Artist Interview: Madeleine Dopico Speaks of Following Dreams and Making Authentic Art

Madeleine Dopico has the story we love hearing. Quitting her job at a NYC Health Tech startup to pursue her musical passions, she took a giant leap that seems to be paying off. Her fresh sound is more mature than the brief year and a half she has been fully honing her craft. She has an incredible pop sense about her without falling into the trop of shallow hooks and empty lyrics. The talent she has cannot be coached or even necessarily defined. Her powerfully sinister voice is made complete with a haunting instrumentation and alarm that screams of substance and pop sophistication. She only has a handful of releases at this point, but she is sure to be a rising star in the industry. We recently caught up with the rising songstress and you can check out our convo below.

Your story of leaving an assumingly comfortable career to pursue a musical passion is inspiring and probably a little crazy. What lead to this change and who were some of your supporters during this time?

 I think I’ve always known I wanted to pursue music but had to wait for my courage to catch up. I promised I would leave my job as a birthday present to myself (sort of thinking that would be something I said for fun, but didn’t actually do). But then when I turned 24 on a Friday, I spent all weekend celebrating with my family and friends, trying to float the idea. Once I knew they were behind me, I went in that Monday morning and quit. 

 

We appreciate the new single “Nice Boy”. Where were you when you wrote the bulk of it? Is it a track that happened organically or was it one you had to grind and tune to get it together lyrically?

“Nice Boy” was extremely organic. I came home from what I felt was a pretty sparkless date, went to my piano still tipsy off the bottle of wine we drank, and wrote it out. In the days after, I imagined what electronic elements I wanted to flesh out, like the arpeggios, synths and alarm sounds. 

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Your music has a cool blend of genres; did you grow up listening to a lot of music? What are some of your main influences?

There was a period of my life when I only listened to The Beatles, other classic rock, and musical theater. My high school boyfriend and his friends would force some punkier contemporary stuff on me, and though i jokingly used to fight it, I think I was lucky to grow up with constant different genres and sounds around me. It’s definitely something that’s influenced both how I sing and write.
 

We read something that described your voice as “sinister”. It’s funny because writers are always trying to creatively portray artists with words, have there been any reviews or descriptions that have made you laugh or, maybe one that truly resonated with you?

One writer said I “could be Sia’s little sister” and I almost dropped dead. I think she’s brilliant, brave, and a breaker of so many norms in the industry. I probably peaked with that review haha.

We know you haven’t been in the industry for a long time, but we also know that a year can feel like ten within the business. What are some valuable takeaways you have learned about the music business as well as crafting your sound?

The biggest thing I’ve learned is to be authentic. Everyone in this industry has their own opinion, and when it comes to the arts- people aren’t shy. I’m learning more and more that if I’m honest, and working with people who believe in that- I produce work I genuinely like. I figure no one is COMPLETELY uniquely on their own, so if I truly feel and like something, i’m sure someone else out there will too. 😉 If I’m personally proud of what I’ve done, and I’ve reached even one other person through sharing my art, it feels like a pretty rad victory in life.

What is the next thing for you as an artist? Will we hear new music soon? Touring?

 I have a few shows coming up in New York (stay tuned for official announcements) and will be out in LA to finish a song there in the next couple months! Hoping to get my first West Coast gig in. I’m trying to keep a steady stream of content coming your way, so that there’s always something new to check out. Most recently, I’m trying to also learn a bit of recording and production myself, to be a more self sufficient artist, more expansive creative, and also to help bridge what I feel is a male/female gap in the technical side of the industry. I hope you’ll all follow along to see what the heck I can manage to cook up next! 🙂 Don’t forget to follow me on @Madeleinedopicomusic

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