Rett Madison In Conversation With FAULT Magazine
Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Rett Madison continues to captivate audiences with her deeply personal and evocative music. Known for her poignant lyrics and genre-blending sound, Madison’s work resonates with themes of grief, vulnerability, and resilience. In this exclusive interview with FAULT Magazine, Madison opens up about her creative process, the inspirations behind her music, and the challenges she’s faced along her journey.
FAULT Magazine: Your music often delves into themes of grief and vulnerability. How do you balance such personal storytelling with the need to connect with your audience?
Rett Madison: Songwriting has always been a therapeutic outlet for me. When I was growing up, writing songs felt more natural to me than keeping a diary. I think my personal storytelling is exactly what connected me to my audience and helped build a community around my music. I think there’s a lot of truth in the sentiment that specific writing makes a song universal.
FAULT Magazine: You’ve been praised for your poignant lyrics and captivating blend of genres. How do you approach genre-blending? Is it by design or a reflection of your personal tastes?
Rett Madison: The presence of multiple genres within my music is definitely a reflection of the variety of artists that have influenced me. I have a love for a wide array of music so organically a lot of folk, rock, or pop elements will appear in my songwriting and arrangement choices. I also think growing up with parents with such different music tastes helped give me an appreciation for a lot of different genres and eras of music.
FAULT Magazine: Now that “Apocalyptic Folk Song” has been out and had time to marinate, what inspired the song and do you feel the message you wanted to convey got through?
Rett Madison: My anger and existential dread about the ongoing climate crisis is what inspired me to write “Apocalyptic Folk Song.” I think both of those emotions come across pretty clearly in my vocal performance of the song.
FAULT Magazine: With your extensive touring schedule, how do you maintain your creative energy and manage life on the road?
Rett Madison: I’m still learning how to balance my creativity while touring! I’ll be honest that I don’t really write much on the road. I’m still at the mini-van level of touring and there’s just not enough hours in the day to travel hundreds of miles to a show then work from 4 PM to Midnight and still find time to write. I’ll capture tiny lyric ideas here and there while I’m touring, but my song “Lipstick” is the only one I’ve ever written while on a busy tour that actually made it to an album.
FAULT Magazine: Your new version of “Kiki (Rett’s Take)” is a tribute to your late mom Jackie. Why did you decide to do a new stripped-back version, and how did your mom inspire the song?
Rett Madison: I originally wrote “KiKi” from my late mom’s perspective because I was searching for closure after she died. I felt very connected to my mom while I was writing “Kiki,” and it feels like what she’d say to me if we could talk now. On my most recent tour, I began closing my shows with a solo rendition of “Kiki” and wanted folks to have that version as well as the original album version of “Kiki,” which features Iron and Wine as my mom’s voice.
FAULT Magazine: What’s been the most challenging aspect of your musical journey?
Rett Madison: Practicing patience has been the biggest challenge on my musical journey. Most artists aren’t an overnight success, and I’m certainly not either. It was difficult at times to believe in myself long enough to finally see some traction in my career, but I’m grateful I stayed on this path even when there were obstacles or disappointments along the way.
FAULT Magazine: What’s an experience you haven’t written about yet but you really want to get down on paper?
Rett Madison: I have yet to deeply explore my early childhood in my songwriting; I’ve just begun going back and writing a few songs from that perspective and time. I also want to explore writing more songs about my friendships and their impact on my life.
FAULT Magazine: What are you most looking forward to for the rest of the year?
Rett Madison: I’m really looking forward to being immersed in creativity. I’m in the midst of working towards a deluxe version of “One for Jackie,” and I’m also in the early stages of writing my third album. Writing songs is my favourite part of making a record, so I’m hoping to have a lot of fun these next few months.
FAULT Magazine: What is your FAULT?
Rett Madison: My time management and procrastination. I found out I have ADHD four years ago, and while I’ve learned some new tricks to better manage myself, I still struggle to make certain deadlines or events in a timely fashion. Definitely my biggest fault, but I’m working on it.