“The Madame” is the brainchild of Madison Daley, an instrumentalist and vocalist from the sunshine state. Performing in theatrical productions, writing her own music, working as a staff photographer, and creating film projects, Daley has worked in nearly every artistic medium.
She has been working in the NYC music scene since 2015 and officially made the city her home in 2019 after graduating with a degree in Music Business from the University of Colorado Denver. Her latest creative endeavor is the creation of her musical stage persona, Madame Daley.
Madame Daley exists at the intersection of Madison’s love for glamorous fashion and gritty rock n roll, her affinity for drag queens and broadway musicals, her nostalgia for the Daley family’s multi-generational history with the city of New York, her all out devotion to the music legends of the 20th century and her never ending appreciation for the power of women and femininity.
Working with Plaid Dog Recording in Boston, Daley crowdfunded her debut single “Annie, Sing Your Heart Out Anyway” in early 2020 and the remainder of the EP in the fall of 2021. She recently joined forces with three NYC based musicians to form the Starchild Band. Madame Daley and the Starchild band take great pride in being an all woman and lgbqt+ group. They began performing together in NYC in May of 2022 to many enthusiastic audiences and cannot wait to perform the Madame’s new music very soon.
Where have you performed? What are your favorite and least favorite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows?
I have performed all over the city. Last year I performed 46 gigs by myself. This year has been amazing because I finally got to perform with a full band as I had always dreamed of. We have shows in the NYC area all the time! I have to shoutout Haswell Green’s in particular since we have a Monday Night residency there 🙂
In your opinion, how do artists in this industry stay on top of the game when faced with so much competition? What’s the secret to making yourself noticed?
Finding something that makes you unique. You are an artist after all! I think many forget that. When you are a music artist, you are not just a guitarist or vocalist, you are an artist creating something that is all encompassing. Your music videos, social media content, merch, etc. are all more opportunities to express yourself as an artist. I don’t love how people view these things as a chore in some cases. If you have a point of view, something you wanna share, then do what you can in every facet to put it out there.
If you could change anything about the industry, what would it be?
My song ‘Teenage Girls Made Rock n Roll’ says it all. Women in music aren’t respected on stage, backstage, or in the audience. Sure we’ve come a long way but it’s not enough. There are MAJOR festivals where only 10% of their lineup consists of groups that have one or more women in them.
Has your musical journey had a deliberate direction or did it simply gradually evolve in whatever direction it found?
Madame Daley is very much curated and deliberate.
Have you always been interested in music? Was there a particular song/performance that made you say “Woah! I want to do that!”?
I always think back to Lady Gaga’s 2009 VMA performance of Paparazzi and watching it in my family’s living room live. It was something I had never seen before. The crowd’s reaction to the fake blood and how mind-blowing the whole thing was so exciting. I had always loved theatre but seeing it be performed in an entirely different way with pop music was just so damn cool.
What are your musical plans for the next 12 months or so?
My band and I want to continue to expand our reporiote for our Jukebox Circus shows and eventually write together.
What inspires your writing? Do you draw inspiration from poems, music, TV, or other media?
Movies and TV definitely inspire me. Breakfast on Pluto was a major player in the creation of the Madame. I think as a kid seeing School of Rock was super powerful and I didn’t even realise it. Showing kids that they can have creative freedom and autonomy was not commonplace. I especially have always loved the line “Everybody wants to party with Aretha!” That sentiment is something I relate to, trying to create a larger than life persona that gets people excited.
Was anyone else involved in writing, recording, or producing the songs?
I worked with Mike Davidson, owner of Plaid Dog Studios in Boston! He is a super talented guy and truly cares about all the artists he works with!
How do you advertise your music?
Content. Content. Content. Luckily I come from a video/photo/graphic design background and I use those skills constantly for my music. I actually created the EP cover art.
Do you plan your music releases, or do you just finish a song and release it?
Plan. Always.
What was the last thing you dressed up as for fancy dress?
I did a Madame-ifed version of the Mad Hatter for Harryween at MSG!
As a kid were you ever frightened of a monster under the bed or in the cupboard?
As a kid I was scared of pretty much everything haha
Are you a valuable asset on a Pub Quiz team?
Yes because of how much useless pop culture knowledge I have haha
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