American singer Madison Beer has released a brand new album, Silence Between Songs.
Her second studio album, which runs at 45 minutes and includes zero collaborations, comes two years after her debut EP Life Support.
“Sobbing crying don’t talk to me #SBSoutnow,” said the 24-year-old musician on X (Twitter) this morning (September 15) as the 14-track album was released.
“Feeling an overwhelming amount of emotions and gratitude. i’ll have more to say tomorrow, but for now goodnight and happy sbs night. thank you for your love and support. silence between songs out now,” she said.
feeling an overwhelming amount of emotions and gratitude. i’ll have more to say tomorrow, but for now goodnight and happy sbs night 🤍 thank you for your love and support. silence between songs out now. #SBSoutnow https://t.co/jML4lQgHrx
— madison beer (@madisonbeer) September 15, 2023
The release of the sophomore album has thrilled Beer’s fans: “Thank you for making this masterpiece, you’re truly talented and deserved everything good in the world,” commented one on the social media site. “We love you so unbelievably much. your talent is always a marvel, and this album is incredible. I hope you’re so proud of yourself,” commented another.
Silence Between Songs promises to see the sound of the YouTube star-turned-artist mature. Reviews have already been coming in for the new EP, and on the whole, seem relatively positive, with one critic saying Beer, “lays her soul bare” on her new project, describing her as “one of the best technical vocalists out there”.
Another says, “It feels like a record Beer has been desperate to make since the very beginning: she’s come a long way in her time in the spotlight, but now we’re finally getting to know her true sound.” The songs, which have titles including Sweet Relief, Nothing Matters But You, At Your Worst and Reckless include Sixties pop and psych-rock influences.
Beer was catapulted into international stardom as a young teen when Justin Bieber shared a YouTube video of her covering Etta James’ At Last on Twitter. “Wow. 13 years old! she can sing. great job. #futurestar,” he commented, and subsequently Beer was signed with Bieber’s manager Scooter Braun, landed a record deal and moved with her mother and brother to LA.
Early singles Melodies (2013), Unbreakable (2014), All for Love (2015) and Something Sweet (2015) didn’t a real impact on the charts.
“I’m not a fan of those songs now,” she told the Standard in 2018. “[The record company] kind of just gave me them and said, ‘These are yours and you don’t really have a choice whether to put them out or not’. They wanted me to be very pop, very Disney queen. I was really young, I didn’t know the industry. I felt trapped for a long time.”
In February 2018, she released an EP, As She Pleases, which the Standard described as “a far more mature collection, full of slinky, sexy R&B but also ranging in style from a retro doo-wop song, Teenager in Love, to a reggae one that sounds just like Rihanna”. The album went to number 93 on the US’ Billboard 200 album charts, marking the start of a new sound from Beer.
The star has been through a lot: not only has she lived under intense media scrutiny since being picked out by Bieber, but when she was just 15 years old, nude photos of her were leaked online and she subsequently developed PTSD and attempted suicide twice.
In her first studio album, Life Support, Beer touched on some of her personal issues, singing about depression and mental health. Unpacking the album’s contents in an interview with Rolling Stone, she said: “With my album, I made a promise to myself that this is going to be my time to express honestly and truthfully how I’ve been feeling.
“I could finally tell my story the way I wanted to tell it and touch on things like medications that are harmful for young adults that I’ve been put on.”
Now, in Silence Between Songs, Beer seems to be continuing this personal reflection. In a June 2023 conversation with Lana Del Ray for Interview magazine, Beer spoke about the future, saying: “I hope that I continue to gain wisdom through experiences and make music I’m proud of... I want to make sure I’m just doing what my heart tells me, that’s my main goal.”
