NEW EP ~ MOTHERSHIP ~TO BE RELEASED APRIL 28, 2023
Hometown Record Release Show – get tickets here
(Portland, OR) – April 11, 2023 – As the album release for Portland, OR based Dream-Pop Singer/Songwriter MADISENXOXO nears, a planned record release party/show has been set for April 20th at Holocene in Portland (1001 Southeast Morrison Street, Portland, OR 97214). Heart founder and lead guitarist, Nancy Wilson will join in the festivities, taking the stage with Madisen at the Thursday evening show. MADISENXOXO’s Mothership EP is set for release on April 28th via Pack Records. MADISENXOXO is exclusively managed by Roadcase Management, a new company formed last year by Heart’s Wilson along with her husband, music industry vet Geoff Bywater.
Madisen grew up in Portland and attended college in town – graduating with a Bachelors in music/Jazz and also a masters in computer science with her focus on software engineering at Portland State University. In addition to that Oregon connection, Nancy also has her own Portland roots. She attended Pacific University in Forest Grove for one year, majoring in art and German, before transferring to Portland State as well. And both of Nancy’s parents are also originally from Oregon (her father from Corvallis, and her mother from Oregon City). The Oregon roots grow deep for both artists.
While pursuing studies in advanced computer science at college – she also started writing her own original music. When the 2020 halt to everyone’s lives happened, Madisen and partner/producer, Josh Horine began recording her backlog of songs. She posted a behind-the-scenes look at the process of making one tune, the swerving, beat-heavy electro tune “Baby in Blue,” to TikTok. Unexpectedly, the video went mildly viral. When Hallberg posted the entire song on Spotify, it continued to rack up streams (currently over 5 million.)
Her latest single “When I’m Dreaming” alternates between brooding R&B and brisk, stuttering acoustic rock. The combination serves as her MO finding Madisen combining disparate sounds and textures in adventurous and surprising ways throughout her sophomore effort, Mothership. Produced by her long-time collaborator/now-fiancé Josh Horine, these five songs find the artist dipping into pop, rock, folk, and electronic music. Her previous single “You’re So Pretty,” followed the introductory first track and video from Mothership which perfectly set the tone for the whole project – aptly titled, “Control Freak.
“When we were making all these songs, we were exploring different genres and ideas,” Madisen says. “We weren’t limited by any certain sounds. Somehow it ended up being cohesive together in a really cool way that I didn’t expect. I think it was really good for me to branch out and lose focus—in a good way.”
Madisen grew up listening to the ’70s soft rock artists her parents loved—including the Carpenters, Chicago and Bread—and started piano lessons at age four, after showing early interest in the instrument. While in high school, she studied classical piano and then choral music, which led to her performing with her college’s chamber choir. “That’s where I really fell in love with harmonies and singing together with other people,” Madisen explains. “I’ve tried to incorporate that a lot in my music. I love the way people’s voices meld together.”
That love of 70’s rock portends Madisen’s unexpected connection to rock icon Nancy Wilson, who celebrates 50 years in the music business with the launch of her new venture – Roadcase Managment, an Artist Management company. “After so many years of being an artist in this business, I would love to use my experience to help elevate other talented and deserving musicians.”
Get tickets for April 20th Mothership celebration show at Holocene in Portland, here
Stream the new track here.
Mothership EP Tracklist:
1) Control Freak
2) You’re So Pretty
3) Paper Wings
4) Mothership
5) When I’m Dreaming
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