MADELINE MERLO
For Madeline Merlo, songwriting has always been about honesty. The Canadian-born artist grew up in a small town outside of Vancouver, riding horses, surrounded by mountains and the ocean, with country music as a soundtrack. That mix of landscape and storytelling shaped her early connection to music.
“I was a very rebellious child,” she recalls. “I would take the screen off my window and sit on our roof with my journal and just get emotional AF. A lot of the songs were like, ‘you can do it, you’re good enough’ type of songs, which I think is so precious now.”
Those early writings were fueled by powerhouse voices she idolized. “I was always really attracted to music that felt really honest and like storytelling, whether it was Martina McBride’s, A Broken Wing or Etta James’ I’d Rather Go Blind,” she explained. “It made me excited to create songs of my own and love poems.”
She carried that instinct for self-expression into her career, even as doubts crept in. “Being so young and being a woman, I felt like everyone around me was older and knew better,” she admits.
It’s easy to trust other people’s opinions over your own. But it’s my name on the song, and I have to sing it every night. You have to advocate for yourself, even if your voice shakes.”
That lesson came into sharp focus after relocating to Nashville and experiencing her breakthrough moment: co-writing a Lady A hit alongside Shane McAnally, Ryan Tedder, and Esther Dean. “It was one of the craziest things that’s happened to me,” Merlo says. “Suddenly, you move to town and you’re just doing everything you can, writing all the songs, and then you’re at the ASCAP awards because the song went number one. It validated all the hard work I had done.”
The early success also reset her creative standards. “From that experience, I learned to raise the bar,” she says. “I remember writing down a line I thought was perfect and Shane just kept pushing. That’s what takes a song from great to incredible. It empowered me to be that person in the room.”
Merlo admits she can be “more annoying now” when it comes to chasing the best version of a song.
I love it, but I’ll still ask, is there a way we can write to the hook more? Or I’ll say this melody feels a little generic, let’s try something different. The really great songwriters strive for excellence every day.”
Her own songs are often born from moments of vulnerability, like “Middle of the Bed,” written years after a breakup. “One night I forgot we broke up,” she says. “And then you’re reminded very quickly. I thought it was so strange – like my subconscious was the last thing to let go. And I remember writing it down on my phone just thinking this whole scenario would be a really cool song.” Looking back with hindsight gave her music a new perspective.
That commitment to honesty hasn’t always aligned with industry advice. “Someone once told me my videos would get more views if I showed my body more,” she says. “Maybe that’s true, but I still think it’s bad advice. Same with people telling me not to talk about faith. That’s a huge part of who I am. So, I think a lot of decisions can be made out of fear. You just have to keep your blinders on and do what you do best.”
For Merlo, that means trusting her instincts, staying open to inspiration, and striving for authenticity in every line.
If something makes me a little uncomfortable, that’s often a really good sign I’m onto something,” she says. “At the end of the day, it’s about chasing music you love and creating from that place.”
