The past few years have been a bit of a wild ride for Maddie Zahm. The singer appeared on the 16th season of “American Idol” in 2018, and got eliminated after forgetting the lyrics to a Pink song. Then she toured with Pink.
Now, the singer’s touring in support of her debut album, Now That I’ve Been Honest, released last year, which showcases the powerhouse vocalist’s impressive ability to write about her own life in an evocative and vulnerable way.
We first saw Zahm perform at SPACE in 2023, a venue in Evanston that holds 250 people. This past weekend, she returned to Chicago to perform at Thalia Hall, a venue that’s over 3x as large, (800 capacity), an impressive feat for an artist to achieve in less than a year.
We had a chance to chat with Zahm about her career before her show to learn more about her inspiration as a musician.
Zahm said that it was still hard to fathom that she was touring across the country in support of the album, and that she was overwhelmed with excitement.
“I can’t believe it,” Zahm said. “If you would have told me that I would have been here three years ago, I would have laughed in your face. I feel like somebody that kind of just snuck into the industry, but I am very thrilled. I can’t wait to see everybody singing the songs together.”
When asked where she was most excited to play on the tour, Zahm’s answer was a bit surprising at first, but had more clarity through the scope of the singer’s music. Many of Zahm’s songs are reflective and critical of the singer’s religious upbringing. The Idaho native said that she was excited to play those songs in the Bible Belt—the southeastern region of the country where Protestant Christianity plays a large role in the shaping of society.
“I’m very excited for the Bible Belt,” Zahm said. “I can’t wait to sing about being religiously traumatized with people who have been religiously traumatized.”
While Zahm is noted for her honesty and authenticity in lyrics, especially in songs like “Where Do All the Good Kids Go?” The song, on Now That I’ve Been Honest, recalls Zahm’s religious past, and becoming a worship leader at just age 13 after learning that her best friend’s mom died. The song also touches on Zahm’s sexuality, and her attempts to navigate her queer experience.
She appreciates the ability to express herself through her music, but also said that she’s been thinking lately about the difference between being open in her music, and oversharing about her own life.
“When I was releasing [earlier] songs, I wasn’t really thinking about other people hearing them,” Zahm said. I’m finding the difference between vulnerability and over sharing. I’ve been having this conversation with myself, of having my own secrets and having things that aren’t for other people to consume.”
As her career continues, Zahm said that she’s learning to assess how much of herself she wants to share, without completely closing herself off.
“I think a lot of artists have to check in with themselves about what the difference is between being relatable versus divulging things that don’t necessarily belong to other people,” Zahm said. “I’m figuring out how to be a more private person, while also being able to share things that connect with people. I didn’t have that insight when I was 23.”
Zahm doesn’t just share herself through her music with fans, but it’s also how she’s been able to connect with other people in her life. The singer came out to her parents through the 2022 song “You Might Not Like Her.”
“I pretty much just share everything in song, it’s easier for me to be articulate,” Zahm said. “Looking back, I kind of wish that I had come out to my mom a little bit differently. She deserved to hear it from my voice and not through a song.”
But, Zahm was able to turn that experience into a positive, by incorporating her real-life parents into the music video for “You Might Not Like Her.” In the song’s music video, the singer’s parents were going to be portrayed by actors, but 20 minutes before filming started, Zahm’s dad asked if he and Zahm’s mom could be in the scene instead, according to Zahm.
“When I look back on my coming out journey, although it was messy, it was exactly how it was supposed to be,” Zahm said. “My dad asked if he and my mom could play themselves so they could give me the coming out experience that he felt like he didn’t give me. Within 10 minutes, I was sitting down and I got to tell my parents in one take that I was gay for the first time—I didn’t realize how important that was to me.”
Zahm continued expressing herself honestly and making herself vulnerable on Now That I’ve Been Honest. The album release and tour has shown the singer that her fans are connecting with the music, which has ultimately made her more confident in her latest release, and ready to shake off any doubt in them.
“I’ve been sitting with these songs for so long; it’s so crazy then to see other people sing it and realize that they’re not bad songs,” Zahm said. “I’ve just been listening to them for two or three years. Sometimes artists have this innate ability to move on from songs and think that everyone else is sick of them because you are. I am now re-falling in love with the album all over again by watching people experience it for the first time. I’m finding a new level of pride.”
Zahm’s tour is continuing throughout the United States until May 24. Now That I’ve Been Honest is available on all streaming platforms.
Photos by Anson Tong for Staged Haze
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