When it comes to reality TV shows, there’s no such thing as the binary. It’s never just as simple as “I watch it” or “I don’t watch it.” There are so many gradations that float in between “do” and “don’t.” There’s the guilty pleasure watchers. There’s the casual watchers, or the home-sick-in-bed watchers. You could be one of the watching religiously watchers and/or one of the live-tweeting commentating watchers. Or you could be like many and watch when a citizen of your locale becomes a focal point of the show. While I probably more closely fall into the “casual watcher” category, having turned these reality competition shows on and off for the past fifteen years or so, I know the latter category probably encompasses many citizens of New York’s Capital Region these past couple of years. I can’t even blame them with incredible talents such as Moriah Formica (The Voice, American Idol), Sawyer Fredericks (The Voice), and now most recently, the incredible Madison Vandenburg coming out of the woodwork. No, not coming out of the woodwork. Coming in like a Category 5 hurricane. Great talent isn’t such a bad thing to be known for, is it?
So, if you haven’t seen how absolutely mind-blowingly talented Ms. Madison is, well then be sure to check out any number of her great performances on American Idol so far. That great musical talent (already showcased on televised musical competition reality TV) is exactly how I got to meet Madison. I had been photographing for the incredible, fellow local powerhouse rocker Moriah Formica and still trying to build my portfolio. So when I was asked to photograph Madison by Moriah‘s father the night of Moriah‘s Upstate Concert Hall show if I could “also snap some photos of Moriah‘s friend Madison,” of course I agreed.
My first impression is, I’m fairly certain, the same that most people experience when they meet Madison. She’s a pixie, soft-spoken, and one of the sweetest and most bubbly people I’ve ever met. So when she belted out her first song on that warm mid-April evening (April 13, 2018, to be precise), I was floored. Now, I wasn’t calling her “the next Kelly Clarkson,” as Katy Perry and Luke Bryan called her in her audition (more so because I’m inclined to believe people are allowed to stand on their own musical merits and carve out their own achievements), but I knew she had one hell of a set of pipes on her. She gave me chills as she sang, my arms prickling even as I was sweating from running around the warm room trying to get photos of her.
She sings with such emotion and such passion, I can imagine that in her mind it is almost like there’s no one else in the room when she sings. It is just her and the music swaddling her in a warm melodic blanket. From a purely compositional standpoint, this can be a problem for a photographer, actually. She remains pretty stationary, so a dynamic picture is hard to come by. But that’s not saying she doesn’t have stage presence, and I’m certain that American Idol is helping her improve the great stage presence she already has. She commands attention on the stage in the same way like fellow powerhouse vocalists like Adele or Celine Dion might do. By this I mean, it’s not about how they run about the stage or some meticulously practiced choreography, or the pyrotechnics or light show. Rather, it is the big, swelling and sweeping vocals and enchanting music that makes the show.
Madison is a queen of melisma and control, and damn good pitch. Her voice sucks you in, so that unless you’re the one taking pictures, you don’t notice she isn’t prancing around the stage. And she sounds exactly like she does on TV. No autotune needed. She is incredible to see perform live, and I am fortunate and humbled to know her and watch her forge her own path and conquer her dreams. There are few people in this world that truly deserve to have their dreams come true, and while I haven’t known her long, my impression is that she, along with Moriah, is one of those few. You can follow Madison‘s musical journey on American Idol by following her on her Facebook page. She should be so proud of herself and I am more than happy to promote her every move (and yeah, a little shameless self promo along the way 😉 )
Keep an eye out for another future post featuring best friends and powerhouses Madison & Moriah. Their vocal coach Lesley should be pretty proud of herself. These two starlets speak a volumes to her teaching abilities.
If you are interested in having me photograph your show, reach out to me via email at elissa@ebersold.org to discuss rates.
Madison Vandenburg performs at Upstate Concert Hall. 
Madison Vandenburg performs at Upstate Concert Hall. 
Madison Vandenburg performs at Upstate Concert Hall. 
Madison Vandenburg performs at Upstate Concert Hall. 
Madison Vandenburg performs at Upstate Concert Hall. 
Madison’s bassist always makes me think he’s a Kiefer Sutherland clone. 
Madison Vandenburg performs at Upstate Concert Hall. 
Madison Vandenburg performs at Upstate Concert Hall. 
Madison Vandenburg performs at Upstate Concert Hall. 
Madison Vandenburg performs at Upstate Concert Hall. 
Madison Vandenburg performs at Upstate Concert Hall. 
Madison Vandenburg performs at Upstate Concert Hall. 
Madison Vandenburg performs at Upstate Concert Hall. 
Madison Vandenburg performs at Upstate Concert Hall. 
Madison Vandenburg performs at Upstate Concert Hall.