“You can throw me out onto the stage in sweatpants and I’d be happy,” muses American singer-songwriter Madison Beer who was in town just last week for her tour stop in Singapore. A sense of self-assuredness sits with Beer as she perches herself at the end of the holding room’s sofa, knees pressed against her chest and nearly bare-faced, even as she goes through a round of press for her newly-released album and ‘The Encore’ tour. One look at the pop singer’s Instagram account and this might come off as a refreshing surprise, considering her bombshell make-up looks that often proliferate her feed. But as Beer herself reveals to us, she’s as human as the rest of us are.
It’s easy enough to believe that at some point in her career, the pop star with over 39 million followers on her Instagram had driven herself to certain perfection. From one viral Internet moment to the next, Beer has undeniably come face-to-face with the mounting pressures of her fame. “I used to be crazy. Like 30 minutes before the show, everyone would need to get out of the room so I could do my vocal warm ups, practise every little beat and make sure my outfit was perfect. But I’ve learned to just let things go.”
Now, her virality is self-made. If she wants to play, she simply goes for it. Her most recent projects stand as razor-sharp proof of this; be it the Jennifer’s Body-inspired music video for ‘Make You Mine’ or the fun dance beat of ‘15 Minutes’. But when she wants to slow it down? Beer has made it clear that there’s plenty of room for those moments too. “I really enjoy singing those (slow) songs, because I think they’re the emotional ones that people have connected with the most.”
To mark her first-ever concert on our local shores, Vogue Singapore speaks to Beer about how she feels about performing these days, her most underrated tunes and what time off from touring will look like when she’s back home.
You’ve most recently released ‘15 Minutes’. Could you tell us more about the song?
Yeah, it’s just a super fun song that I really enjoyed making. I wanted to just do something that was similar to ‘Make You Mine’, but like, its own thing. I feel like we achieved that, which is ’15 Minutes’, and it’s just a really fun dance song.
We loved the Jennifer’s Body-inspired MV for ‘Make You Mine’. What brought it on?
I’ve always wanted to do a Jennifer’s Body-inspired music video or movie or just, anything. My fans always say that they think I look like her so I had always been apprehensive, because I don’t want people to think just because I did it, it means I think I look like her. But this song had the right energy for it, and I was like, let’s just do it. And people really liked it. The video is so awesome and it was so fun to make.
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What does performing mean to you these days?
I don’t take it too seriously. Not that I don’t take it seriously but I don’t take it too seriously because this is just a concert, and it’s meant to be fun. I think some people get really intense before they go on stage, which I respect because everyone needs to do their own thing, but I think for me, you can throw me out onto the stage in sweatpants and I’d be happy. So I don’t really do too much to prepare.
Is that a mindset that you’ve grown to adopt in recent years?
I think what we do is important; we make people happy and make music, but ultimately, we’re not solving cancer here. I’ve come to realise that I don’t need to take it so seriously. So I’ve learned to let things go and be more chill about everything. I used to be crazy. Like 30 minutes before the show, everyone would need to get out of the room so I could do my vocal warm ups, practise every little beat and make sure my outfit was perfect. But I’ve learned to just let things go. If I fall, I’m human. If I do a bad note, I’m human. I don’t really care in the same way anymore. And I think that’s actually made my performances better, because I’m not in my head the whole time. I’m just kind of in the present. Whatever happens, happens.
Any personal favourite segments in your setlist?
I think I’ve bettered my relationship with the slow part of the setlist. I used to dread it a bit, because I felt like people were bored during, because obviously no one’s dancing and everyone is just sort of watching. So I always felt like I was boring people. But now I really enjoy singing those songs, because I think they’re the most emotional ones that people have probably connected with the most. So I’ve learnt to really enjoy that part.
Is there a song on your discography you secretly wished had more attention—and if so, why does it hold a special place in your heart?
Of course I’m biased, so there are a lot of songs that I would love for more people to listen to, or for them to be more popular. But I think my song ‘Envy the Leaves’, is my favourite song I’ve ever written, and I think it’s my best work lyrically. So I wish that one was bigger. But a lot of my real, true fans actually love that song. They scream so loud when it starts. So yeah, I wish that one was maybe a bit bigger, because it also has a really beautiful meaning behind it. It’s about wanting a simple life and wanting peace. It’s so hypnotising and I always feel like a siren when I’m singing it.
Let’s talk songwriting. How do you know when inspiration has struck, and how do you usually approach the writing process?
I try to be really patient with myself and not force things. When I’m inspired or when I feel like something has resonated with me, I try to act on it, even if people around me don’t get it. But I’ve curated a team around me who gets it, and the people I make music with right now really lets me experiment and let me flow and follow my thoughts. And if it doesn’t work out in the end, that’s okay. That’s been really, really helpful to me.
What have you been up to whilst in Singapore?
I went to Sentosa, did the cable car, did a zip line. I also went to the beach club, ate really good food, and I was just kind of relaxing prior to my concert. It felt like a vacation. My friend lives here, so I also had a nice home-cooked Singaporean meal.
I’m sure you’re wanting to take it easy after your album release and the tour.
Yeah, I’m going to take a break from touring and travelling, but I’m gonna get home and start writing within a week. But that’s not really the part of my job that is like work to me because I really enjoy it. All I’m going to do is sit in a room on a couch with my friends and write this next album. I’ll just wake up in the morning, go to the studio, go back home. Maybe some one-off shows here and there, but that’s about it.
