From Clarksville High School to American Idol, to Record deals and recording studios, Haven Madison has had a huge year! As she is getting ready to release new music she joins Charlie to catch up and provide and update on all of the new things she is working on.
Clarksville Conversations with Charlie Koon
Haven Madison: New Music from Clarksville's American Idol
I've lived in Clarksville Montgomery County nearly my entire life and I've seen a lot of growth and met some amazing people along the way. There's a lot going on in our community and on this podcast, I hope she had some light of what's going on in Clarksville. I'm Charlie Kuhn and this is Clarksville Conversation. Well, Haven, welcome to Clarksville Conversations. How you doing? Hi. I'm doing great. It's so good to be here. Well, we've been, we've been watching you and we're excited to hear everything that's been going on with you. I cannot wait for you guys to hear it. I know. So let's go back just a couple of weeks. You were just at American Idol doing, were you doing a reunion or what were you doing? Yeah, so they actually invited me to come and see the show and talk to the contestants and I had to talk to the judges again and I met Teddy Swims because he was the guest performer. So that was really cool. But yeah, I kind of just, you really become a family when you're on a show like that. So it was really amazing getting to see the old like managers and producers and kind of people behind the scenes and being able to hug them because we spent so much time together. So it was a really fun time. Well, I know we've talked about it, but when did you start watching American Idol? Oh my gosh. I mean, I feel like we all watched it on like, you know, carry under wood in Kelly Clarkson era. Scared the death of Simon and they want to switch over. I feel like it became a really big social media present thing. And so especially, you know, like Instagram reels and TikToks, I was always being auditioned stuff and it kind of just became a fun thing that I would watch. You know, we were talking the other day, Tracy and I were watching and you know, we've watched it since season one and I think it's really evolved into much more of a talent show instead of, you know, they're not really kind of making fun of people and having all the bloopers. They're really, they're really showing the artists for who they are. Yeah, I think it's amazing how artists and trick the show has become the way I ended up on the show is I was actually scouted. So they have these producers that are just like digging through social media and trying to find the next talent who just needs the platform because kind of the world we live in is there's so much talent that's undiscovered and it just needs the right platform. So I think it's amazing that that's what idle does for people and it gives them hope and it gives them power and you watch people like myself. I was so young and little looking in my personal vision and it helped me grow and you can see that throughout the journey. Oh, how that's been at least two years ago, right? Yeah, I was 16 and I auditioned 16. You were in the middle of high school. I sure was middle of junior year, middle of junior year, Clarksville Wildcats. Oh, yeah, I still bleed a little bit of purple and gold. I know you do. I know you do. Well, we know you've got where you're traveling. You've got a lot going on. So tell us about your new release coming out and what we can expect to hear out of you. Yeah, I'm really excited. Obviously, I'm a little biased because I've been working on it for almost a year now, but I'm really excited for people to hear. I think it's something so new and fresh, but it's exactly who I am as an artist and where I've wanted to go. So the title of it is Turn Off All The Light, which was inspired by Claw Mark, which is a song on the EP. And conceptually, it was like American Idol was a light that was turned off. And when I stepped away from high school, that was a light that was turned off. So it was as if all these lights were figuratively pressures of who I was supposed to be. And all those got turned off and I get to just walk in the studio and make the music that's authentic to me in my heart. And I think I have a voice and that's why I song right, I don't just sing. And so to be able to use that voice and speak on the things that I want to speak on, that of empowerment and love and heartbreak and patterns of love and confidence, I wanted to make it so honest and it's honestly such a journey. If you listen to it talk to bottom, you're probably going to feel every emotion known to man. So I'm really excited with the way it came together. And so the release date, is it this Friday? It is this Friday, April 26th. I'm so excited. I can't believe it's finally here. So what happens with you on Friday the 26th? The music comes out. Do you have like a release party? What's going on? You know, we, I think are looking at trying to play a release party, but you know, to be completely honest, I think I'm going to wake up and I'm going to go get myself a nice breakfast. And I'm just going to be, I'm just going to treat myself. I'm a foodie. I'm going to treat myself to a nice breakfast, lunch and dinner, hang out with my friends and probably make some fun videos and stuff for social media, but overall, on release days, it's really, the work is the night before the release day. It's when you go live and do all these things and really push it on social media, but on the actual day, it's like you can finally breathe and this way is kind of listed off your shoulders. You just get to relax knowing that it's out in the world and it's out of your control now, which is kind of peaceful. Well, that, that, that's going to be amazing. We can't wait to hear it. And you know, my daughter, Lexi, you've met her and she, she's a music and a food junkie. So what, if you're going to breakfast to celebrate or dinner to celebrate, what kind of meal you're going to have? All right. If I'm going to dinner, I'm getting sushi. I love sushi. It's probably my favorite food. That or pasta? If I'm going to dinner, I'm going to get a good sushi. Um, and if I'm going to breakfast, if I want to get like a brunch or something, there's a few places in Nashville that I like. But if I'm just going to get a quick breakfast, I'm going to get some chicken minis and no one's going to stop me chicken minis. Let me tell you, we do that all the time. So, so it's so good. So so in Nashville, do you, do you have a favorite? I don't want to pin you down on a certain restaurant, but do you have a favorite that is just like what you just really like? Um, I have a few places I really like. There's a sushi place called Oku. That's really, really good. Um, there's also a little taco place that like all the college kids go to, but I think it's so good and it's cheap, which is great for me. Um, but it's called, uh, Taquera del Sol, and it's literally like me and Kirsten's favorite place to go. We're honestly probably going to go after I get off this call. Oh, that, that's cool. That's cool. Well, so, so how many songs, so how many songs are going to be released? This week. Um, it's going to be a five song EP. Two of them are already out, which is kind of a monster, so it's going to be three brand new songs that's collectively going to be a five song body of work. You know, when, when I listen to monster, I can't, it's almost like a movie is running in my head. I'm trying to think about who you're talking to and what's really going on in that song. Oh, yeah, it's a jam-packed song, it tells quite the story that has a tick several people off, but you know, we do it for the music. We do it for the art. Yeah, I know you, I know you do and being able to write and tell a story, uh, is really important with, with your profession, for sure. And I would guess that you learned a lot of that from your father. Oh, I learned so much, uh, not only as a human being, I feel like I owe a lot of my work ethics to him, which is what sets me apart from many new artists coming up is that I know I can't be the best singer, I can't be the coolest person, but I know in every single room I walk in, I'm going to be the hardest worker. And anytime I sound somebody that works harder than me, I just step it up again. And I think I owe that diligence to just watching my dad lead by example. But I also think, um, you know, people ask, try, write songs, and I really don't know, I don't know how to explain it to them because it really just happens. And anytime someone's in a room with me, when I write a song, they just like are freaked out at how it happens. Um, so I think it's kind of just a God-given gift and I'm, I'm really grateful that I got to watch my dad learn and, and, uh, now I get to learn he gets to kind of be my guide post and help me out. Yeah. I mean, having that family support system's got to be, got to be, uh, one of the major keys to success, especially with all the travel and all the people you've got to deal with, he and your mother can probably guide you along pretty good. I think I, I find I'm so blessed with my family, um, that we're all, you know, my brothers, my roommate and Nashville now, he's still my drummer, my dad's my management and my dad, my mom is my queen and my mom, like we're, we're a tight knit family and we're a family that we know we can always lean on. I know there's always home. I know there's always my parents and my brother and having that security makes it so much easier for me to chase these wild and extravagant dreams, knowing that I can always come home to them. Well, and I'm not going to keep you long, but I know you've been traveling. What has been your favorite city in the last year that you've, you've gotten to travel to? Oh my gosh, I have been all over the place. Um, man, I just, I really, I don't know, I've been to LA several times last year, I've been in New York several times, I'm going tomorrow, but honestly, I think I'm predicting that my favorite is going to be Paris. I'm going to go to Paris in a couple of weeks and, um, I haven't been before, so I'm predicting that that's going to be my favorite, uh, travel spot in the last year, also ironically because I'm, you know, going to see Taylor Swift, which I feel like makes me a little biased. You're going to see Taylor in Paris. I am. I'm very, very excited. Holy cow. Well, on a lighter scale, we're going to go see her in New Orleans. Hey, I was going to try to go to one of those, but me and my dad talked about Paris, so I just conveniently gave him the dates when I knew Taylor Swift was going to be there. I'm a mastermind. Of course you are. Well, listen, I appreciate you taking time and, uh, we're so excited for you, but one thing I will say, I know the best city you've traveled to is back home in Clarksville, Tennessee. I mean, it's, I love, I love that home is always there. And I think one of the things, like I said, that encourages me is that I can get on these flights and go all over the place, but at the end of the day, um, I can always go home and I always have a place there with, uh, my core people there. That's right. That's right. Well, listen, we appreciate it. I hope you have safe travels, great success, and we're looking forward to hearing your new music on Friday. Thank you so much. Thank you for making time for me, Charlie. All right. - All right, bye. - All right, bye-bye.