Check Out Madison Lam’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Madison Lam

Hi Madison, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Growing up, I was always an extremely shy kid, always kept to myself. The only time I ever opened up was when music was playing or when I saw a piano out in the open. I turned to music to let out the feelings I was experiencing through my adolescence, and always saw it as kind of a therapeutic outlet. I started writing little songs here and there when I was 7 and they quickly grew to actual songs and compositions. When I reached high school, I finally was ready to show people my passion, so I bit the bullet and auditioned for the school talent show. To my surprise at the time, I got in and that was the start of my journey as an artist. At every performance, I would perform a song on the guitar and then one of my compositions on the piano. I remember after a TEDx talk I did, a girl approached me and said that my piano composition sounded like something out of a film. From then, I started to look into the art of film music. I was completely entranced, and immediately knew that this was an avenue of music I needed to pursue. After hours and hours of research, I knew I had to be in LA, the center of the film industry. Now, as a random girl from Canada, I had to figure out a game plan on how to get to LA. So, I first did my Bachelor’s in Music Composition at McGill University in Montreal, where I was trained in contemporary classical composition. It wasn’t where I wanted to be at the time, but I am now so grateful for everything I learned there. It has definitely made me into the composer I am today. However, as I was near finishing my degree, I started to feel my passion for music slip away. It came out of nowhere and absolutely scared me to death, what was I supposed to do? The only thing I ever thought I’d be good at was music. Hence, after I graduated, I took a gap year to figure out the trajectory of my life. I got a job at a local record label and looked into the business side of things, thinking maybe I could pursue music law, or something a bit more technical. In my gap year, I met some of the most talented musicians and producers I have ever met, and quickly immersed myself in their environment. I started working on music that I wanted to work on, writing songs in the studio and completely concentrating on my songwriting background. My passion for music finally came back to me, and I dove head first, signed up for a simple Berklee Online film scoring class, and kept writing music that I enjoyed. I quickly created a reel of all the music that I had written from that class, and just spontaneously applied for a bunch of graduate programs in film scoring. Afterwards, I quickly packed up my bags and decided I wanted to travel around Europe, because why not. When I arrived in Paris, I got the email that changed my entire life. I had been accepted to my dream program, USC Screen Scoring. I cried, my family cried, my friends cried, it was a whole ordeal. I was finally able to be in LA, to be engulfed in the industry and set out to do what I said I would do. And after only being in LA for 1.5 years, I got one of my dream jobs as a music copyist which has led me to work on shows such as Arcane, and write music for some of the most creative and talented directors which led to an award for the Best Original Score. It’s crazy how life just works itself out, even when you’re in the deep end trying to crawl back for air. I’m so extremely grateful for all of the opportunities that have been presented to me and have shaped the artist I am today.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has definitely not been very smooth, actually rather bumpy I’d say. For one, my father wasn’t the most supportive when I first told him I wanted to pursue music. “How will you make money? How will you survive in the industry? You have to work much harder than you do now”. I knew generally what I was getting myself into, and nothing was ever going to stop me. As I had mentioned before, during my time in Montreal, my passion and drive slipped away for a while, writing music started to feel like a chore rather than a therapeutic outlet. It wasn’t a very easy time for me, as someone who had identified as a musical artist for their entire life. However, I think the biggest struggle has been the battle with myself, imposter syndrome is no joke and can quickly knock you down. I had to learn quickly not to care about what other people thought of my music, and to embrace the vulnerability you present. That is the superpower we have as musicians and accepting that is a rollercoaster of a journey in itself.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a film composer, singer-songwriter and music copyist. I love creating sounds from scratch and crafting a sonic atmosphere that completely embraces and engulfs your ears. A term I love is “eargasmic”, and that is what I strive for every single time I write. Creating textural sounds and beautiful melodies is the main theme in my music, hence I gravitate towards more contemporary, dark, avant garde style of cinema. As a songwriter, relatability is what I strive for, having people listen to my songs and thinking, “oh, I’ve experienced that before, I’m not the only one”, is why I do what I do. Whether it’s about a nasty break up, hating your ex or your journey to self discovery, I try to cover all aspects of life. Through all of my experiences, I’ve come to realize that what sets me apart is the versatility (contemporary, pop, film) in my writing and that I’m an emotional sponge. Whatever emotion someone is feeling, I’ll feel it too, quite easily, and I think that’s my superpower as a musician. Sometimes it can be a curse, but for the most part it helps me channel inspiration and make my sound more personable.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
A mentor and good friend of mine gifted me a book by Rick Rubin called “The Creative Act: A Way of Being”, and I quite literally read it everyday, even if it’s just a page. It helps me when I’m in a rut with writing and brings me back to why I do what I do. I also love reading romance novels as a guilty pleasure, anything by Ali Hazelwood. It just brings feelings of what that initial, cliché love feels like, and definitely helps especially with writing songs.

The app I swear by is the Voice Memos app, most of the time that’s how I start writing. I catch myself humming a tune or hearing this cool texture in my head wherever I am and quickly pull the app out, hit record and try my best to create the sound I’m thinking in my head with my voice. I’ve definitely got about a thousand recordings of me singing something random by now.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm15723947/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maddyirene_/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/madisonlam/
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6dwi8j6Pjc2F7DTAGVvj0Z?si=McEBOM2PTTOzmB1IdKUkyA

Image Credits
Ava Lauren Grayson, Christian Amonson, Kyle Benjamin Turner