Maddie Poppe

Maddie Poppe is a twenty one-year-old singer-songwriter from Clarksville, Iowa and Season 16 winner of American Idol. Maddie fell in love with music at a young age, learning to play guitar, ukulele and piano and in 2016, Maddie released her debut album,“Songs From The Basement,” which she wrote, produced and recorded alongside her father, Trent. Maddie had been performing locally in Iowa for over five years when she decided to audition for American Idol which she calls her “saving grace.” As she continued through the competition, she ultimately stole America’s hearts and was crowned the winner, giving the audience an emotional, overjoyed, and tear stained performance of her single, “Going Going Gone.”

Since her Idol victory, she has been in high demand and gone on to appear and perform on multiple TV shows including Jimmy Kimmel Live, Live! with Kelly & Ryan, the 2018 Radio Disney Music Awards, and performances at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, Special Olympics and CMA Fest in Nashville. Maddie’s debut album Whirlwindwas #2 on the iTunes Pop charts and her hit single “Made You Miss” earned #19 on the Hot AC Radio charts.

Currently, Maddie is gearing up for The Dramatic Tour supporting Ingrid Michaelson this Fall and working on new music.

The new album from singer/songwriter Maddie Poppe, Whirlwind is an up-close-and-personal portrait of all the magic and joy and occasional hurt that comes from chasing your dreams. With her straight-from-the-heart storytelling—as well as the radiant vocal presence that made her the winner of American Idol —the 21-year-old Iowa native details her journey with both fearless honesty and tender sensitivity. And while there’s an instantly charming coming-of-age quality to Whirlwind, Poppe’s indelible melodies and sophisticated songcraft ultimately transcend all boundaries, resulting in an album that’s irresistibly timeless.

Her debut release for Hollywood Records, Whirlwind finds Poppe joining forces with producer/songwriters like Johan Carlsson (Ariana Grande, Charlie Puth, Demi Lovato) and Drew Pearson (Kesha, Pentatonix, Michelle Branch), building off her Americana roots and adorning her songs with elements of indie-rock and pop. “Making the album felt like one big experiment, where I kept learning so much and getting so many new ideas,” says Poppe, a multi-instrumentalist who plays guitar, piano, and ukulele. “Instead of just limiting myself to any one genre, I wanted to try out whatever styles and sounds felt right for the song.”

One of Whirlwind’s most striking departures, “Made You Miss” imbues a new boldness into Poppe’s music, unfolding in serpentine rhythms, smoldering horns, and urgent guitar riffs. As Poppe explains, the track’s infectious energy partly stems from the playful spontaneity that fueled the recording session. “The guitar part to that song was actually recorded on an iPhone,” she points out. “It seems crazy considering we were in this studio with all this amazing equipment—but it sounded so good, so we kept it.” Meanwhile, Poppe stirs up a fiery passion in her vocal performance, belting with supreme self-assurance as she revels in the thrill of moving on from the one who’s done you wrong.

Poppe examines countless dimensions of love and relationships all throughout Whirlwind, embodying everything from the lovestruck determination of “Skeletons” to the long-distance longing of “Little Things.” With its hypnotic guitar tones and soulful Mellotron solo, “Take It Out On You” muses on the awe-inspiring generosity of someone loving you even at your worst, while “First Aid Kit” brings finespun melodies and beautifully lilting vocals to a delicate meditation on the healing quality of love. And on “Not Losing You,” Poppe delivers a heavy-hearted yet hopeful piano ballad that powerfully channels pure devotion.

“‘Not Losing You’ came from a conversation I’d had with Caleb the night before,” says Poppe, referring to her fellow Idol star and boyfriend, Caleb Lee Hutchinson. “He was having an off night and telling me how he felt, and talking to him ended up inspiring the lyrics. One of the coolest things is that it started with these random piano chords my producer was playing when I got to the studio the next day—it was just something he’d made up right on the spot, but I loved it so much that we turned it into a song.”

On “Wild Flowers,” Poppe explores an entirely different form of love: her boundless affection for her hometown of Clarksville, Iowa (population 1,439). With its warmly detailed reminiscence of summer nights and her childhood home, the folk-tinged track steadily unfurls into a triumphantly soaring anthem. Another look at growing up and forging your own path through life, “Postcard” finds Poppe penning a note to her younger self, setting her full-hearted reflection to a graceful arrangement of dreamy synth lines and brightly stomping beats.

Poppe’s fascination with home also informs “Nothing Good Comes Out of California,” a deceptively titled love letter to Los Angeles. “I’ve found that people often have negative ideas about what people are like in California, even if they’ve never actually been there,” says Poppe. “At this point I’ve spent a lot of time in California and learned that none of those stereotypes are true, and that there’s so much more to it than what you might assume.” Threaded with lyrics both clever and wistful (“They say you’ll get tattooed and purple hair/You’ll miss the Friday night lights and the county fair, and that’s a pity”), “Nothing Good Comes Out of California” ultimately speaks to the sometimes-lonesome glory in following your heart to faraway places.

To close out Whirlwind, Poppe offers up the quietly poignant “Roses,” an intimate look at the confusion of feeling bad in the happiest of times. “When we wrote ‘Roses,’ I’d been feeling a little off for the past few days, but I didn’t want to tell anyone about that and come across ungrateful for how lucky I am,” she says. “I wanted to write a song about how you can’t control things like depression or anxiety—sometimes it just happens for no reason, and the world outside doesn’t match up with what’s happening in your head.” Capturing that disconnect in starkly poetic lyrics (“Picking peaches with my hands/But still no roses in my head”), “Roses” merges its sing-song melody and swaying ukulele rhythms with a heartfelt message of understanding and solace.

Throughout Whirlwind, Poppe showcases the captivating vocal work she first began honing as a little kid in Clarksville. “My dad was in a band, and sometimes I’d get up and sing a Janis Joplin song or ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine’ with them,” she remembers. In seventh grade she learned to play guitar, and within a year started playing shows locally. And though she still has a songbook of material she wrote on her own starting in third grade, it wasn’t until at age 15 that Poppe fully immersed herself in songwriting, mining inspiration from the heart-on-sleeve sincerity of artists like Sara Bareilles and Ingrid Michaelson. “My best songs usually came together when my emotions were really high, like if I’d gone through a breakup, or if I was on top of the world with happiness about something,” she notes. In 2017—a year after releasing Songs From The Basement, an album she wrote and recorded alongside her father—Poppe auditioned for Idol, emerging as the season winner and soon landing her deal with Hollywood Records.

In bringing Whirlwind to life, Poppe refined her artistry by co-writing for the first time. “At first I was so scared to lay all my emotions out on the table like that,” she recalls. “But now that I’ve gotten used to it, I don’t have that fear anymore. These days I’d much rather write with other people, because I love that feeling of everyone sharing their ideas and creating something you’d never come up with on your own.” And as she’s evolved as a songwriter, Poppe’s made a point of telling her story with soul-baring vulnerability. “Two years ago, I never would’ve imagined I’d be where I am today,” she says. “I never would’ve thought I’d get out of small-town Iowa and play shows all over the country, or meet somebody so perfect for me—I never thought I could make my dreams come true like that. Making this album, I was really honest about everything that’s happened in my life during that time. I didn’t hold anything back, and I hope that people can feel how real the songs are, and connect with each of them in their own individual way.”

MADDIE POPPE RELEASES “MADE YOU MISS”

FULL STUDIO ALBUM DUE MAY 17^TH  

(March 29, 2019) – Burbank, CA – American Idol winner Maddie Poppe, has released her latest single, “Made You Miss,” today. (STREAM | DOWNLOAD) The song was written by Ross Golan (Andy Grammar, Fitz & the Tantrums), Johan Carlsson (Ariana Grande, Michael Bublé, Charlie Puth), Sam Roman (Demi Lovato, Rita Ora) and Maddie Poppe. Maddie released her recent singles, “Little Things” and “First Aid Kit” earlier this year and will release her full album on May 17^th on Hollywood Records and 19 Recordings, an Industrial Media company.

The bluesy pop-rock tune full of sass is a standout on Maddie’s upcoming album, differing in pace and style from much of her other music. “This is a very special song to me because it came just as I was finishing up the album- literally my last day in LA,” says Maddie. “Once I heard it, I knew it must be the icing on the cake- just what I needed to finish the album. I had so much fun writing and recording with these incredible songwriters and it’s such an honor to be able to release it as my single.”

Maddie has accumulated over 13 M streams globally, with a dedicated fan base eager for more. Maddie’s first single post American Idol, “Going Going Gone,” soared to #3 on the iTunes US Overall chart, #2 on the iTunes US Pop Charts, and peaked at #4 on the Spotify US Viral chart.

Poppe has had a whirlwind year since winning Idol last May. She performed on several high-profile television shows and headlined the Idol tour, all the while writing and recording new music. On her upcoming album, Maddie shares: “The process on this album has been a lot of fun. Hollywood Records has been such a blessing to work with- they have given me the reins to make the album that I want to make, and have supported my decisions. I’m really staying true to myself on this album and I’ve gotten to work with a really great team.”

MADDIE POPPE RELEASES “LITTLE THINGS”

FULL STUDIO ALBUM DUE MAY 17^TH

(February 27, 2019) – Burbank, CA – American Idol winner Maddie Poppe, has released her single, “Little Things,” today. (STREAM | DOWNLOAD) Maddie celebrated the release with a performance on Good Morning America this morning during the show’s American Idol takeover. Maddie released her last single, “First Aid Kit,” on February 1^st and plans to release a full album on May 17^th on Hollywood Records and 19 Recordings, an Industrial Media company.

On, “Little Things,” Maddie says: “This is a special song- it was written specifically for me, inspired by my relationship with Caleb.” Maddie began dating fellow Idol contestant, Caleb Lee Hutchinson while filming the show, and shares that he has been a big source of inspiration for her music. “I couldn’t believe how much every word rings true to my relationship and how it feels when we’re apart.”

Maddie has accumulated over 13 M streams globally, with a dedicated fan base eager for more. Maddie’s first single post American Idol, “Going Going Gone,” soared to #3 on the iTunes US Overall chart, #2 on the iTunes US Pop Charts, and peaked at #4 on the Spotify US Viral chart.

Poppe has had a whirlwind year since winning Idol last May. She performed on several high profile television shows and headlined the Idol tour, all the while writing and recording new music. On her upcoming album, Maddie shares: “The process on this album has been a lot of fun. Hollywood Records has been such a blessing to work with- they have given me the reins to make the album that I want to make, and have supported my decisions. I’m really staying true to myself on this album and I’ve gotten to work with a really great team.”

MADDIE POPPE RELEASES “FIRST AID KIT”

ANNOUNCES NEXT SINGLE, “LITTLE THINGS” COMING MARCH 1^ST

FULL STUDIO ALBUM DUE MAY 17^TH

(February 1, 2019) – Burbank, CA – American Idol winner Maddie Poppe, has released her single, “First Aid Kit,” out today, her third single since winning Idol. (STREAM | DOWNLOAD) She also announced her next single, “Little Things,” will be released on March 1^st, and that she has plans to release a full album on May 17^th on Hollywood Records and 19 Recordings, an Industrial Media company.

“I’m really excited to release ‘First Aid Kit’ because it feels like it’s authentically me. It’s about finding someone who helps you heal from a broken heart and learning to love again,” explained Maddie. “I love the message of this song, and it feels incredible to release something that I feel such a personal connection to. It’s very heartwarming”

On upcoming single, “Little Things,” Maddie says: “This is a special song- it was written specifically for me, inspired by my relationship with Caleb.” Maddie began dating fellow Idol contestant, Caleb Lee Hutchinson while filming the show, and shares that he has been a big source of inspiration for her music. “I couldn’t believe how much every word rings true to my relationship and how it feels when we’re apart.”

Maddie has accumulated over 13 M streams globally, with a dedicated fan base eager for more. Maddie’s first single post American Idol, “Going Going Gone,” soared to #3 on the iTunes US Overall chart, #2 on the iTunes US Pop Charts, and peaked at #4 on the Spotify US Viral chart.

Poppe has had a whirlwind year since winning Idol last May. She performed on several high profile television shows and headlined the Idol tour, all the while writing and recording new music. On her upcoming album, Maddie shares: “The process on this album has been a lot of fun. Hollywood Records has been such a blessing to work with- they have given me the reins to make the album that I want to make, and have supported my decisions. I’m really staying true to myself on this album and I’ve gotten to work with a really great team.”

MADDIE POPPE ANNOUNCES NEW SINGLE, “KEEP ON MOVIN’ ON”

NOMINATED FOR A PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD

(October 17, 2018) – Burbank, CA – American Idol winner and Hollywood Records/Industrial Media’s 19 Recordings recording artist, Maddie Poppe, has announced her highly-anticipated next single, “Keep On Movin’ On,” due for release October 26^th. The song was written by Jarrad K (Kate Nash, Weezer), Brandon Lowry (Britney Spears, Elle King) and Hillary Lindsey (Carrie Underwood, Kelsea Ballerini).  The release marks her first original music since her Idol release, “Going Going Gone.” Maddie will perform the single for the first time on LIVE with Kelly and Ryan on October 26^th.

The single kicks off a busy Fall for Maddie, who recently wrapped the 44+ city American Idol Live tour. After the tour, Maddie returned to Iowa and joined Luke Bryan on stage for his Farm Tour before headlining her own sold-out hometown show. She recently performed at Brit + Co’s #CreateGood event in New York City and is nominated for The Competition Contestant of 2018 for this year’s People’s Choice Awards (vote HERE). Maddie will headline her first Los Angeles show on November 13^th at Hotel Café. Tickets available HERE.

Maddie’s last single, “Going Going Gone,” soared to #3 on the iTunes US Overall chart, #2 on the iTunes US Pop Charts, and peaked at #4 on the Spotify US Viral chart.

Since winning Idol and a record deal with Hollywood Records in conjunction with Industrial Media’s 19 Recordings in May, Maddie has been on a whirlwind with performances on Live! with Kelly & Ryan, Jimmy Kimmel Live, Good Morning America and the 2018 Radio Disney Music Awards, as well as two performances at the legendary Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, opening for “Beauty and the Beast In Concert.” She has no plans of slowing down, and is currently working on a full length album in Los Angeles and Nashville.

MADDIE POPPE RELEASES MUSIC VIDEO FOR “GOING GOING GONE”

WATCH IT HERE

(June 28, 2018) – Burbank, CA – American Idol winner and Hollywood Records/CORE Media Group’s 19 Recordings recording artist, Maddie Poppe, has released her highly-anticipated music video for her single, “Going Going Gone.” (HERE) The video was directed by Jeff Venable (Kelsea Ballerini) and shot at historic movie ranches in the California desert.

The video follows Maddie on a spur-of-the-moment road trip and beautifully depicts her artistry and personality. “This was my first major video shoot, and everyone involved made it really fun,” said Maddie. “I love how the rhythm of the song syncs up to the drive.”

Maddie’s debut single, “Going Going Gone,” soared to #3 on the iTunes US Overall chart, and #2 on the iTunes US Pop Charts. It also reached #4 on the Spotify US Viral chart, and has over 2 million streams-to-date across all platforms.

Since winning Idol and a record deal with Hollywood Records in conjunction with CORE Media Group’s 19 Recordings in May, Maddie has been on a whirlwind with performances on Live! with Kelly & Ryan, Jimmy Kimmel Live, and the 2018 Radio Disney Music Awards, along with appearances on Good Morning America and Wango Tango, as well as two performances at the legendary Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, opening for “Beauty and the Beast In Concert.” She has no plans of slowing down, as she will soon embark on the American Idol Live tour, beginning on July 11^th in Redding, California and continuing across the country through early September. Additionally, Maddie will perform at the opening ceremony for the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games on July 1^st, at the Americafest Celebration at the Rose Bowl on July 4^th,and on Good Morning America on August 15^th. For tour information at dates, visitwww.americanidollive.com.

HOLLYWOOD RECORDS SIGNS AMERICAN IDOL WINNER, MADDIE POPPE, TO EXCLUSIVE RECORDING CONTRACT

(May 21, 2018) — Burbank, CA — Straight off the highly anticipated finale of ABC’s “American Idol,” Maddie Poppe has been crowned America’s favorite, and has signed an exclusive recording contract with Hollywood Records.

Maddie Poppe is a singer/songwriter from Clarksville, Iowa, and released her first single, “Going Going Gone,” (HERE) on Friday.  Maddie wowed the audience throughout the season with gorgeous covers of “Nothing Compares 2 U,” “I Told You So,” and “God Only Knows.”  Said Maddie, “I really enjoyed picking songs for the show.  My choices were quirky, unique songs, that I could make my own along with playing guitar, piano, and even the ukulele.”  Fellow American Idol Carrie Underwood said, “Maddie’s voice is even more hypnotic in person.”

Maddie Poppe will be flying overnight to New York for appearances on Good Morning America and Live! with Kelly & Ryan, then returning to Los Angeles for a performance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Poppe will also be performing at the Hollywood Bowl this weekend, opening for the timeless classic “Beauty And The Beast.”

Additionally, Poppe will perform at the 2018 Radio Disney Music Awards (RDMA). Music’s biggest event for families will air Saturday, June 23^rd at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on Disney Channel and multiple Disney-branded platforms, including Radio Disney, the Radio Disney app, the DisneyNOW app and Disney.com/RDMA.

Maddie Poppe will reunite with the remaining Top 7 contestants and special guest, Kris Allen, for the American Idol Live! 2018 tour, which kicks off July 11^th in Redding, California at the Redding Civic Auditorium. Joining the tour on select dates is In Real Life, winner of ABC’s 2017 summer reality competition show “Boy Band.” For more information on the tour please click HERE.

American Idol is holding auditions across the country this summer ahead of its second season on ABC. Go to www.americanidol.com/auditions to sign up for the latest info about in-person auditions or to submit an Online Audition.