{"id":583,"date":"2020-05-03T23:02:02","date_gmt":"2020-05-03T23:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/?p=583"},"modified":"2020-05-03T23:03:03","modified_gmt":"2020-05-03T23:03:03","slug":"madison-vandenburg-from-second-runner-up-to-running-full-speed-ahead-part-2-of-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/2020\/05\/madison-vandenburg-from-second-runner-up-to-running-full-speed-ahead-part-2-of-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Madison VanDenburg: From Second-Runner-Up To Running Full Speed Ahead (Part 2 of 2)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>This is part two of my interview with superstar Madison VanDenburg, initially written for and posted on <em><a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nippertown.com\/2020\/05\/03\/madison-vandenburg-from-second-runner-up-to-running-full-speed-ahead-part-2-of-2\/\" target=\"_blank\">Nippertown<\/a><\/em>. (On blog <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/2020\/05\/madison-vandenburg-from-second-runner-up-to-running-full-speed-ahead-part-1-of-2\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/180413_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg-8.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"809\" src=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/180413_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg-8-1024x809.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-233\" srcset=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/180413_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg-8-1024x809.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/180413_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg-8-300x237.jpg 300w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/180413_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg-8-768x607.jpg 768w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/180413_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg-8.jpg 1100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Madison Vandenburg at Upstate Concert Hall in April 2018 with her guitarist Tom.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: How did you choose your audition song(s)?<br><\/strong>MV: I was in a voice lesson and I had been playing around with \u201cSpeechless\u201d [by Dan &amp; Shay] for a while because I had fallen in love with the song, and me and my boyfriend had seen this specific performance of them doing it at a radio station. It was the best I had ever heard anyone ever sing in my entire life. And I said, \u201cI wanna do this song.\u201d It was strange for me because I had never really strayed from the twenty or thirty songs I go through in my setlist. It\u2019s usually what I always use for anything, including auditions. It was totally weird for me to go for this country pop song. My vocal coach was like, \u201cGo for it! I think it sounds good.\u201d I was just like, \u201cMight as well try it!\u201d and it worked out. I think I was going to do \u201cFallin\u2019\u201d by Alicia Keys. We were supposed to prepare two songs in case the judges wanted to hear more. But they just passed me on the first one, which I was really grateful for.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAmericanIdol%2Fvideos%2F1727891000646182%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=476\" width=\"476\" height=\"476\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: When you were compared to Kelly Clarkson, I feel like that both sets up big shoes to feel, and makes it harder for you to establish yourself as your own artist. Honestly, how did it feel being compared to Kelly Clarkson, or that you <em>were<\/em> the \u201cnext Kelly Clarkson?\u201d<br><\/strong>MV: Honestly, I thought it was the biggest compliment I could have ever received. I didn\u2019t even think about it in that way, like, \u201cIt\u2019s really cool but I wish they wouldn\u2019t so I could establish my own sound.\u201d I didn\u2019t really think about it that way until the fans from the show were commenting about it. Okay, true, but the show is only on for a few months. So it\u2019s incredible that they gave me such a compliment&nbsp; that I can use to show people who I am as an artist. I still do have a lot of Kelly Clarkson\u2019s influence because I listened to a lot of her growing up as well. I kinda just took it as, \u201cThat\u2019s the coolest thing anyone\u2019s ever said to me. That\u2019s amazing! Thank you!\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And after the show I have all of these amazing people who still listen to me and I can still give them music where people aren\u2019t going to think I\u2019m copying Kelly or trying to fill her shoes. It doesn&#8217;t sound like Kelly. It\u2019s a different lane of pop than she is.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A lot of people were really adamant on me not being compared to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: Honestly, I was one of them. I said, \u201cShe deserves to be her own musician.\u201d<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: I saw another girl from this current season have the same thing said to her. At first it was weird seeing it, because that was the highlight of my journey on <em>Idol<\/em>, but afterwards, it\u2019s just a comparison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: You don\u2019t think it puts you on a pedestal or sets a bar for you that you have to live up to for the rest of the season? You don\u2019t think that\u2019s detrimental in any way?<br><\/strong>MV: Um, I think the only reason it was detrimental is because Kelly Clarkson has some incredible superfans who will defend her to great extents. I totally get where your point is coming in, because a lot of people said the same thing when I was on the show, but in reality when you come off the show and you\u2019re releasing your own stuff, that starts to fade away. Three years from now, I don\u2019t think people are going to say, \u201cOh, that\u2019s the girl from <em>American Idol<\/em> who they compared to Kelly Clarkson.\u201d Hopefully they\u2019re going to say, \u201cOh that\u2019s the girl from <em>American Idol<\/em> and now she\u2019s touring!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/180413_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg-16-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-221\" srcset=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/180413_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg-16-683x1024.jpg 683w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/180413_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg-16-200x300.jpg 200w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/180413_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg-16-768x1152.jpg 768w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/180413_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg-16.jpg 920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption>Madison Vandenburg performs at Upstate Concert Hall, April 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: That\u2019s a fair point. And that\u2019s why I wanted to get your perspective. And maybe changing my mind.<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: I love that though.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: You\u2019re right though. In a few years nobody is going to remember who was compared to who. It\u2019s going to be about what you do with <em>your <\/em>vocals and your musicianship going forward. What was the most challenging song to sing on <em>Idol<\/em>?&nbsp;<\/strong><br>MV: Easily \u201cI Surrender\u201d [by C\u00e9line Dion] or \u201cThe Show Must Go On\u201d by Queen. My voice got really tired in the week leading up to those performances. And I had to be super careful. I was so grateful that I knew both songs because both songs were performed by C\u00e9line Dion once. It was an amazing thing to just have to watch videos and listen, and<em> not<\/em> have to learn the song. Because if I did I would have overused my voice and have nothing left for the performance. Those songs are very very hard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: When I think of \u201cThe Show Must Go On,\u201d a lot of it is very much in an upper register or mix space and that can be pretty straining.<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: Yeah, especially since that song sits in a place in my range where it\u2019s very unreliable sometimes. My voice will crack and I won\u2019t even feel it coming. That\u2019s why I was super nervous. I had a high note at the very end that jumped the octave from the note before it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: Before or after the key change?<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: After. It was like the second to last note of the song. It was like way, way up there. Every time I was cracking or I would mark it and just use head voice because I was like, \u201cI want to do this but I don\u2019t know if it\u2019s gonna be okay.\u201d But when I was on stage, I just decided I was going to try it. If it cracks, it\u2019s been great. Every time I stepped out on stage, just take it all in because this might be the last time you get to see it. So yeah, that song was very, very hard. And the emotion of it too. I don\u2019t even like watching that performance anymore. So many people have commented that I was smiling in certain parts of the song when it was supposed to be serious [&#8230;] it was very discouraging. I performed and then I looked right at the comments right after that.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: Oh, NO, honey.<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: That was the number one thing they told us not to do. It\u2019ll ruin your mood for the rest of the show. And I did it anyway every time. \u201cWhy is she smiling like this?\u201d In truthfulness, I was just trying to be in the moment. I don&#8217;t know. I get where people are coming from. It\u2019s just hard to watch that song now. I\u2019m like, \u201cStop smiling! What are you doing?! STOP SMILING!\u201d [GIGGLES].<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: What was your favorite to perform?<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: Probably \u201cI Surrender.\u201d That was crazy cool. \u201cOr Fallin.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: You finally got to perform that one!<br><\/strong>MV: It was so much fun to be able to move from the piano to the middle of the stage. That was so cool. Or \u201cWho\u2019s Loving You\u201d [by the Jackson 5] was a lot of fun. And Hawaii was cool. Maybe I just have a lot of good memories of that song because it was in Hawaii.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAmericanIdol%2Fvideos%2F2280172358920737%2F&amp;show_text=0&amp;width=560\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" style=\"border:none;overflow:hidden\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"0\" allowtransparency=\"true\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: What was the most challenging aspect of being on <em>Idol<\/em>?<br><\/strong>MV: Honestly it was keeping any type of self confidence in your performances. Once you get into the atmosphere of everything&#8230;even though everyone is a family, and everyone is super close and supportive, at the end of the day, you\u2019re still surrounded by incredibly talented artists that you hear sing all day every day. It slowly starts to wear you down on your confidence. I was never once like, \u201cI got this!\u201d but it was very hard to stay focused on what you\u2019re doing instead of being crippled by, \u201cOh my God I don&#8217;t know what I\u2019m doing here. This is crazy and scary.\u201d<br><br>That and believing in the song choice that you\u2019ve picked for the next week is right. When we had to pick songs for the next week out, it was brutal. You\u2019d go through the entire week of practicing it, by the end of the week you\u2019re tired of it, and you\u2019re like, \u201cI don\u2019t think this is as impactful as I thought it was.\u201d Specific things. I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-2 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><a href=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190514_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenBurg-lg-6.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190514_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenBurg-lg-6-1024x683.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"584\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190514_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenBurg-lg-6.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/?attachment_id=584\" class=\"wp-image-584\" srcset=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190514_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenBurg-lg-6-1024x683.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190514_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenBurg-lg-6-300x200.jpg 300w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190514_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenBurg-lg-6-768x512.jpg 768w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190514_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenBurg-lg-6.jpg 1435w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/li><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><a href=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190514_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenBurg-lg-4.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"717\" src=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190514_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenBurg-lg-4-1024x717.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"588\" data-full-url=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190514_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenBurg-lg-4.jpg\" data-link=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/?attachment_id=588\" class=\"wp-image-588\" srcset=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190514_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenBurg-lg-4-1024x717.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190514_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenBurg-lg-4-300x210.jpg 300w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190514_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenBurg-lg-4-768x538.jpg 768w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190514_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenBurg-lg-4.jpg 1238w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\"><em>On a rainy day in early May, flanked by American Idol film crews, Madison plays for a packed field during her Idol homecoming visit.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: What do you think you learned the most while on<\/strong><strong><em> Idol<\/em><\/strong><strong>?<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: That kindness and being grateful takes you so much farther than acting like you\u2019re gonna win. In the beginning of the show especially. There were a bunch of people that I didn\u2019t get to talk to who were eliminated pretty early on, but they were like, \u201cOh I\u2019m better than you. I\u2019m gonna sing all day while everybody\u2019s quiet and prove to you that I\u2019m a good singer.\u201d There were a lot of people like that. I know a lot of them were probably just nervous, but like, what the heck? We\u2019re all here to have fun. It was more of a learning experience and me growing up. Be kind and be grateful for what you\u2019ve got. Don\u2019t act like you\u2019ve got it all in the bag. In the end, those people who thought they had it all were eliminated. And then the Top 50, everyone was so amazing and they got so far. I think that was the most important thing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: What aspects, music aside, have changed most about your life since your time on reality TV?<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: My school attendance would be number one. Haha, just playing. I think I\u2019ve finally found my sound. Well, being on the show helped me figure out what I want to sound like. Oh, you said music aside. Probably that if you truly believe that you can do something there\u2019s literally nothing, unless it\u2019s physically impossible, there\u2019s no way that you\u2019re not going to get a least a little payoff from it. I think I\u2019ve taken that away from the show the most and applied it to real life. I think a lot of the time people don\u2019t put all their effort into something that they truly want and then get disappointed when they don\u2019t get so far. I think it\u2019s all about staying persistent and giving your all. I think that\u2019s what the show taught me. It\u2019s so possible to do anything as long as you put your mind to it. It\u2019s so clich\u00e9, like why am I saying this, but it\u2019s so true. It\u2019s <em>so <\/em>true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: As you spend more time in the music industry, what do you feel it needs more of? Less of?<\/strong><br>MV: I think artists need to know that they don\u2019t need to be under a [huge] label to do what they want to do or to get their start. You don\u2019t need a label or management team to write some good songs and get out there. You don\u2019t need a label to start releasing your own music and build an audience. I think the general knowledge of learning to do some things on your own can be super helpful. You can learn to produce and mix and master. Or just produce and pay someone to master it. You just build up your following. And I think the stigma about older music being better than newer music\u2014I totally get that stance 110%\u2014but at the same time, humans in general have changed in the past hundred years. We\u2019re not the same personality. We\u2019re not relating to the music that was released a hundred years ago, or fifty years ago, or even thirty years ago. I think that music is all about expression, and it shouldn\u2019t be a comparison. Maybe lyrically, it was deeper, but people just want to enjoy listening to music. It\u2019s about bopping and jamming out. Sometimes it\u2019s not meant to be that serious. I think that\u2019s important. There\u2019s such a stigma about that, and like why does it matter?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/181116_ElissaEbersold_CMH_MaddyVandenBurg.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"682\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/181116_ElissaEbersold_CMH_MaddyVandenBurg-682x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-585\" srcset=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/181116_ElissaEbersold_CMH_MaddyVandenBurg-682x1024.jpg 682w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/181116_ElissaEbersold_CMH_MaddyVandenBurg-200x300.jpg 200w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/181116_ElissaEbersold_CMH_MaddyVandenBurg-768x1153.jpg 768w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/181116_ElissaEbersold_CMH_MaddyVandenBurg.jpg 998w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 682px) 100vw, 682px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Madison VanDenburg at Cohoes Music Hall, November 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: As long as people are enjoying it, what\u2019s the big deal?<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: It\u2019s just music!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: Who is your ideal collaborator?<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: James Arthur. James Arthur is just sitting at the top. I love his artistry so much. Him, or in a perfect world, Billie Eilish, Kelly Clarkson, or Fletcher. Any of those people. Maybe Chase Atlantic, but their songs are a little more graphic than I\u2019d feel comfortable singing. But their style is cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: So you decided to take your senior year and be homeschooled, correct? <\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: I did half of it online. And it was really hard, and I texted my guidance counselor and asked to come back for the second half of my senior year. This was halfway through already, and she was like, \u201cOf course!\u201d I was in school for like a month&#8230;and now I\u2019m home again! And it\u2019s soooo sad. Sooooooo saaaaad.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: What do you miss most about being in class? Although I suppose that can apply to almost any student, and senior, right now. Congratulations on your graduation, by the way. <\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: Thank you.<br><br><strong>EE: Sorry it falls now.<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: It is what it is. I think because the way my schooling went\u2014Because <em>The Voice<\/em> took a few months I was away at the end of tenth grade. Then I went to <em>American Idol<\/em> and I missed almost all of my eleventh grade year because of the show. I did half of it online because I wasn\u2019t there. And then this year Corona happened, so we haven\u2019t had school. So I think [I miss] just being able to create memories with people. That and a few weeks before quarantine happened I was trying to check in with all my friends that I haven&#8217;t talked to. I was trying to build those back up since I haven\u2019t been around and I think that\u2019s what I miss most. And then my teachers and stuff. I have a lot of respect for them.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: How has being shut in affected your music?<\/strong><br>MV: The most monetary thing is that I can\u2019t perform. It\u2019s hard for me to create new music because I don\u2019t have the funds I thought I was going to have to produce them and send them to get finished. That\u2019s been a super big hindrance on this year\u2019s music. But at the same time, it\u2019s kind of a good thing. I don\u2019t have to focus on getting the band together and practicing every week. It\u2019s given me a lot of time to sit down and dive deeper into my sound and create. It\u2019s also very hard because when you\u2019re stuck inside and the only thing you know how to do is music, it gets very tedious and very old. It gets to a point where you don\u2019t want to sit down and write. It\u2019s like, \u201cI just did this for the past week! Is there anything else to do!\u201d There\u2019s goods and bads to it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/190819_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg_AltamontFair_06.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"753\" src=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/190819_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg_AltamontFair_06-1024x753.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-404\" srcset=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/190819_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg_AltamontFair_06-1024x753.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/190819_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg_AltamontFair_06-300x221.jpg 300w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/190819_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg_AltamontFair_06-768x564.jpg 768w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/08\/190819_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg_AltamontFair_06.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Madison VanDenburg, Altamont Fair, NY, 08.18.19<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: What advice do you have for young musicians, especially young women, who want to pursue music or try out for competition shows like<\/strong><strong><em> Idol<\/em><\/strong><strong>?<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: Literally don\u2019t even think twice about it. If you believe in yourself and you know, or even if you don\u2019t know, that\u2019s what you were put on the earth to pursue\u2014just do it. There\u2019s nothing that you can lose. Especially being a female in the industry, which I think I\u2019ve come to love more and more every year, that I do get to have a platform to inspire other women, I think it\u2019s helped me find a lot of confidence in myself as a girl. I think anybody, male or female, that decides to go after their dream is a badass. Don\u2019t let anyone stand in your way. Just do it. That\u2019s kind of the way my mom and my dad raised me. If you want something as your dream, remove the obstacles, if there are obstacles, and do it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: What is in the future for you?<\/strong><br>MV: Currently me and my team are hoping to get some type of deal with Sony. Brian, my agent, he handles all my production stuff. Adrian and John, and Pat&#8230;they\u2019re all part of my team and they have contacts with Sony. That is the ultimate goal. Really what I want to do is just release as much music as possible. Tour wherever I can. Collaborate with artists. It sounds all very clich\u00e9 for an artist, but that\u2019s what the dream is. Write some good music and have some fun.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190820_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg_AuroraGames_30-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-586\" srcset=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190820_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg_AuroraGames_30-683x1024.jpg 683w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190820_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg_AuroraGames_30-200x300.jpg 200w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190820_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg_AuroraGames_30-768x1152.jpg 768w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190820_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg_AuroraGames_30-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190820_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg_AuroraGames_30-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/190820_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotography_MadisonVandenburg_AuroraGames_30-scaled.jpg 1707w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption>Madison VanDenburg, Aurora Games, Albany, NY, 08.20.19<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: What gear do you use?<\/strong><br>MV: I use a Taylor 812 Guitar Acoustic-Electric Guitar. That\u2019s my favorite. For studio, I just have two JBL monitors. DBX 86A pre-amp and processor. And then I use either ProTools or Logic with a Shure SM7B mic.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: What is the answer to a question I haven\u2019t asked but you wish I would?<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: Ooooh, oh my god. You comin\u2019 at me with the good questions\u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: To be fair I ask this of everyone!<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong>MV: I would say&#8230;oh my goodness I don\u2019t know. I\u2019m gonna stick to the classic, \u201cWhat would you tell your fans if they were reading this?\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For anyone that\u2019s reading this interview in the magazine, I think I just want to tell them from the bottom of my heart, that they literally changed my entire view on life and their support means more than I could ever put into words. I\u2019ve been dreaming about being at this stage and having these opportunities since I was seven years old. To be sitting down and even having this interview in the first place means so much. I just wanna say thank you. I love them to death. And be good to one another. Just be good to people. I believe in that very much.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/181020_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotographer_MaddyVandenburg-lg.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"765\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/181020_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotographer_MaddyVandenburg-lg-765x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-589\" srcset=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/181020_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotographer_MaddyVandenburg-lg-765x1024.jpg 765w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/181020_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotographer_MaddyVandenburg-lg-224x300.jpg 224w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/181020_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotographer_MaddyVandenburg-lg-768x1028.jpg 768w, http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/181020_ElissaEbersold_ConcertPhotographer_MaddyVandenburg-lg.jpg 957w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 706px) 89vw, (max-width: 767px) 82vw, 740px\" \/><\/a><figcaption>Madison VanDenburg at Cohoes Music Hall, November 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: How can the <em>Nippertown<\/em> readers help you out moving forward?<\/strong><br>MV: Right now I am running a campaign to raise $10,000 for <a href=\"http:\/\/help.feedingamerica.org\/site\/TR\/SettheTable\/General?px=5200572&amp;pg=personal&amp;fr_id=1481&amp;s_src=W204REFER&amp;s_referrer=help.feedingamerica.org\/site\/TR\/SettheTable\/General%3Fpg%3Dpfind%26fr_id%3D1350%26searchFirstName%3D%26searchLastName%3Dvandenburg%26fr_search_type%3Dparticipant%26fr_find_search%3DSearch%26submit%3Dtrue&amp;s_subsrc=http:\/\/help.feedingamerica.org\/site\/TR\"><strong>Feeding America<\/strong><\/a>. They have food banks across America to feed those who are suffering right now, especially during the Coronavirus. I think that\u2019s also something that I\u2019d love to raise money for. I think we\u2019re over $1500, and we just started a little over a week and a half ago. It\u2019s been incredible. That\u2019s one of my biggest priorities right now is that fundraiser.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I do have new music coming out. Confirmed. Guaranteed. In the works, almost done. I can\u2019t say any dates or any names yet, but once that\u2019s all released, just saying updated on the social media and sharing the posts would be very appreciated. So if they\u2019re interested in my music, just staying up to date with me on social media and once I have posted dates for performing, if they can make it out to some shows&#8230;that\u2019d be amazing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>EE: Thank you so much, Madison, this has been so fun.&nbsp;<\/strong><br>MV: Yes, this has been so fun! Thank you so much!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Madison\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/instagram.com\/madisonv\"><strong>Instagram<\/strong><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/officialmadisonvandenburg\/\"><strong>Facebook<\/strong><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/madisonvandenburg\"><strong>YouTube<\/strong><\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MadisonV\"><strong>Twitter<\/strong><\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.twitch.tv\/madisonv\"><strong>Twitch<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/help.feedingamerica.org\/site\/TR\/SettheTable\/General?px=5200572&amp;pg=personal&amp;fr_id=1481&amp;s_src=W204REFER&amp;s_referrer=help.feedingamerica.org\/site\/TR\/SettheTable\/General%3Fpg%3Dpfind%26fr_id%3D1350%26searchFirstName%3D%26searchLastName%3Dvandenburg%26fr_search_type%3Dparticipant%26fr_find_search%3DSearch%26submit%3Dtrue&amp;s_subsrc=http:\/\/help.feedingamerica.org\/site\/TR\"><strong>If you would like to donate to Madison\u2019s Feeding America Fundraiser, you can find the link here!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This is part two of my interview with superstar Madison VanDenburg, initially written for and posted on Nippertown. (On blog here.) EE: How did you choose your audition song(s)?MV: I was in a voice lesson and I had been playing around with \u201cSpeechless\u201d [by Dan &amp; Shay] for a while because I had fallen in &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/2020\/05\/madison-vandenburg-from-second-runner-up-to-running-full-speed-ahead-part-2-of-2\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Madison VanDenburg: From Second-Runner-Up To Running Full Speed Ahead (Part 2 of 2)&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[128],"tags":[38,130,124,79,43,23,129,29,12,63,11],"class_list":["post-583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-interview","tag-american-idol","tag-indie-music","tag-interview","tag-local-music","tag-madison-vandenburg","tag-music-photography","tag-musician","tag-pop","tag-schenectady","tag-the-voice","tag-troy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=583"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":591,"href":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/583\/revisions\/591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/elissagayle.ebersold.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}