Madison Beer is done unpacking the past — now, she’s just ready to dance.
The 26-year-old pop artist, known for her powerful voice and unfiltered honesty, has spent the last few years reclaiming her story. Her deeply personal tracks and memoir exposed the high-pressure reality of early fame, but now she’s moving into a brighter, beat-heavy era. “I want to make bangers,” she says. And she’s not joking. Her latest singles, “Make You Mine” and “15 Minutes,” are club-ready, carefree — and one of them even earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Pop Recording.
Madison’s journey to stardom began at just 13 when Justin Bieber tweeted a link to her YouTube cover of Etta James’s “At Last.” That moment launched her career, landing her a record deal with Island Records and mentorship from Scooter Braun. But along with the limelight came intense scrutiny. By 15, an intimate video of her had leaked online, and instead of receiving empathy, she faced relentless online shaming. At 16, she was dropped by both her label and management.
“I was always being tried as an adult,” Madison reflects. “I was trying to figure out who I was, and I had the whole internet judging me”
Fast forward to today, and Madison is reclaiming her power. “If my younger self met me right now, she’d be like, ‘You’re the coolest girl on earth. I get to be you one day? That’s so sick.’”
Though she now stands tall in her artistry and identity, the road has not been easy. Her 2023 memoir, The Half of It, and her sophomore album, Silence Between Songs, chronicled her struggles with mental health, including her battle with suicidal ideation and her eventual diagnosis with borderline personality disorder and OCD. “I was bitter. I was like, ‘How dare you take someone who just wanted to sing and ruined me?’” she says. But over time, Madison has turned that pain into purpose.
“I look at every single person like they could be me,” she explains. “I have so much love and empathy and care for everybody. Maybe it’s not always a good thing, but I love that part of me”
Her honest, vulnerable approach has resonated with fans worldwide. Her 63-stop world tour sold out venues like Radio City Music Hall — a major full-circle moment for the once-teen YouTube sensation. And her current work in the studio promises even more surprises. Influenced by upbeat dance music and even video game soundtracks, her upcoming album is shaping into something both eclectic and energetic. “I want interesting noises,” she says. “Sounds you maybe haven’t heard much in pop music.”
Even as her goals grow — performing at Madison Square Garden, winning a Grammy — Madison insists she’s content. “I’d love to be the biggest, but I’m really proud of where I am,” she says.
Despite the Grammy nomination, she admits award shows still trigger her social anxiety. “I left after walking the red carpet,” she shares. “I honestly was wearing a really uncomfortable dress. But hearing my name read as a nominee was surreal.”
She finds kindred spirits in other outspoken artists like Chappell Roan. “Growing up in this industry, I was told not to talk back or speak up,” Madison says. “So to see her be fearless — it’s amazing.” She adds that hearing Roan criticize the industry for neglecting young talent felt incredibly validating.
“When I got dropped, I had no friends, I was homeschooled, and the people who said they loved me suddenly didn’t care. That messed me up”
But now, Madison sees her past not as a curse but as part of her evolution. Referencing a line from the horror film Split, she says, “The broken are the more evolved. When you go through really difficult things early in life, it changes how you see the world.”
As for the future, Madison is focused on joy — and dance floors. And while she’s still shy at award shows, don’t be surprised if you see her center stage one day, Grammy in hand, proving that she’s not only survived — she’s thriving.
