The World As Her Canvas: An Interview With MADiSON ViOLETT
Fusing the nostalgia of 2000’s post-hardcore with innovative metalcore and pop-punk of the 2020’s, MADiSON ViOLETT is an up-and-coming force to be reckoned with. Based out of Los Angeles, she emerged into the modern metal scene at age 17 in 2025 with her anthemic and climactic debut single ‘Circling’. Emotionally charged, carried by hard hitting vocals, catchy riffs, and intelligent lyrics, it is a quintessential must-listen track for all fond of the genre.
At only four years old, she had discovered her undeniable love for music and began her life centered around performance and writing, carrying her countless experiences and previous momentum into her solo project. Her music is relevant to the listener, lyrics are heartfelt and real, and her sounds are artistically crafted to convey her message to a point. She has always written her music outside of the proverbial box- rather, she doesn’t allow cultural music genres to restrict her. To her, it is about the story; the narration, and contributions to the world. Her music is indeed like no other.
We had a chance to catch up with Madison and hear what she had to say.
Having discovered your love for music at only four years old, can you share an early memory that cemented your desire to pursue a life centered around performance and writing?
I’d like to say that I was born with a love for music. I’ve been exposed to music my entire life, and funny enough, none of my immediate family members are musicians, but they made sure that I was surrounded by it throughout my childhood. Thankfully, I grew up in a household with very supportive parents, and no matter what I showed a liking towards or what I wanted to pursue they were there to help me and to encourage it- I’m very grateful for that and frankly it’s how I’m where I’m at today. Since I displayed a liking for music at such a young age, my mom was there to immerse me into the world of music as soon as possible, and by the time I was three or four years old, I had been a part of several musical theater productions, vocal/dance recital shows, talent shows, and generally a lot of performing on stage as a very young child.
I grew up in Southern California and there’s this big auditorium near my hometown named Bridges Auditorium at Pomona College that held a multiple thousand person capacity, and an interesting fact about this place- I believe Taylor Swift had a tour stop at this location early on into her career. This location was where a lot of my musical experience began, and because of that, I was immersed into the world of a professional stage experience very early on. When I would perform on this stage, I would have the bright spot light shining on me, and on stages like these, the lights are so bright that you can’t see the audience. So no matter what happens, you have to just perform your heart out. Once I felt the warmth of that stage light on me; the feeling of euphoria from showing everybody in that audience what I love to do, I just knew that I wanted to continue chasing that feeling using music and performance for the rest of my life. As I grew older, I held onto that and never let go. From then, I’ve just seen my future in the world of music ever since then.
You emerged into the modern metal scene at age 17 in 2025; how did your earlier experiences and momentum prepare you for that debut?
Again, when I began performing at age four, It was primarily musical theatre and recitals. Around age 7-8, I started listening to a lot of singer-songwriter music, and that led me to wanting to learn guitar myself so I could begin writing my own material. I asked my dad if I could try out a toy small scale acoustic guitar that he bought, and I instantly fell in love. I started guitar lessons at a music studio, and this studio was less singer-songwriter oriented but more alternative and rock oriented. During my beginning guitar years, I was exposed to alternative music especially during events where students would come together to perform one singular song just to have that experience of playing in a band together. I feel like that in of itself was very crucial to my growth as a writer and as a musician. From this program, I met a lot of other students who had the same goals as I did, and eventually I began playing in bands. Around 11-12, I started off doing small gigs such as coffee shops, bars, or events at the music studio. Through this, I realized I wanted to take it more serious and started exploring larger venues all around Hollywood and Southern California in general. I eventually began performing up to three times a week- a different venue every gig. By the time I was 15, I had written an EP and had that work produced with a band.
Unfortunately, this project didn’t end up working out, but I didn’t let it stop me and therefore I continued holding on to my dream. If I am dedicated to something, I will persevere no matter what and I will continue listening to my heart.
I started this current project from that point. I still have a long way to go, but this is just the beginning and I know from my past experience that substantial things come with time. You just have to remember to keep your dreams close to your chest and never lose sight of what you want to become.
You fuse the nostalgia of 2000’s post-hardcore with innovative metalcore and pop-punk of the 2020’s. Who are some of the 2000s artists that influence your music, and which modern artists inspire your innovative metalcore sound?
I’m in love with 2000s alternative music, as it’s what made me fall in love with becoming an alternative artist. Bands such as My Chemical Romance, A Day To Remember, Sleeping With Sirens, and Bring Me The Horizon are insanely important to how and what I write. This era had a rawness to it that was unique to its time, and I want to capture that and reshape it in the art I create. I want it to embody a familiar and enjoyable nostalgia, yet at the same time, innovation and a new sound that nobody’s ever heard before.
I can’t talk about my inspirations without talking about how important female-fronted 2000s bands were to me, as just seeing these bands were crucial to my growth as a musician since rock and metal are insanely male dominated. As a little girl it was incredible seeing this kind of representation, because they were a reminder that my dreams are possible. I love Paramore and Evanescence, and I’d like to say that without the influence of Williams and Lee I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing.
Regarding metal, I believe that the art you create should be something you’re truly passionate about, and that’s why I’m having so much fun exploring that genre during this project. A couple of my favorite bands as of recent are Spiritbox, Dying Wish (both female fronted too!), Thornhill, Loathe, and Erra. One of the main factors besides the enjoyability of it that made me fall in love with metal is the show experience- you can’t replicate the feeling of standing in a GA section at a venue and just feeling the music in your bones. I want to capture that feeling in this project, as I take inspiration from bands who’ve changed my perception on the live music experience.
The song "Counting Daggers" explores themes of conquering mental health struggles such as depression and anxiety. What inspired you to choose this profound lyrical subject matter for the track?
Mental health awareness is absolutely crucial in today’s world, because when there’s a lot of difficulty going on in our lives, we tend to sideline our health which ultimately leads to things worsening. We lose sight of what makes us truly content and instead resort to short, temporary fixes to get us over a ‘bump’ instead of putting effort towards living a fulfilling and enjoyable life.
Regarding this song, I do have a history of pretty severe anxiety and OCD. The combination of these two lead to extensive obsessing which result in intense bouts of hopelessness and feelings of isolation. This obsession makes everything seem like a never-ending bottomless pit; something you can never figure out no matter how hard you try. This can lead to panic attacks, especially regarding that haunting feeling of isolation and loneliness because nobody understands what you’re feeling and there’s nothing you can do about it.
I wrote this song to encapsulate that experience of having panic attacks due to obsession and spiraling, because, truly, there is something you can do about it and luckily there are a lot of people feeling the same way. This song is the embodiment of “you’re not alone”, and I want to utilize it to remind listeners that it’s okay to not be okay- and there’s hope. It may seem dark and grim, but that’s just the anxiety doing what it does best. There’s hope, and this song is evidence that there’s at least one other person feeling the same way.
What advice would you give to a young musician just starting out?
Music at its core is an art form, so use music as your paint and use the world as your canvas. However, we are human and we make mistakes- such as an unintentional brushstroke. But don’t let your mistakes eat at you. If anything, mistakes give you first-hand experience on what to improve on and how to grow. Self-doubt can become your own greatest enemy, and make it seem like your journey is over. Art is about development and keeping on going. There’s going to be some songs or lyrics that you look back on and don’t like anymore, and that’s okay. Think of where those pieces brought you to where you are and how those mistakes taught you new things that may have improved your future works.
In general, the most important thing is to never lose sight of your dreams. Don’t let anything obstruct you from what you were made to pursue- and most importantly, don’t let anyone tell you that anything is impossible. There’s a lot of people out there who may want to dim your creative light for whatever reason, and you have to accept that fact, but you can’t let that stop you. If anything, it’s fuel to keep on going and show them that they’re wrong for doubting you. A big thing for me is to remember what you started doing this for, and to not lose sight of that.
Anyone you'd like to thank?
My producer, Jonathan, who’s incredibly talented and has produced/engineered all of the music for this project. @audiomech
My parents, who’ve supported me through my musical journey throughout my life. Whether it be musical theatre or metalcore, they’ve never wavered their support for anything that I put my heart into. They’re always there to make the first step in making sure that I’ve got everything I need to pursue.
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