Hangin’ with Madilyn Paige
Madilyn Paige is seriously one of the most talented, beautiful, and humble people I’ve ever met. We originally met on a film set of her music video, where I played the part of a very, very irate customer that took all my grievances on poor Madilyn. Later on, after being in a terrible car accident, Madilyn comes to my rescue.
It was an epic music video and we had an insane amount of fun. This led to an amazing friendship with an incredible human. Madilyn is so, so gifted in singing and has used her talents to bless the world. So many people have found healing through her music. After some amazing career opportunities leading her to be a contestant on “The Voice,” Madilyn has used her influence to do good in the world.
She is in the process of releasing single after single, one every month. And her song touches the soul. She has so much passion and love and wants others to come alive. We had a great time reliving old memories and talking about what’s in store for her now. Hope you enjoy the podcast!
Who Is Madilyn Paige ?
Madilyn Paige is a talented celebrity pop singer and songwriter. Her most famous and favorite songs are “Irreplaceable Madilyn Paige” and “Anymore.”
Born on May 18, 1997, in Provo, Utah, Madilyn is now 24 years old. While a teenager, Madilyn contested on NBC’s “The Voice.” And due to her incredible talent, she emerged among the top twenty finalists. The young and beautiful songwriter believes in hard work and resilience, but faith is her drive.
Her Music Career
As a child, Madilyn lived in Japan. She started her singing career when she returned to the US with her family, performing in numerous local competitions and winning many awards.
On February 22, 2014, at the age of 16 years, Paige auditioned for “The Voice,” singing “Titanium” by David Guetta. This particular performance made Usher and Shakira turn their chairs with amusement.
Madilyn decided to join Usher’s team through the Battle Rounds. During the 1st Battle Round, Paige sang “Everything Has Changed,” by Ed Sheeran, contesting against Tanner James.
In the 2nd round, Madilyn sang “I’ll Stand by You,” by The Pretenders, contesting against and losing to Bria Kelly. However, Paige got stolen by Blake and managed to continue to the playoffs. She then sang a song by Zedd, “Clarity.” Unfortunately, she got eliminated at this stage.
In an interview with LDS Living in 2014, Madilyn spoke candidly about her incredible experience on “The Voice.” Before joining “The Voice,” she claimed she was unsure and insecure about herself. The whole experience pushed her and invoked her courage, making her realize her capabilities.
It might have been a once-in-a-life experience, but it opened endless opportunities for the young, promising songwriter.
Songs
On November 1, 2014, Madilyn released her single original song, “Irreplaceable,” available on multiple music outlets, including iTunes and Soundcloud.
Her first video music was released in January 2015, and in February of the same year, Madilyn released her debut EP, with individual tracks available for iTunes-compatible devices.
The self-titled EP features an array of tunes hailed for stunning soundscapes and raw emotion. She wrote the album depicting her challenges as a teen and expressing the enthusiasm she finds in life.
The sound-rich “Irreplaceable” song begins with an achy navel-gazing and climaxes to the reassurance of self-worth. The “Foolish Game” is another beautiful song that Madilyn wrote after leaving “The Voice.” The song gives invaluable insights into discouragements in life. Her message is to give hope that you can rise above and beyond the games people play. Life is full of opportunities, but only the bold and courageous people can conquer. Sometimes you don’t realize your potential until you get pushed beyond your power.
“Undercover” combines powerful rhythms to create a breathtaking song composed to help you overcome sadness and seek light around you. Sometimes life is all about seeking positive energies. “Undercover”conveys a profound message about not allowing the opinion of others to weigh you down.
Another great track is “Little Things.” Often people break their backs working for “big” things in life. Talk of the sleepless nights chasing a dream car or a dream house. However, this song reminds us that little things in life matter the most. These are the things that give true joy.
Through her travels and performances, Madilyn often hears how teens struggle with depression and insecurities. This inspired the singer to come up with the Anymore album. The thoughtful album talks about the struggles of rectifying mistakes, not feeling worthy, working tirelessly, and becoming better.
She once participated in the prestigious Made in Utah Music Foundation August show as a tribute to the Beatles.
With persistence, determination, and courage, Madilyn gained international attention and sang with Highway Records.
Her Faith, Her Pillar
Madilyn is a staunch member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was her faith that kept the young pop musician hopeful. She had an opportunity to maintain her beliefs and values during her entire time on “The Voice.” Instead of a self-pity party and cursing, Madilyn turned the elimination from the contest into a positive, inspiring lesson. She got the courage to face the world and continued to pursue her dream with vigor and tenacity.
Interests
In addition to singing and songwriting, Madilyn enjoys making music videos and shooting short films with her friends.
Madilyn Paige Podcast Transcription
Charan: Hey, guys, welcome back to the Lemonade Stand Stories Podcast. I am your host, Charan Prabhakar. And oh my gosh, I’m just so delighted. I really am. I say that a lot. But I really am delighted today because in front of me is the lovely Madilyn Paige. And man, it’s interesting because friendships born under extreme circumstances, I’ve heard, can either crash and burn, which literally in a weird way, there was crashing and there was burning involved when we first met. But that crashing and burning feeling can also bind people together. Just really make them not that they’re welded together or anything that. But they just really get bound together because of this traumatic experience that they went through. Such was the case with Madilyn and myself.
Charan: I had, oh my gosh, the privilege to be in a music video that Madilyn stared in. She sang “Come unto Jesus.” It was her arrangement. And so she sang this hymn, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints produced this music video. And in the music video, there was this lovely, beautiful girl, Madilyn, who was singing about just Jesus, but she was also a waitress. And she accidentally spills some beverage onto a gentleman, who was furious, just absolutely furious. And so he lets her know, very, very vocally. And the next thing you know, he gets struck in an accident and the car’s on fire, and he happens to be underneath the car, and Madilyn finds him and saves him. I’m going to go ahead and pause for a second while you wipe away your tears. I’m done now. Anyway, the point is, Madilyn and I had that beautiful experience of doing that video together. I was yelling at her and I felt horrible. But anyway, that’s how we met. So, Madilyn, welcome.
Madilyn: Thank you.
Charan: How you doing?
Madilyn: Thanks for having me. I’ve been good.
Charan: Of course. Let’s talk about that day though, shall we? Because that was such a fun day for me anyway. But was it your first time doing a music video for the church?
Madilyn: I think it was. I think I’ve done a lot of stuff with the church, but as far as like an actual music video, the story line …
Charan: Because it was involved, there was acting involved.
Madilyn: That was the most acting I’d ever done before.
Charan: Are you serious?
Madilyn: Oh, yeah.
Charan: How was it? Do you like it?
Madilyn: Oh, yeah. I loved it. I love loved it. It was really cool. It was a very good learning experience for me because I had to remember — I’m so used to being Madilyn Paige; that was my brand. As a singer it’s all about your brand. And I’m just so used to Madilyn Paige That’s who I am. But in this case, I had to step out of that and put myself in the shoes of this waitress girl that I was supposed to be playing. I wasn’t Madilyn Paige anymore; I was a waitress. So it was the first time ever doing that.
Charan: Yeah, and the thing was, I remember they made you run a lot for that shoot. Like, run over and over to this car.
Madilyn: I got good exercise.
Charan: You really did. Meanwhile, I was sitting in the back just enjoying life, eating food.
Madilyn: I remember that. I remember that.
Charan: And I’m like, “Hey, Madilyn, you’re doing great. You really are doing great.” But how was that second da? Because the second day it was all about physical action and pulling me out of the car or underneath the ground or whatever. So how was that for you?
Madilyn: It was a blast. It was just a blast. Working with you is a blast, and I’m sure you feel the same way. Everybody there, everybody else that was in the cast and the crew was so nice.
Charan: So nice.
Madilyn: So fun to work with. We had to do a reshoot on another day.
Charan: We did.
Madilyn: And I was so happy about it because I got to see everybody again. And basically relive that day over again.
Charan: The whole experience.
Madilyn: So yeah, it was really fun.
Charan: It was such a fun shoot, like those are one of those shoots where you’re like, this is awesome, I love doing this job.
Madilyn: Oh, yeah. Absolutely.
Charan: And it was so cool, because I felt like the experience of it was awesome, but the video itself impacted a lot of people in a really positive way. So I loved that aspect. And the fact that that song, that arrangement, was so powerful. So interestingly enough, that was the first time I had ever heard of you. That was because of this music video I got cast in.
Madilyn Paige Talks About Getting Into Music
Charan: And so they said, “Hey, this is Madilyn Paige, and this is what she’s done.” And so I went on your YouTube channel and I started listening, and my ears felt they had become celestialized. My ears felt like that they were translated or something, because I was listening to the most beautiful music ever. And I could not believe that you could sing that well, and I got intimidated. I’m like, “Oh my gosh, can I sing?” I can’t. So I was, like, this is incredible. So how did you get into singing? Because then you’re also on “The Voice” and all that stuff as well. So we’ll talk about all that. But how did you first get into music to begin with?
Madilyn: Well, first off, you’re so sweet. Thank you. Getting into music. I’ve sung ever since I was a little girl. And the first time my parents heard me sing, I was singing a song from “The Little Mermaid,” and I was downstairs in our basement, and my mom thought I was a recording or something.
Charan: Really?
Madilyn: Yeah. So that was the first time, because I had sung since I was little, but that was the first time that they noticed it.
Charan: So how old were you when this happened?
Madilyn: I was probably around 10 or 11.
Charan: Okay. Wow, awesome.
Madilyn: So, when it caught their attention. And then when I was 11 ,I had my first performance; it was in a talent show at my church. And it was a competition. I ended up winning it.
Charan: What?
Madilyn: It was super fun. It was “Ward Idol.”
Charan: “Ward Idol.” Oh my gosh.
Madilyn: That’s what it was called. “Ward Idol.”
Charan: So who were the judges on that one?
Madilyn: I think it was my bishop at the time.
Charan: I knew it. They’re the harshest judges. They judge Israel.
Madilyn: They cracked down. They were like the Simon, Randy and Paula.
Charan: Absolutely.
Madilyn: They really were.
Charan: That’s amazing.
Madilyn: It was really fun, though. So that was my first-
Charan: That’s awesome.
Madilyn: … performance for people outside of my family. And everybody then knew I could sing that knew me personally.
Charan: Was it nerve-wracking to be in front of all those people and sing in public that?
Madilyn: It was, and I remember being nervous, but I feel like it just felt natural. I ended up struggling with stage fright a little bit later on, but in the beginning, I don’t know, it just felt easy to me. It wasn’t this super nerve-wracking thing in the beginning. That was more when I became a teenager and I went through awkward phase.
Charan: I’m still going through that phase.
Madilyn: Aren’t we all?
Charan: We really are. No, it’s great, because I think when you find something like that, that feels easy to you and feel natural to you, that makes you come alive, it’s like you want to hold onto that thing; you want to keep going for it. So did you know even at that young age, like, this is going to be my life, this is what I want to do?
Madilyn: Yeah.
Charan: You just knew.
Madilyn: I just knew it. I remember very vividly a moment when I was singing, and I was practicing for this “Ward Idol,” for this very first performance that I ever had. And I was singing in my kitchen and my whole family was in there, all my siblings. I remember that my sisters, — I sing all the time and it drives them nuts — and so my sisters are those people that are always telling me to stop singing. But I remember that moment, they were kind of looking at me with wide eyes and they were like, “Whoa, I didn’t know you could sing that.”
Charan: Really?
Madilyn: And for some reason, I always remember that moment. It always sticks out in my mind. Because that was the moment that I was like, “I didn’t know I could sing this either.” It was like a realization moment and I was like, “I think I’m going to do this.”
Charan: How old were you when this happened?
Madilyn: I was 11.
Charan: You were 11.
Madilyn: Yeah.
Charan: Oh my gosh, that’s great. Not that we’re comparing apples to oranges here, but I was also asked to sing a solo in front of my school in the auditorium and stuff.
Madilyn: That’s intimidating.
Charan: It’s intimidating, right? And I was nine years old, and I sang “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” And I also got similar comments: “I didn’t know you could sing like that.” But it wasn’t good. It was like, “Oh, I didn’t know you sing like that” type of thing. So I quit. And I felt like it was the right move, and I felt so alive when I said, “Yeah, this is not going to be part of my life. “But for you, though, this is amazing that you’re like, “Yeah I’m going to keep moving. I’m going to keep moving forward. It’s going to be amazing.”
Madilyn Paige Talks About “The Voice”
Charan: So how did this transition to you going onto “The Voice”? Was that your first thing or was “American Idol” your first thing?
Madilyn: “The Voice.”
Charan: “The Voice.”
Madilyn: Yeah.
Charan: Awesome.
Madilyn: It’s quite a journey. Basically, long story short, I went to middle school, went to high school. And it was really when I hit ninth grade, my freshman year, that I had a hard time making friends in school. And I just felt really lonely at that point in my life and really insecure. And I started comparing myself to everybody else. And I just was not happy with myself. And I didn’t love myself at that time. So I stopped wanting to perform and up to that point, I had been doing more local competitions; that was kind of a thing that I started doing.
Madilyn: And so I stopped doing that, I just kind of put that on pause and was hiding my talent, because these insecurities were just taking over. I cared so much what other people thought of me, and I was terrified now all of a sudden of going on stage. And this also turned into social anxiety. I had a hard time even leaving my house and I overthought everything I did. And it was very extreme during this time.
Charan: Was there any sort of triggers or anything that happened before that kind of led you just start feeling this way, to start feeling you were so worried about what other people thought? Because I remember going through that. I think a lot of us go through it. But was it anything specific that happened or was it just kind of one of those things growing up that just naturally happened?
Madilyn: I think it was like a combination of things. It wasn’t, like, one specific event that started it. I had a hard time making friends at school because I took some online classes, and I wasn’t there as much. And I used to be a lot more shy too. I don’t know how that changed so drastically. I literally meet people, not meet people, but I see people, or run into them now, that I went to high school with, and they’ll tell me I’m literally, like, a different person than I was in high school, because I was so quiet. So I don’t know how that changed so drastically, I literally feel like I was a different person. And so I think it was that also added to it.
Madilyn: And then I have some childhood friends that I’m still friends with to this day. I’ve literally been friends with them since I was four. And they lived in my neighborhood. And I grew up hanging out with them, but for some reason, during that time, too, I fell apart from them. We kind of grew apart during that time. And then later we came back together, but it just felt like it was a discovery phase for everybody in my life at the time. So it was, like, I just felt really alone. And I think it was that, it was the loneliness that sort of the negative thoughts and comparison and I felt invisible too. I just felt very invisible.
Charan: It’s interesting. I remember feeling that, I think for me, eighth grade was that for me. And we talked about this; you and I went to the same high school. And when I first started going to high school, I remember feeling very, very shy and insecure. I was very small. And I didn’t know anyone in the school. It was a brand new school. I didn’t go to junior high with anyone. I went to a different junior high than everyone else, so when I got there, I really felt like I was in the sea of students and felt like I had no idea where my place was or what my voice even was.
Charan: And it’s very intimidating when you’re in a situation like that, and I also felt invisible. I was very shy. At the time I hadn’t even considered really acting, and I decided to take a drama class to see what that would even be like. But it was very intimidating, and I’m assuming did you take a cappella or anything that? I think-
Madilyn: Yeah, I was in choir.
Charan: I think Mr. Larsen, I believe, was that teacher.
Madilyn: Yes. And he was the best. I miss him so much. Choir was my favorite. I loved choir.
Charan: You loved it.
Madilyn: And I loved him specifically. He was so supportive of me.
Charan: So supportive, right?
Madilyn: Yes.
Charan: So how did you find your voice again, when you’re feeling so invisible and so quiet and shy and insecure?
Madilyn: That’s a great question. So I think it was, honestly, just discovering my purpose, ultimately, is what plucked me out of that place.
Charan: That mindset.
Madilyn: That mindset. And so when I was newly 16 and “The Voice” reached out, I was in my sophomore year, or no, no, it was my sophomore year that I did a local competition. Need to go all around the whole story.
Charan: Yeah, please give me the backstory.
Madilyn: A whole backstory.
Charan: Yeah, please, yeah.
Madilyn: So anyways, I do a local competition, like I was saying earlier, we do those. And they posted the video of my performance on YouTube, and then a producer on “The Voice” saw that video.
Charan: Wow.
Madilyn: And that’s how they discovered me. So it was my sophomore year that I did that competition. And then my junior year was when everything went down. So I received a phone call from “The Voice.” And they wanted me to audition because they’d seen the performance.
Charan: That’s amazing.
Madilyn: And it was crazy and surreal. And it’s, like, how do you even react to that kind of opportunity? It’s so huge. And just because, especially, I was so young, and I was in that place where I was so insecure. So the thought of doing that, it was — it felt impossible. It literally felt impossible. And there was a lot of prayer and a lot of thought that went into the decision and a lot of talking to my parents. And they just have always been very encouraging. And so I ultimately decided to do it. I was very close to saying no, but I am so glad that I didn’t, because it would have changed everything.
Charan: It changed everything.
Madilyn: Literally everything. So I ended up going and I auditioned, even though I was terrified, I just had to take the leap of faith. I had to push myself outside of my comfort zone. There was no trick to it. I just had to do it. That was it. People always ask me, they’re like, “How do you get to that point where you can actually do it and go on a show that?” It’s. like, you just do it.
Charan: One step at a time.
Madilyn: Stop thinking; just stop thinking and just do it. If you feel good about it, and you feel peace about it and you know you are supposed to do it, then do it. And don’t psych yourself out; don’t question yourself. Believe in yourself. Mindset is everything. And I went into that journey. It was like my whole junior year was “The Voice,” basically. And it was an incredible experience. It was terrifying and insane; I met amazing people. And I learned so many things that I still take those lessons to this day and use them.
Charan: And oh my gosh, it’s amazing.
Madilyn: It was amazing. So that’s how I got from there to there.
Charan: To there. Well, it’s interesting. And I love what you were saying about stop thinking about it just go and do it, right?
Madilyn: Yeah.
Charan: And I think that’s a beautiful lesson that can be applied in all things, really. And the moment that you kind of get out of your head and you start believing that, “Hey you know what, I’ve got something in me and it needs to just go and it needs to shine.”
Madilyn: Right. Totally.
Charan: And you take that leap of faith and you go for it. No matter what outcome really happens, within you something magnificent has happened. You’ve gained courage, your comfort zone has expanded, your soul has expanded.
Madilyn: Absolutely.
Charan: And that right there is a reward, right?
Madilyn: Yes.
Charan: No matter what results happen from an actual show. The fact that your soul expanded is an incredible, incredible result.
Madilyn: Right.
Charan: So would you say that that your junior year after “The Voice” experience, your courage kind of came to you?
Madilyn: Oh, yeah. It wasn’t perfect. And that’s what I always tell people. I’m like, “Going on ‘The Voice’ did not magically solve my stage fright. It did a lot and it took me so far out of my comfort zone that there was just no going back.” It was only up from there. So it put me on the path to continuing to gain confidence. I was now on the right path. I was not focused on the unimportant high school things like being popular. I was now focused on my purpose.
Madilyn: And I’m doing music and this is what I’m meant to do. And I started to love myself more and to just feel a lot of gratitude, I guess, for my gift and for the opportunities in my life. And so after “The Voice,” it just gradually, with each experience that I’ve had, I’ve gained more and more confidence. Even just compared to a couple years ago, I feel like I’m a lot more confident in myself and in my vocal abilities today than I was, even a year ago, even six months ago.
Charan: Even when we were doing that “Come unto Jesus” [crosstalk 00:21:00].
Madilyn: Yeah. Because now looking back, I’m like, I did that.
Charan: You totally did that.
Madilyn: Because I was really nervous in the moment. I was, like, am I qualified for this? I’ve never done acting. And now looking back, I’m proud of myself. I did it. I pushed myself out of my comfort zone. And I did something that was harder.
Charan: Harder for you.
Madilyn: Yeah.
Charan: Well, it’s interesting, because you said something I want to kind of touch on a little bit. You found your purpose, you knew, is music, and the moment you found your purpose, and you focused on your purpose, you started to love yourself more. I think that’s so profound. That is a powerful lesson because we have those cliches of, “Oh, you love yourself more. You just got to have more confidence. That’s how you’re going to make it through life.” Right?
Madilyn: Right.
Charan: But-
Madilyn: Everybody hears it.
Charan: Everyone hears that, right? But how do you do that? And there’s so many different ways to kind of go about doing certain things. I remember for myself, when I discovered, okay, acting is my purpose. It struck every chord of my being, like when I knew I was going to do that, it felt so good. Which was so weird to say, because I was so shy growing up, so shy. If you looked at pictures of me as a kid, I was always the one standing in the corner, trying to face the corner, just trying to be away from everything. It was just the worst.
Madilyn: We would have been good friends.
Charan: We would have been really good friends. And I remember I ran into a buddy of mine, who, I guess, we were friends or we were in the same sixth grade class. And he saw me he’s like, “Wait, Charan.” And I’m like, “Yeah, man, how you doing?” He’s like, “Dude, you’re so confident now. What happened?” And I’m like, “I don’t know, man.” I was so shy back then. But I love what you just said about having focus on your purpose and finding that voice, like literally for you, it’s a voice, but finding that voice within yourself and going for it. Immediately your soul comes alive, and you can’t help but love yourself.
Madilyn: Yeah, exactly.
Madilyn Paige Talks About Finding Purpose
Charan: What advice would you give to people that have no idea how to find their purpose?
Madilyn: That’s a great question. I would say, first off, I think people tend to have a very limiting mindset with themselves. And so I feel sometimes people do know what they want to do, or they’ll have an idea pop in their head and they’re like “Oh, but no, I cannot do that.”
Charan: The “would have, should have, could have,” or these narratives that they tell themselves to not even get close to it, right?
Madilyn: Yeah, totally, exactly. I once had that mindset. And so all that’s going to do is keep you from doing it. And so in my mind it’s like, if there’s something that you’re interested in doing, or trying a hobby that you feel passionate about, everybody has something that they’re drawn to or excited about. And I think there’s a lot of people out there that are not working their dream job. They’re just working to make money because we need to make money. But I think there’s a lot of people out there specifically that I’ve talked to and that I know that want to be doing something else.
Madilyn: And I would say just don’t limit yourself. Reach for the stars. Have the kind of mindset where you can do anything. I’m a huge believer in manifesting and just saying positive things to yourself, putting positivity out there and positivity coming back to you. And I recently heard this tip from a guy who’s a super successful business guy, and he calls it his “mind palace.” And every day, the first thing he does, when he wakes up, he doesn’t get on his phone first — nothing. He just stays in his own head and his own thoughts. And he talks about how our minds don’t know the difference between the past, present and future.
Charan: Right.
Madilyn: And so he said, he literally will repeat things in his head like, “I already have this, I already am doing this, I already have this dream job. I’m already doing all of these things.” And then that positive mindset really does a lot. So I would say, just changing your mindset is huge for finding your purpose, not limiting yourself to what’s safe, to what’s comfortable. Don’t live in your comfort zone.
Charan: Yes.
Madilyn: Trust me, guys.
Charan: Well, it’s so crazy. I remember, a couple years ago, it was during Christmas holidays, I went to Target and I saw one of the saddest things. It was people that just looked dead inside. Their eyes just showed me they were not alive. And I’m like, “Oh, my gosh, I would never want to live life where I felt dead inside.” And it’s very interesting, because I’ve seen people that have made a ton of money, and they’ve done really good successful things from the eyes of the world, but yet they seem so miserable and so unhappy, because all along they knew they weren’t living their soul’s true purpose. They weren’t completely happy.
Charan: And I love how you were saying, “Hey, you can manifest these things in your life; you can create your own path.” And you should. You don’t have to absolutely follow what someone else said or did. It’s, like, cool, you can learn certain things from them. And then go and create.When I was in LA, I was booking all these cool TV shows, and all this stuff, yada, yada, yada. And I didn’t feel fulfilled, even though I was living “my dream”. And then I realized, wait a minute, no, my dream is to actually create the shows that I can be on. And just saying that made me way more excited than going to these auditions. So I’m like, “Alright, that’s it. I’m going to go and create.”
Madilyn: You just knew.
Charan: I just knew, and I guess I had lived enough experiences to know, okay, when these type of feelings happen, I have to just go and do it. I can’t just think in my head maybe this or maybe that. It’s like what you’re saying; just go and do it. Don’t worry about what’s going to happen. Just go and do it. And it will just unfold in front of you.
Madilyn: Right. And just adding to that, too, don’t allow fear to stop you. Because truly the way that I look at fear and define fear is, fear is a very real feeling. It’s a very real thing. But fear itself and the things that you’re afraid of are not real. They’re these things that have not happened yet that you’re creating in your head. What if this happens, but what if this happens. If you live your life in fear, you’re not going to live, basically.
Charan: Absolutely. And it is; you’re absolutely right. It’s like you’re creating this scenario in your head that doesn’t even exist. And then you start reacting off of it. And you’re like, “Well, that was a lot of energy spent in non-reality.”
Madilyn: And I feel like sometimes, if you’re living in a place of fear and negative thoughts, that can sometimes actually come back to you.
Charan: Absolutely.
Madilyn: I’ve seen that in my life. I’ve literally had performances that I went into and fearing that I’d forget the lyrics. And guess what happened? I forgot the lyrics. Every single time I am afraid of forgetting the lyrics, and I focus on it before I get on stage, I forget the lyrics. Every single time, seriously. So now my strategy is, I will literally think of anything but the words.
Charan: That’s amazing.
Madilyn: Because I’m just trusting myself and the rehearsal time that is there. So don’t live in fear.
Charan: It’s so true, right? Because the moment you are more into your thoughts, you’re not being present, and then things just kind of break down right then and there.
Charan: It’s funny. I used to teach snowboarding. And I love snowboarding. And I went yesterday and there was this moment where I was snowboarding down these runs, and it was kind of steep runs, then I stopped. I’m like, “Wait, okay, how do I do this, right? And do that?” And then I stopped myself. I’m like, “Wait a minute, why am I thinking about how to snowboard? I know how to do this, I’ve done this for years.”And the moment I did that — and I feel like laughing about it — I went for it. And everything just worked. I didn’t have to like think about it; it became effortless, except it did cost a lot of effort and my legs were burning. But the point is, the actual knowledge of how to do it was just fine.
Madilyn: It was there, yeah.
Charan: So that’s how I feel like our actions in life should be anyway. Letting go of the fear, letting go of those narratives and then just going and doing it, and being present is awesome.
Madilyn: Trust your gut.
Madilyn Paige Talks About Songwriting
Charan: Trust your gut. So now you’re writing a bunch of singles, right? You’re creating your own songs and stuff. So tell me a little bit about that.
Madilyn: So a couple years ago, I’m in 2019, which that’s weird to say, time flies so fast. But my parents, they got a divorce. And it was around that time when I kind of stopped songwriting. And I was going through a really tough time with that. My parents were together my whole life, and so I think there’s different challenges with your parents going through a divorce when you’re a kid versus when you’re an adult, completely different. And I think some of the hardest parts of being an adult and going through that is you have a greater understanding of everything. It’s really real. Instead of blaming yourself in questioning if it’s you, you know kind of what happened, and I feel that’s really hard in a completely different way.
Madilyn: So anyways, that was really challenging. And I wanted to write songs that were inspired by the feelings and the things that I was going through with that, but the emotions were still so rough for so long. So finally, later, in 2019, I ended up meeting up with a couple people that I am very close with, some songwriters. And we wrote this song. It’s called “Enough.” It’s not released yet, but it’s about the divorce, basically. And that was the first song that led to all the other ones. It was the snowball. So after that song, I basically just kept writing non-stop, off and on ever since 2019. And especially since the pandemic and everything.
Madilyn: Later in 2020, I went over to LA. I wrote with some writers over there. I did a lot of Zoom running sessions, which actually goes surprisingly well. And I wrote a ton of songs. And so now I’m just in the process of releasing those. And they’re about tons of things I’ve experienced, from the divorce to different people in my life and different experiences. I am very inspired by relationships and the ins and outs of those, whether they’re my own or other people’s. So a lot of the songs, they’re very real. They’re very real. I’m more real in my songs now than I’ve ever been.
Charan: Well, I listen. I really appreciate that. And I remember 2019 was when we did that music video, right? And so the divorce was still pretty, it was fresh, was still pretty new when we were doing that.
Madilyn: Yeah, I remember that.
Charan: And I remember we were talking a little bit about this, because my parents went through a divorce. I think I was telling you about that one. But I was a kid when my parents went through divorce. So it was more of the “what did I do wrong?”, that kind of thing, right?
Madilyn: Yeah.
Charan: But I remember, because you had done a bunch of releases, a bunch of covers. And then you said you were feeling really inspired to create your own stuff.
Madilyn: I remember that.
Charan: Remember that. And then we were sitting in my car once it was outside of our office, and you were showing me some tracks that you’ve done. And my mind was just blown. I was like, “What, when is this coming out and blessing the world?” And it was really powerful stuff, especially because it really came from your soul.
Madilyn: Thank you.
Charan: Like it absolutely came from your soul. And it was like so many things that it was hard to just speak about, you would sing about and it was from pure raw emotion, right?
Madilyn: Totally.
Charan: And I think that’s what makes it so powerful. And so something that people can really attach themselves to and relate themselves to, which is awesome.
Madilyn: Thank you.
Charan: So every month, you said you’re going to release a single. Is that right?
Madilyn: Yeah, One single every month, the beginning of every month.
Charan: That’s fantastic.
Madilyn: So far I’ve released two. I have another one coming out tomorrow. I’m very excited.
Madilyn Paige Talks About Her Future Plans
Charan: Yeah, I know, that’s awesome. And I’m excited that you’re doing that. So what is the future look for you? What’s the plan?
Madilyn: You know, right now I have plans and goals. And I have a whole strategy laid out with my manager and all that. I’m independent. I’m not with the label right now. The goal eventually is to sign with a label. But it’s really nice being independent and making my own decisions. And it’s very freeing, honestly. So and I’m learning a lot through this process as well not being with a label. So I guess the goal is just to … I don’t do music to be famous or necessarily to be popular or anything that. I’ve literally never desired that. I don’t even know if I’d want to be super famous. I don’t know that I’d even want that. I truly do music because I know that I want to inspire people, and I want to help people with my music. And I know that I want to be an example of somebody who can have music that’s meaningful and real and relatable.
Madilyn: And I don’t have to sacrifice any of my personal standards or values for that. And I can still be successful, and I can still reach a lot of people. And just make people feel better after they listen to my songs than they felt before. That’s my ultimate goal. So that is why I do music. I do it for the people. I have had so many experiences so far in my career that I am so blessed to have had where I just meet people and talk to people. I’ve literally had people tell me that one of my songs saved their life and that they were thinking of committing suicide before they heard my song. And like these are things that I still to this day can’t even really wrap my head around that I had a hand in maybe saving somebody or helping somebody through sharing experiences that I go through.
Madilyn: So that is why I do what I do. And the goal is just to reach as many people as I can. So the strategy is just release a single every month and, hopefully, every single, though it’ll bring more and more traction, and I’m hoping to just branch out more into the world and be discovered by more and more people. And that’s the goal: just see what happens, basically.
Charan: It’s a beautiful goal. It’s amazing.
Madilyn: Thank you.
Charan: I love that you’re doing that. So I’m going to shift topics a little bit. Every creator, every entrepreneur, every one that has a passionate dream, every person in life really has faced lemons in their life, right? Some pretty heavy blows.
Madilyn: Right.
Madilyn Paige Talks About Turning Lemons Into Lemonade
Charan: When they’re like, I did not see that coming. And this one is going to knock me off my feet for a little bit, has anything come to your mind that’s like, yeah that was a lemon for me and how do I turn it into lemonade, right?
Madilyn: Oh, yeah. For sure.
Charan: What comes to your mind?
Madilyn: I think the most recent thing would definitely be my parents’ divorce. When that happened, it really shook me up. It changed my perspective on dating and marriage. I have a lot of fears with marriage and just reservations that I didn’t have before. And in some ways, I think that’s a good thing, but it’s definitely just, it’s been a big challenge in my life in a lot of ways. My life has changed a lot. My family life. And when that first happened, I was very much in that mindset of “why my family? Why did this happen to my family?” And I was having more of that outlook on it, like this feels unfair.
Madilyn: And I’ve had several moments where it just, I asked those questions. Even now, sometimes when I’m really struggling or I’m having a sad day, I’ll think those things. But I would say I’ve been able to make lemonade out of those lemons through my music. Because I’ve written several songs now that would not have come to life if it weren’t for-
Charan: Those tragic things.
Madilyn: … those things. If it weren’t for that, if it weren’t for the emotions that I felt and the feelings that I felt. And those songs have already been able to touch a lot of people. And that’s been really, really cool to see.
Charan: That’s awesome.
Madilyn: Everything happens for a reason.
Charan: Absolutely.
Madilyn: It really, really does. So I would say that’s the thing that comes to mind.
Charan: That comes to your mind. No, that’s amazing. And I’m so glad that you’ve been able to make lemonade out of that. It’s a tough situation and you told me more in depth of what the situation was and everything. Do you feel like you were able to have good relationships with your mom and dad still?
Madilyn: Yes, I feel very blessed. The first year or so was pretty rough. My parents, there was more tension there. And I feel like when that tension kind of subsides, that’s when the healing can really take place. And I love my parents, both of them. My mom, she has been such a rock. And so strong. She is the strongest person I know, literally. And she could have been bitter because of certain things that happened with my dad, but she chose not to be bitter. And she chose to make lemonade out of lemons right out of the gate. She went back to school, she got a job, did what she needed to do, and she’s always encouraged us to have a relationship with both her and my dad. And my dad as well. There’s never been any ultimatums, because I’ve heard horror stories.
Charan: There are.
Madilyn: And there’s a lot out there. And so for that reason, I just feel very grateful. My parents get along, we can all be together just fine; it’s not awkward. There are sometimes awkward moments.
Charan: I mean, it’s divorce.
Madilyn: It’s unavoidable. So, but for the most part, honestly, it’s as good as it can be, especially based off of hearing about other people’s experiences. So I am very close to both my parents and I feel very lucky.
Charan: That’s amazing. Same way, same here. I’ve got very great relationships with everyone in my family. And it’s all very normal now. It just seems like this is the most-
Madilyn: Time heals.
Charan: Time heals.
Madilyn: And it becomes the new normal.
Charan: Yeah, absolutely.
Madilyn: As much as I kind of hate that word, the new normal, but it really is [crosstalk 00:42:02] yeah, life is what it is and things happen. You can’t control your circumstances. But you can control your happiness and how you move on and how you take it and the lemonade that you make.
Madilyn Paige Talks About What Makes Her Happy
Charan: The lemonade that you make, right? So speaking of controlling your happiness, what makes you happy?
Madilyn: Oh, what makes me happy? That’s a great question. There are things in my life that make me happy. My face makes me happy. My family makes me happy. My music makes me happy. I would say those things are the main things, but at the end of the day, I’ve been learning this recently, it’s really important not to place your happiness on things, because those things can change your shift.
Charan: Yeah. Absolutely.
Madilyn: And I have realized that, and I’ve really been learning this recently, even if I’m having a bad day, even if you’re having a bad day, you can still choose to be happy. So I would say my happiness comes from myself.
Charan: I love that. This is the best.
Madilyn: I choose to be happy.
Charan: You choose to be happy, right? And I think that’s a great way to put it. For me, I say my happiness comes as a direct result of my relationship with my Father in Heaven, right? To me, that’s what makes me happy. And I love that relationship and that feeling of goodness and joy inside. And you’re right. It’s like I’m not placing my happiness on anything outside of me, like, in the world, because those things do shift and those things do change. And if you attach yourself to something that’s going to change or that may change or whatever, then you will be unhappy. And now you have no idea how things will evolve. So I love that you just said that.
Madilyn Paige Talks About Her Greatest Fear
Charan: Okay, last two questions, okay. And they kind of actually tied with each other. What has been your greatest fear?
Madilyn: That’s a good question. Trying to think. I’ll just say this is the funny answer, funny and serious answer. Funny: spiders, okay. I’m always afraid of spiders.
Charan: Oh my gosh it’s terrible.
Madilyn: I hate spiders-
Charan: There’s nothing funny about that, ever.
Madilyn: … so much. So that’s never going to change. There’re funny answer and then the real fear.
Charan: Can I add to that funny answer?
Madilyn: Yeah. Go for it.
Charan: I was watching Spider-Man, right?
Madilyn: See the ironic thing is I love Spider-Man.
Charan: I love Spider-Man. He got bit by a radioactive spider, right? And he turned to Spider-Man. So I was like, “What would that be like?” Well, I’m so grateful that a loving God answered a priority even though I uttered, because the following day I woke up with a spider bite, on my neck, actually.
Madilyn: Oh my gosh, you’re kidding.
Charan: Turns out it just itched. I didn’t have any special powers. But at least I knew what that was like. I was like, ” All right, that’s what that was like.” So it’s great.
Madilyn: Well.
Charan: There you go, anyway.
Madilyn: That’s a bummer.
Charan: It was a bummer. I got the bite but no effects from it other than-
Madilyn: Maybe you got chipped.
Charan: I got chipped.
Madilyn: It was the wrong spider.
Charan: It was the wrong spider. I’m like, “No, I’m sorry. I meant radioactive spider. I didn’t mean just any spider.” Serious answer, let’s go.
Madilyn: Serious answer. It’s probably — a lot of people can relate to it — but I would say it’s getting divorced. And that’s just probably the main, like, that comes to my mind first. Because my parents got divorced and so I think probably, at least most people that I’ve talked to, I don’t know if you feel the same way that their parents got divorced, they tend to have that fear. So I would say just because I am at that dating phase or marriage phase of my life. So that’s a fear I have.
Charan: I actually don’t have that fear because I just don’t date. I’m just kidding. No, no, no, I’m just kidding. No, I know exactly what you mean. And it’s kind of terrifying, right? And there was a psychologist that explained this thing to me. He said, “Let’s say that at night you’re going into war and you’re wearing all this armor and stuff. And you’re trying to protect yourself. Well, let’s say that now you have to go swim.” How can you swim with all that armor? You’re going to sink, you’re going to fall, you’re never going to be able to actually get it to the other side, right? So he said, “Sometimes, you have to let the armor down. You’ve got to take it off.” And only then can you experience all the good things, right? So it’s like you can’t actually experience love without accepting that, “Hey, this could mean a result that I might not want at all.” Right? Or it could be, “Wow, this is amazing and let’s keep going” and yada, yada, yada, right?
Madilyn: Right.
Charan: So it was a very interesting way he rephrased all of that.
Madilyn: I like that a lot.
Charan: Because sometimes we are so afraid that we’re holding onyo these things in this armor all around us to protect ourselves so much so that we are also protecting ourselves from love. And that’s sometimes something that we have to look at for ourselves and say, “Hey, can we figure out a way to let some of this stuff go so that we can allow love to come in?”
Madilyn: Right.
Charan: I think it’s powerful.
Madilyn: Man, yeah. I love that.
Charan: No.
Madilyn: I love that.
Charan: Though it wasn’t me. It wasn’t me, please. It was the psychologist.
Madilyn: Definitely no, I know, that’s amazing, though. That’s amazing.
Madilyn Paige’s Advice to Her Younger Self
Charan: So the last thing I was going to say is, based off of these things that we just talked about fears and happiness and all that stuff, what advice would you give the young Madilyn Paige? The one that is barely getting into singing, the one that realizes, “Oh, my gosh, this is going to be my life.” What advice would you give her?
Madilyn: Such a good question. I think there’s a lot of things I don’t want to tell myself. I think one thing that I would tell myself is, take things more seriously. Meaning, this is how I’ll explain that is, I was born with a God-given talent and for that I’m so grateful. And so singing has always been pretty easy for me just because I was born with that gift. But because of that, I think there’s been a lot of times in my life where I’ve not being lazy with it, but just almost sat back and been a little casual like, “I don’t really have to practice that much because I know my voice is just going to carry me through.” But there’s been a lot of times in my life where I’ve procrastinated.
Madilyn: And I’ve done things events and stuff where I feel I could have done a lot better of a job had I prepared and not just sat back and been like, “Oh, my talent will carry me through.” So I think that’s the biggest thing that comes to my mind is just because you have this talent doesn’t mean you can just not work for it and not practice and take things seriously. And sit back and relax. So I would say that is probably the biggest thing.
Madilyn: And then the other thing is, just don’t compare yourself to other people. And that’s something I think I’m going to tell myself the rest of my life. I remind myself of comparison, I think, social media and just lately, I’ve been comparing myself to other singers and their career, how their careers going. And comparison is the thief of joy. It just is, and it stops you from progressing. We’re not on this earth to be other people; we’re on this earth to be ourselves and to reach our full potential, not somebody else’s. And as long as you’re trying to be somebody else, or live up to somebody else’s life and their mission, you’re never going to reach your own potential. So I would say that’s another thing that I would tell myself. Don’t compare yourself, man.
Charan: Don’t compare yourself. I love that. That’s so great. That’s awesome. Because I find myself still comparing myself to other people.
Madilyn: It’s hard.
Charan: It’s hard, right?
Madilyn: It’s really hard, right?
Charan: And you wonder why you do that, but you kind of-
Madilyn: Because everyone’s so different.
Charan: Everyone’s so different, right?
Madilyn: If everybody was the same, it would, I don’t know, I don’t think it would be such a challenge. But it’s apples and oranges. It’s easy to compare yourself to an orange when you’re an apple. It’s like, “Well, but they’re orange.” Maybe that’s cooler, maybe that’s prettier, maybe that’s more successful. I’m just an apple. So I don’t know.
Charan: And it’s interesting, because — a little side tangent here. Another thing I love to do is play tennis. I love to play tennis. But I find myself watching these YouTube videos of these tennis players. I’m like, “Oh my gosh, I that person’s swing. I want to do it just like that.” And I keep trying to do it that way. And sometimes I hear this voice, and I feel like it’s the voice of the Lord, and he’s like, “How do you want to do it, though? What is your version of this? What does your version of it look like?”
Madilyn: I like that.
Charan: And it’s kind of being authentic to yourself is the key. And it’s-
Madilyn: Absolutely.
Charan: And it’s like, “Hey, are you having fun? Are you having fun?” And if you’re having fun, then who cares what other people do, right? So I love that. And I think that’s a great way to end this podcast, but, Madilyn, seriously, thank you so much. You’re so awesome.
Madilyn: Thank you for having me.
Charan: Are you kidding me? Like, you have blessed my ears. And now this podcast has been blessed. It’s amazing, you’re just a blessing.
Madilyn: You’re sweet.
Charan: Awesome.
Madilyn: You’re very sweet. Thank you.
Charan: Any final words before we wrap up?
Madilyn: Just look out for my new music, you guys. Look out for it. Lots coming this year. I guess, it’s 12 tracks, one a month.
Charan: Awesome. So how do they find you?
Madilyn: All streaming platforms, Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube. And then of course, social media, Instagram, Facebook.
Charan: Awesome. And they just found you-
Madilyn: Madilyn Paige.
Charan: Madilyn Paige
Madilyn: madilynpaige_ on Instagram.
Charan: I love it. I love it. Awesome. Well, thanks so much, Madilyn, and have a great day.
Madilyn: Thank you, you too.
Charan: Okay. Bye.
Madilyn: Bye.
Charan: Thanks so much for listening to Lemonade Stand Podcast, and we hope you enjoyed this episode. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you use to be alerted when we release new episodes. We’d also love to hear your feedback in the reviews. And if you or someone you know has an awesome lemonade stand story, please reach out to us on social media and let us know. Thanks so much, and have a great day.