Idol Chatter & Voice Views

Madi Davis enjoyed a highly successful run on Season 9 of The Voice.

Just 16 when she auditioned, Madi drew priase for her originality and creativity, placed a pair of covers in the Top 10 on the iTunes singles chart and finished in the Top 6.

But what fans of The Voice don’t realize is the funk that can follow the show for artists who suddenly find themselves no longer working with a production team, a professional band and superstar coaches.

“Once the show is over, you’re on your own again,” Madi told Voice Views. “It at times felt like I was back where I started, and that was a very hard feeling to deal with.”

How did Madi deal?

By doing what she loves, writing a song called “Above the Waves.”

Now that song is the title track for her new album, released earlier last month.

It’s the first full album for the 17-year-old from KcKinney, Texas, who had released a pair of pre-Voice EPs.

And it’s an impressive 10-song collection, all originals written or co-written by Madi. Be sure to check out “Cool Girl” and “Give and Take.” And you can listen to “What’s Going Goes” below.

I love about songwriting is that, for me, it is so cathartic,” Madi says. “I can write a song and then, when I’m finished, play it all the way through and I’ll cry, or I’ll think to myself ‘I didn’t even know this was how I felt about this'”

She points to “The Moon” as an example, saying it’s one of her favorites on the album because of how naturally it came about.

“I was having a conversation with my Mom, and then I looked up at the sky and saw this beautiful harvest moon — which I know for a fact is more beautiful in Texas then anywhere else.

“I then started to tell her how much I admire the moon, and how some of my first memories are of me staring at the moon, and sometimes even wondering if it was following me on some of our old school road trips to New Mexico or Oklahoma. She laughed and said — as she frequently does — ‘That’s a song.’ And a few hours later, it was.”

The album also features a collaboration with fellow contestant Darius Scott. Madi says their song “King” was written in The Voice artist tent while waiting to rehearse a group number for the Season 9 finale.

She describes Darius as the first friend she made on the show and “one of the most talented people I’ve ever met.”

“We knew by then that we were going to work together post-Voice, so we figured we’d start as soon as we could — and that meant in between rehearsals,” Madi says.

The song is also an example of one of her biggest takeaways from The Voice.

“The show taught me a lot about collaboration, and how valuable it can be once you trust yourself and your team,” Madi explains. “Pharrell taught me to be confident in everything about myself and to be comfortable with my musical abilities. ‘P’ taught me, like he has so many other young people, that being different is more than okay. That’s something I think I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.”

Madi enjoyed an album release show Friday in McKinney. You can head to her Facebook page to watch video of several songs from that performance. She’s next set to perform this weekend in Chicago at a fundraiser for the SHEDD Aquarium.

You can also keep up with Madi through her website. On Twitter, she’s @MadiAnneDavis.

See also
2016 Albums and EPs by singers from The Voice
2016 singles by singers from The Voice
2016 videos by singers from The Voice