The road to Medley’s success has been driven by chutzpah and an innate drive to perform for people as much as possible. She had no friends or family with any musical inclinations, yet held a penchant for writing from the age of seven and started playing in and around Nashville after high school. She met many performers her age who encouraged her to keep going, which helped to build her confidence. Playing out and watching other artists perform became pivotal to her inspiration.
Medley’s big break came while playing a show at the infamous Nashville bar The End. An audience member knew Birmingham Mountain Radio host Scott Register, who began emailing Medley after hearing her music, and ended up introducing her to Don VanCleave of Red Light Management. Now her manager, VanCleave also manages Brent Cobb, with whom Medley is currently set to tour. VanCleave sent Dave Cobb (Brent’s cousin and producer) a copy of Medley’s “Coming of Age” single (a demo at the time), and he invited the team to cut the song at his studio. The group flew to New York the following week and connected with Elektra Records co-President Gregg Nadel, played him a few songs, and a deal was born.
Medley signed an administrative publishing deal with Kobalt Music Group at the same time as she signed her five-record commitment with Elektra Records, starting with a three-song EP (Coming of Age) and two single releases (“Coming of Age,” and her latest, “Buzz”) since the ink dried in December 2018. Her best advice on this journey? “I wasted a lot of time being intimidated,” she says. “Everyone is just a person and I have kept telling myself that nothing is going to make or break your career. Stay kind and keep working. Don’t get a big head.”
When asked what made Medley stand out, Nadel says, “Maddie is an incredibly captivating performer and a brilliant songwriter. Her lyrics jump out at you the first time you hear them. It’s a very special quality. We knew right away that we wanted to sign her and are so glad to have Maddie joining the Elektra Records family.”
Date Signed: Dec. 18, 2018
Label: Elektra Records
Band Members: Maddie Medley
Type of Music: Indie/Alternative
Management: Don VanCleave - Red Light Management
Booking: Christine Cao - Paradigm
Legal: Farrah Usmani - Loeb & Loeb
Publicity: Sarah Goldstein - Elektra Records
Web: maddiemedley.com
A&R: Will McDonald
