Kieran Webber
Director and Founder of CLUNK Magazine, CLUNK Events, and other CLUNK affiliate businesses. You’ll probably find me tucked away somewhere sending emails, listening to music, and creating content.
Australian Indie-pop artist Madi Leeds talks us through her new single ‘Long Distant Memory’, misconceptions of life in Australia, and more
The indie-pop artist Madi Leeds has built a strong fan base around her unique blend of synth pop sounds and captivating storytelling. With her latest single ‘Long Distant Memory’, we are treated to this expansive sound matched with stunning songwriting, all bundled up in a shimmering kaleidoscope of a song.
It was after devouring her latest release we wanted to know more about Madi, so we sat and chatted with her about life in Australia, how she started making music, and lots more.
Kieran: Hey Madi, thank you so much for chatting with us! How have you been?
Madi: Hi Kieran! I’ve been good! Super busy at the moment but excited for this release to finally be out 🙂
Kieran: How has life in Australia been treating you?
Kieran: Australia is coming into winter so appreciating the warmer days when the sun is out!
Kieran: What’s a misconception of being an artist based in Australia?
Madi: Ooh! That we don’t play shows for koalas and kangaroos? hahaha
I think overall the Australian music industry is really suffering at the moment after the last few years… I know there’s been talk recently about even having big international artists have local Australian acts open bigger shows when they tour which would bring more support.
It’s worrying seeing a lack of support though for younger up and coming artists wanting to break into the industry when it seems less people are going to small shows – if you have a local artist you’ve discovered and they’re playing – go see them if you can and it will have such a impact!
Kieran: When did you start making music and at what point did you consider releasing it to the big wide world?
Madi: When I was younger I’d try and write songs or catchy jingles haha. In high school and after teaching myself guitar was probably when I took it more seriously. Then after studying music/songwriting I decided to release a little EP.
Kieran: You’ve toured and played in Japan a few times can you explain to us what that’s like and how does it differ to other countries?
Madi: I love Japan! It’s always so interesting seeing the way music is consumed/received and celebrated in different cultures.
I saw Corinne Bailey Rae play at Billboard Live and everyone was conservatively sitting down and having a fancy meal/drinks. At one point there was a couple who got up and danced but that gig experience showed just how much respect Japan has for music and art.
Kieran: You recently dropped your new single ‘Long Distant Memory’, can you talk us through this release and what it means to you?
Madi: Long Distant Memory is basically a bittersweet nostalgia anthem! Written a few years ago about feeling such joy for certain moments yet grief at the same time because things will never be the same. Basically that “don’t cry because it’s over, be happy it happened” kinda thing and tie with each other. I had a lot of indie early 2000’s artists in my head writing this and feel that connects with the exploration of nostalgia.
Listen to ‘Long Distant Memory’ here:
Kieran: Can you explain to us your writing and recording process when it comes to your music?
Madi: I typically start with guitar chords and lyrics and try to see what flows naturally at the start without putting too much pressure on making a perfect song and scrapping it entirely. Once the foundation is there it’s polished more and built for a live setting.
We recorded this track our drummer David Quested and as a band we’d already played the song live quite a bit, so it felt nice to have the track already feel familiar to everyone and then exploring different aspects production wise for the recording was cool!
Kieran: Was anything done differently with ‘Long Distant Memory’?
Madi: I think this is definitely a lot more indie-rock than my last track ‘0-100’ which was very pop. Both were actually written around the same time yet they feel so different now!
Kieran: Lastly, what else is in store for Madi leeds for the rest of 2024?
Madi: I have a few other recent songs ready to record which are also super different, so that will be exciting seeing where that goes and what the final product will be. I feel like I’m constantly trying to tweak my sound and see each song almost as an individual character. My plan is to hopefully trust myself and partially go off of instinct when a song feels right and see that as an indication it could be the next release.