Interview: MADELEINE on Her Influences, Creative Process & New Music

We're thrilled to welcome one of London’s most exciting up-and-coming future soul artists, MADELEINE. She recently dropped her latest single, "Don't Lose Yourself", and honestly, I’ve been blown away by it for days. The creativity, the musicianship, and the incredible interplay between the players on this track, and across everything she’s released, are world-class. You can head over to her Stereofox artist profile to dive into her music and catch up on our previous features.

It was such a delight to chat with her and learn more about her life growing up surrounded by music, her influences, her creative process, and her genuine passion for what she does. So, without further ado, I’m happy to share our conversation with you.

Tell me a bit about you - where you grew up, and a moment that really pushed you towards music?

I feel extremely blessed to have grown up in a musical family, on the outskirts of London. It was such an influential time for me growing up, and absorbing the eclectic musical genres that I was lucky enough to hear from such a young age. Being so encouraged to pursue something so creative was extremely freeing for me, and something I try to embody in my music. My brother, John Jones, also features on bass guitar on most of my releases, so it’s always nice to have that feeling of home within the music. 

What’s shaped the musician you are today - whether that’s your upbringing, education, local scene, or the artists you love? And where do those influences show up in your sound?

The underground jazz scene in London has really influenced my artistry. There was honestly a point where I was at jams every single night, and it was super inspiring for me to really challenge myself in those spaces, feeling welcomed into this beautiful community of musicians. That sense of belonging, and just hearing the insane levels of musicianship around me, was extremely important. Also, I will always remember discovering the music of James Blake, Burial, and Hiatus Kaiyote during my time at The BRIT School. That was such an influential time for me, and these are all artists that I’ll always find myself coming back to.

If there’s one main thing you want people to take away from your music, what is it?

I’d love for people to feel something. It’s beautiful that people can listen to music and notice different things. There’s a songwriter/lyrical side to my music, which in many ways is a focal point, but it’s also incredibly beat-focused. Artists like Flying Lotus, Kiefer & Salami Rose Joe Louis have been SO influential to me when making this upcoming body of work, and it’s definitely rooted in a groove-centred space. Even if you just bop your head and feel the beats while listening to my music, that’s amazing.

What does making music and performing give you, personally?

Making music is honestly one of the biggest forms of therapy for me. Especially writing my own music. Being in that space is incredibly healing, sometimes helping me face things I haven’t been able to address in my life. It can be pretty deep, haha, but I guess that’s the point in some ways. Honing in on some kind of place you can’t really find in real life. It’s super spiritual. But sometimes it’s not even about that at all. Finding some chords that feel good over a groove, sometimes that’s what it’s all about. 

Performing is so fun because we’ll always have these super open, improvised moments, which is one of the most exciting things to explore live. You’re improvising with these musicians in this space, and it might never sound like that again! 

What’s your creative process like - what inspires you, and how do you usually approach writing or producing?

Exploring chords and their relationship with each other is so inspiring for me. How the tension or release between two chords can re-frame or re-contexualise the meaning of another. Finding the emotion within a chordal progression [at the piano] is often my starting point, and everything else often forms around that idea. Drums and beats also really inspire me, and that can also be such a fun starting point, just honing in on a beat and tryna find the perfect keys part that fits. 

J Dilla really opened a place in my heart for music like that, that more loop-based approach that you find in a lot of hip-hop records. Just a perfect 8 bars. Sometimes I like to just loop an idea and play it over and over again. It’s really fun creating this kind of vibe with live musicians, cause we’ll also embellish it, but at least that’s the starting point. 

What’s been a standout show or stage for you so far, and what made it memorable? 

O wow, this is a hard one for sure. I’ve been lucky enough to play piano with some incredible artists over the years ~ Olivia Dean, Jorja Smith, and Rachel Chinouriri, to name a few, and I’m forever grateful for these experiences. A highlight was playing with Olivia Dean last year [February 2025] for a month, touring around Australia. It was one of the most joyful tours I’ve ever done. 

But performing my own music always feels so different, because it’s so much more personal. Especially as I’m the sole composer for most of my music, it feels like I’m just being entirely myself. Honestly, one of my favourite gigs ever was my Woodburner Show [Dalston Curve Garden] a couple years back. This was one of my first headlines, and that space is so beautiful! Such a magical, outdoor space, and it always feels so intimate there. Honestly, it doesn’t feel like you’re in London at all, and the community vibe is so cute.

Is performing always high energy and fun, or have there been tougher moments too? How do you handle that balance?

This is something I actually talk about a lot. I had some major burnouts a few years back from touring - being on the road for months, sometimes even years at a time. Experiencing moments like that, I’ve learnt to be more vocal with my boundaries, and I’m clearer now with things I need personally if I’m going to be touring for that long. Finding that balance is extremely important, but also hard to achieve when you’re away from home. Looking after yourself is key, and finding your comforts while you’re out there helps so much. I’m always tryna achieve balance with everything in my life, although it’s easier said than done haha. 

What are some collaborations that have been the most exciting or pushed you the most creatively? 

Honestly, I would say my upcoming project has pushed me the most creatively. I’ll talk about this a little later, but I’m always trying to find ways of diving deeper into my own artistry, and this has really felt like one of those moments. 

Tell us a bit about your project with Women In Jazz. 

I was invited to contribute a track for the Women in Jazz Compilation Album Vol. 1, which came out last year. A couple of weeks before I got the message to jump on the project, I’d started sketching out a poem which felt extremely important to share; a poem for the children of Gaza. I took a bit more of a beat-style/producer approach for this one, and I just wanted to create a bed for the lyrics to float over the top, as the central meaning behind the song. I created ‘Dreamer’  in a super DIY approach, just me in my bedroom. It is a little crazy that I could even comment on something like that, from my house, but it felt extremely prevalent and something that can not be ignored. Free Palestine. 

Who is MADELEINE outside of music - what do you enjoy doing in your spare time, and what’s something that might surprise people about you?

It’s funny, music is literally what I do in my spare time, like making it or listening to it. I really try to do more active listening when I can - really listening to music, laying my ears on something that’s gonna inspire me, and that’s also challenging to listen to. Putting my energy into listening to an entire album, the way it was intended to be heard, from start to finish, especially WITH someone. Man, that is actually so special. 

Something that’s really important for me is also honestly seeing friends & family. Also, when I’m not on tour, the weekend is often a really central moment for me to absorb more electronic music, out on a soundsystem. I really love going out and seeing producers & DJs who I’ve been following for years, some absolute highlights to mention are Mia Koden & Re:ni. Both such incredible masters of their craft, and their selections are so fire. Such a joy to see them doing their thing, shout out to these gals!

“Don’t Lose Yourself” drops this Wednesday! What was going on in your life when you wrote it?

Yesss, ‘Don’t Lose Yourself’ landed on Wednesday! I’m so so proud of this one. This is the most fun I’ve ever had making a track, and I think you can hear it in the energy of this one. I was listening to A LOT of Salami Rose Joe Louis when I was making this, and she’s such a big inspiration for me. For those of you who don’t know her, she’s an absolute wizard - fellow keys player, vocalist & producer, on Brainfeeder. Have you guys heard her track, ‘We’re Dumb’? Prepare to get blown away. 

Anyway, I went into writing ‘Don’t Lose Yourself’ knowing that the chords were going to lead it all. When we tracked the drums & bass, I was actually playing a Wurlitzer at Lightship Studios, and I hadn’t finished writing the vocal, so we just focused on locking in the instrumental parts. It’s funny, it sounded sooo different with Wurli. Also, big shout-out to John Jones, my bro on bass, and Jack Robson on the drums, who brought absolute fire with this one. 

I was at home finishing off the track, as I often do on my own when finishing my songs, and I just muted the Wurli and was like, "Right, let’s mess with some different sounds on the Prophet". The moment I found that main chordal synth part, the energy of the song just shifted, and it really moved it into this more synth-centred world. You can actually hear some of the original Wurli in the song.

This track is a message of hope, strength, and warmth, ‘darling don’t lose yourself again’. I actually wrote this song for a friend of mine who was dealing with loss, and it was meant to feel like a warm hug. 

Can you give us a hint about what’s coming next?

I’m crazy excited to announce the release of my next body of work, entitled ‘Earth Cry’. It’s a six-track EP landing on the 17th June, and it’s honestly my proudest work to date. Earth Cry is essentially an exploration of humanity, vulnerability, hope, love for Mother Nature, and a call to save planet Earth. A plea for balance and sustainability. I’m incredibly excited to share the full project and reveal more about it soon. 

What’s next for MADELEINE? We see that you already have a busy summer coming up.

This summer is looking absolutely unreal, to be honest. It’s been a dream of mine to perform at We Out Here Festival, and I’m almost a bit emotional thinking about playing there for the first time this year, with my trio. It’s always the best vibe, and the lineup every year blows me away, so it feels super special to be a part of the performances this year. We’re also performing at Shambala Festival, which I’ve heard only the best things about. Come through and dance with us!  <3