MAWD is the moniker of Madeleine Mathews, a California singer songwriter and multi instrumentalist (piano, guitar, ukulele, bass, accordion & banjo), whose influences include, The Head and the Heart, The Staves, First Aid Kit, Nancy Sinatra, Lord Huron, and the Alabama Shakes. MAWD’s sound gravitates towards an eclectic mix of genres including indie rock, folk, folk rock, retro rock, and blues rock. The soulful, textured timbre of Madeleine’s vocals is diverse and ranges anywhere from a breathy sultry folk/blues vibe to a powerful Janis Joplin-esque/Karen-O belt.
Her new release is an infectious blend of gritty guitars, soulful vocals and hard hitting melodies. Entitled ‘Wandering Eye’ the single is reminiscent of Janis Joplin but with a fresh update. MAWD has been featured in such publications as LADYGUNN, Earmilk, LA Weekly, The Line of Best Fit and Live Nation’s One’s To Watch.
Born and bread in Northern California, Madeleine made her mark in her hometown of Placerville playing original songs at a weekly local open mic. She found an even larger audience in Chico, CA, where she attended CSU, Chico’s music program. She quickly became a part of the blossoming local Nor Cal scene fronting and writing for various bands and winning local singer/songwriter competitions, resulting in TV and radio appearances and press. Madeleine’s stunning live performances and the unique vulnerability, power and shear beauty of her voice caught the attention of Roger Gisborne of Los Angeles based indie label Sound x 3 Records, who immediately signed her and sent her to Scandinavia to tour. As a result, she was invited to perform for several international festivals, including the Irish, YouBloom Festival.
Gisborne produced and released MAWD’s first EP during Madeleine’s last semester of school and brought in Brian Lucey (Arctic Monkeys, Black Keys, Beck, Cage The Elephant, etc.) to master the record, which received critical acclaim from noteworthy tastemakers leading MAWD to SXSW and a southwest tour with a new line-up of top British, Irish and American musicians, known as the “MAWD Squad”.
Known for her impressive and highly energetic performances in top notch venues, festivals and artist discovery programs such as Sofar Sounds, MAWD has made huge strides developing a dedicated fan base.
Madeleine is presently working with Gisborne and Cave producer/songwriter Josiah Mezzaschi (Deap Vally, Kate Bush, Jesus & the Mary Chain) on MAWD’s second EP set for release in 2019.
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