, you get a sense of what I’m standing for. It’s like feeling on the outside, I didn’t feel like I fit in totally or my family weren’t perfect like everyone else’s, I just felt like the next house down and was very, insecure is the wrong word but uncomfortable in that position. Then I met somebody who said that is my favourite thing about you, I like that you are not like all of the other girls, you have some edge, some grit and some fight to you, which I love about you. There is a lot of self-acceptance which I love to write about because I love that journey of finding yourself and embracing who you are, I think that’s really important.”
“The song didn’t start off as a duet, my producer or it might have been my publisher actually, said this would sound cool as a duet and I thought, yeah, oh my gosh, that would be so cool. I think it’s just the subject matter feeling like it’s a really practical song where you are just getting used to this new life which you stepped into where you are used to calling them all the time and regardless of who is the breaker and who has been broken up with, you both feel that adjustment period so if felt like it could go both ways. Dustin is someone that I got to sing background vocals on his record so I knew him, he’s such a good guy that has been so great to me then he’s an emotional guy and with the texture in his voice, it just felt like he would be able to convey the emotion in the right way that the song needed. I had the song so I text it to him, saying hey do you want to sing this with me and he said yes so, I was really grateful for that, I just knew it needed to be somebody that would bring the right emotion to it.”
This project comes two years after you put ‘Slide’ out there is a theme that runs through the six tracks. You don’t really want to badge things and have “THIS IS A BREAKUP ALBUM” in big flashing lights but that is what it is. Were you purely writing towards that as the theme or, hopefully you haven’t had too many big emotional breakups but were any of them songs that you had ideas for and had been kicking around for a while?
“I think the first song that I knew was definitely going on was ‘Middle of the Bed’ and I had this idea for a while when it came from this real moment where I was off a breakup and I was lying in bed thinking I’ve got this, I’ve got all of this room in the bed, I feel strong, I can do this and am empowered. Then in the middle of the night, I woke up and almost forgot we broke up and thought where is he? This was such a niche, small, zoomed in moment which felt very bizarre and weird so, I remember writing it down and thinking I want to write a song about this so, that was the first one. To write this themed album, it really takes place in the snapshot of my life which was really hard but there was so much evolution and I think the most that I learned in this few year period where I left this big love, I was on my own, I was trying to figure it out and by the end of the EP was when I met my husband, where you get this full circle and you end up where you are supposed to be. Sometimes they say, don’t let your boyfriend keep you from your husband, it was that kind of feeling, it was a difficult period and for me as a writer, I find having an outside perspective helps me write the situations a little bit better because you can look at it from all angles and you have a better perspective after the fact rather than when you’re in the deep of it,”
You talked about the change between the start and the end of the EP, where it rounds off with the title track which when you see it written down with the brackets, it’s a long one but as a song, it does tell people who you are. You’re saying that’s right I am not going to be the “girl next door” but equally I’m not a million miles away from her.
“Exactly and when I wrote that song, I just knew that was the title because it expands on this evolution kind of period of acceptance of who you are but also in general, my brand and who I am, you get a sense of what I’m standing for. It’s like feeling on the outside, I didn’t feel like I fit in totally or my family weren’t perfect like everyone else’s, I just felt like the next house down and was very, insecure is the wrong word but uncomfortable in that position. Then I met somebody who said that is my favourite thing about you, I like that you are not like all of the other girls, you have some edge, some grit and some fight to you, which I love about you. There is a lot of self-acceptance which I love to write about because I love that journey of finding yourself and embracing who you are, I think that’s really important.”
When I listened to the project, the song which I fell in love with straight away is ‘Bar Fight’ because lyrically that first verse is so good. That lyric about your mind being a designated driver where you can have one drink and be restrained, then “but my heart is a hurricane for hire, she’s drunk and belligerent looking for a cigarette” is an absolutely killer line so I love that. I think the idea of the song is really cool, when you see the title, people may have an idea what the song may be about but when you listen it isn’t about the argumentative nature of a breakup, it’s the internal perspective which I think is really fresh.
“Yeah, thank you so much. I think songwriter wise I’m most proud of that one, I love that song and it makes me want to cry. There’s this desperation to it where there is this mind that is trying to emotionally regulate the heart which is out of control and I think we have all been there. Like you said, the argument is happening internally and I think it can get really ugly in there, I don’t know about you but my mind can be an ugly kind of place so, to have that push and pull of what is best for you, I think a lot of people can relate to.”
Lastly, I’m going to go back in time to that dark part of all of our lives and bring up the dreaded pandemic in 2020 which like a lot of people was when I first really discovered you as an artist when you took a song that you wrote with Tina Parol, David Thompson and Patricia Conroy in front of Shane McAnally and Lady A, then the next thing you know, it becomes ‘Champagne Night’ and a number one song. In a way the fact that everyone was sat at home scrolling away helped give that the platform because more people would have seen Songland or at least the clips on socials which introduced you to a lot more people rather just knowing the song as a Lady A track.
“I really think the timing of that whole thing was too crazy and just the way that it all landed but even the getting on the show, I was connected with this casting director who heard one of my songs years before and did this whole audition process for this NBC show that never got made. I forgot about it and years later, they reach out asking did I want to be on this show and my flight was tomorrow so, it was just this whirlwind and like ok, God whatever you say, I’m just going to go for this. I remember showing thinking, ok I get to sing on tv, I could never have imagined that I would win, they would put it to radio, it would go number one and that I would get a record deal. The domino effect of this song which you’re so right, started life in a random house on music row. I think we we’re listening to Luke Combs and thought let’s write something like the put your drink in the air, you know a little song about having a good time but completely changed my life. It was such an incredible experience of getting to write with Shane and that show in general it was great and I think you’re right about the pandemic and maybe people needed that uplifting, fun, escapism kind of song in that really dark time.”
“Yeah, thank you so much. I think songwriter wise I’m most proud of that one, I love that song and it makes me want to cry. There’s this desperation to it where there is this mind that is trying to emotionally regulate the heart which is out of control and I think we have all been there. Like you said, the argument is happening internally and I think it can get really ugly in there, I don’t know about you but my mind can be an ugly kind of place so, to have that push and pull of what is best for you, I think a lot of people can relate to.”
Lastly, I’m going to go back in time to that dark part of all of our lives and bring up the dreaded pandemic in 2020 which like a lot of people was when I first really discovered you as an artist when you took a song that you wrote with Tina Parol, David Thompson and Patricia Conroy in front of Shane McAnally and Lady A, then the next thing you know, it becomes ‘Champagne Night’ and a number one song. In a way the fact that everyone was sat at home scrolling away helped give that the platform because more people would have seen Songland or at least the clips on socials which introduced you to a lot more people rather just knowing the song as a Lady A track.
“I really think the timing of that whole thing was too crazy and just the way that it all landed but even the getting on the show, I was connected with this casting director who heard one of my songs years before and did this whole audition process for this NBC show that never got made. I forgot about it and years later, they reach out asking did I want to be on this show and my flight was tomorrow so, it was just this whirlwind and like ok, God whatever you say, I’m just going to go for this. I remember showing thinking, ok I get to sing on tv, I could never have imagined that I would win, they would put it to radio, it would go number one and that I would get a record deal. The domino effect of this song which you’re so right, started life in a random house on music row. I think we we’re listening to Luke Combs and thought let’s write something like the put your drink in the air, you know a little song about having a good time but completely changed my life. It was such an incredible experience of getting to write with Shane and that show in general it was great and I think you’re right about the pandemic and maybe people needed that uplifting, fun, escapism kind of song in that really dark time.”
Thank you so much for your time this morning, it’s been really cool because your awesome to chat with and I love what you do so I’ve wanted to talk to you for ages.
“Thank you, I’m glad that we made it happen but I hate that I was hiding from your for so long.”
I think it’s been more the timing around release cycles type thing and that you haven’t been over here yet but you are one of the few people in Nashville and especially amongst Team Canada, who has hasn’t come across the pond to see us. Fingers crossed that is something which you hope to change though?
“I’m dying to come over, I’ve so many great things about C2C so would love to get over there for that and not just that festival but the UK audience in general with how people are loving stories and that’s like my favourite thing ever. I want to play over there so bad so I’ve told my management and my agent that it’s going to be the year go get over there so I hope so, I really want to get over there and I think it would be so much fun. I’ve never been there before so, I’m dying to come.”
ONE HOUSE DOWN (from the girl next door) tracklisting:
“Thank you, I’m glad that we made it happen but I hate that I was hiding from your for so long.”
I think it’s been more the timing around release cycles type thing and that you haven’t been over here yet but you are one of the few people in Nashville and especially amongst Team Canada, who has hasn’t come across the pond to see us. Fingers crossed that is something which you hope to change though?
“I’m dying to come over, I’ve so many great things about C2C so would love to get over there for that and not just that festival but the UK audience in general with how people are loving stories and that’s like my favourite thing ever. I want to play over there so bad so I’ve told my management and my agent that it’s going to be the year go get over there so I hope so, I really want to get over there and I think it would be so much fun. I’ve never been there before so, I’m dying to come.”
ONE HOUSE DOWN (from the girl next door) tracklisting:
- Broken Heart Thing (feat. Dustin Lynch) (Madeline Merlo, James McNair, Michael Tyler, Lalo Guzman, Zach Crowell)
- Bar Fight (Madeline Merlo, Seth Mosley, Claire Douglas)
- Same Car (Madeline Merlo, Sara Haze, Jason Saenz, Zach Crowell, Josh Osborne)
- Middle of the Bed (Madeline Merlo, Sam Ellis, Kyle Sturrock)
- Good Grief (Madeline Merlo, Jimmy Robbins, Anna Vaus, Micah Carpenter)
- One House Down (from the girl next door) (Madeline Merlo, Seth Mosley, Emily Weisband, James McNair)
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