Maddie Zahm has spent the last few years building a reputation as one of pop music’s most brutally honest songwriters.
But if fans think her upcoming album is about finally figuring it all out, Zahm says they’ve missed the point.
The singer-songwriter is preparing to release his second album, All the timeSeptember 25, and the project embraces something many people spend years trying to avoid: the realization that growth never really stops.
Alongside the album announcement, Zahm released the title track “Everything All The Time”, which sets the tone for a record that focuses less on finding answers and more on learning to live with the questions.
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PopCrush caught up with Zahm to talk about the new album, the biggest misconceptions people have about her, and why she’s learned to embrace life’s “spins.”
If Maddie who wrote “Fat Funny Friend” sat down with Maddie who did Everything All the Time, what would they argue about?
Maddie Zahm: Dead a– I had to think about this question for a while. Honestly, I think they would argue about her need to tell everyone all her secrets and deepest feelings.
Sometimes things are in the back of your mind and the relief you feel opening up in that moment does NOT outweigh the anxiety of wondering if you opened up to the right person.
Growth is not a finish line on this album. What is a lesson you thought you had mastered that keeps popping up as an unwanted sequel?
Maddie Zahm: Oh god, enough of my need to parent. I spend most of my time mulling over mistakes I made when I was twenty-three and delving into what they mean to me and my character. Sometimes it’s okay to say “this just didn’t work out” and move on instead of making myself a 12-step plan on how to be a better person next time, or sending a DM to someone I think I may have offended twelve years ago.
What is it that people assume they know about you from your music that is completely wrong?
Maddie Zahm: Probably me being this seriously serious trauma dump, haha. I actually spend most of my time outside of my music, goofing off or TopGolfing.
Sometimes I struggle to be intimate with those closest to me because I feel connected through humor and lightness. Especially recently.
If All the time was a physical place someone could walk into, what would they find there?
Maddie Zahm: Their favorite TV show from childhood, trinkets and a whole lot of cozy food.
Social media rewards certainty, but your songwriting often lives in the gray areas. Do you ever feel like the internet and good art want the opposite of you?
Maddie Zahm: 100%. However, I think the community of people I’ve built with my music are all black and white thinkers with very gray realities. I used to love straight lines, but now I prefer doodles. They are prettier anyway.
What’s next for Maddie Zahm?
All the time arrives September 25 via MNRK Nashville. To celebrate the release, Zahm will head overseas for dates in the UK and Amsterdam before launching a US headline tour this fall.
Fans can also stream her new single, “Everything All The Time,” now.
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Gallery Credit: Ellen Wulfhorst, Katrina Sirotta
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