PHOTOGRAPHY LUKE FULLALOVE - WORDS + CREATIVE DIRECTION MAISIE JANE DANIELS - STYLING BIANCA NICOLE - HAIR/MAKEUP ROSIE MCGINN
Maddie Zahm is no stranger to wearing her heart on her sleeve—or in this case, pouring it into every lyric, melody, and gut-punching hook that makes up her latest EP, the angry part, which launches today. Maddie has become a fearless storyteller—one who doesn’t shy away from the messy, raw, and often contradictory nature of being human.
Fresh off a flight from LA, and after catching her celebrity crush, Sabrina Carpenter, perform in the UK, Maddie made her way to North London for a fun shoot where she got propa stuck in to the full British experience—heading straight for the pub, Guinness in hand. The verdict? Still undecided on that one. Post-shoot, Maddie sat down with F Word and opened up about the emotional rollercoaster that led to the angry part, a project that captures the aftermath of major heartbreaks, personal reckonings, and the kind of self-reflection that only comes when life forces you to hit pause. With her signature wit and candor, she walks us through the moments that shaped the EP, and beyond.
As the EP lands in the world today, Maddie makes it clear that anger isn’t the end of the story—it’s just one chapter. And if the angry part is anything to go by, we’re in for a ride when the next parts unfold!
Maisie Daniels: Hey Maddie! How was your trip back to London? Did you enjoy our shoot out and about in Tottenham?
Maddie Zahm: My trip to London was excellent! I came for Sabrina Carpenter, and let me tell you, my crush has grown exponentially. I loved our shoot out and about! Specifically my guy, Rich who let us shoot in his bar after a few sassy comments. Love him.
MD: What’s your favourite and least favourite thing about London?
MZ: Oh! My favourite thing about London are certainly the roasts. I find it so intriguing that we don’t really do that here in the US. I love that you guys have perfected a potato paired with a meat drizzled with gravy. I want it injected in my veins. I want to be a roast. I also really love your parks! I found a park with a zip line and had to wait in line less than two minutes for it to be my turn, so hell ya.
My least favourite part would probably be trying to figure out the difference between the underground and also the trains. Truly, you set me loose in the streets of London, and, unfortunately, I would end up spending four hours just trying to figure out the difference. And yes, I did download CityMapper thank you for asking.
MD: For those who might not know, could you share a bit about your upbringing? How has it shaped you as a singer-songwriter today?
MZ: Definitely. For those of you that don’t know me first, what’s up! Second, I was raised in a really loving family that got a bit lost in the evangelical side of christianity. I was born and raised in Boise Idaho during a time where mega churches were just discovering the amount of money they could profit off of places like Boise and started sending pastors and very large tents onto parking lots. I got started with music by being in the church band and found that deep love for music through worship songs for a very long time. You can really hear the church’s influence in not only the way I sing but also the songs I write. I worked as a special ed aid for awhile and really found passion for working with those who have disabilities. I really thought my life plan would be to do [that] professionally and forever. But things change! I think if I were to tell younger me I’m a musician she'd probably shit herself and ask if I finished college.
MD: Things really took off for you with Fat Funny Friend, which became an empowering anthem for those experiencing fatphobia, societal pressure, and body dysmorphia. I’m sorry you had to write that song. Do you remember how you felt when it started blowing up?
MZ: Oh ya, I was in my hometown in Boise Idaho and I remember my A&R Rachel called me at the time. She told me not to panic but that I should look at how many people were using my sound. It’s a very peculiar thing to have such a vulnerable part of your story be used as a way for other people to share theirs. I remember feeling humbled and also terrified that I was the wrong person to be the person singing it as I had undergone weight loss surgery a few months prior. Fat Funny Friend was written out of deep anger for the difference in the way society treated me when my surgery started having visible effects.
Maddie wears top + skirt KAREN MILLEN; socks PRETTY POLLY; shoes ASOS; rings KURT GIEGER; rings URBAN OUTFITTERS
MD: You touched so many people with Fat Funny Friend - do you ever feel pressure to keep releasing such impactful songs?
MZ: Thank you and YES. It is something I think about a lot. Just the idea of “If I shared everything what is just for me?” I’ve talked a lot about it with my closest people and what it looks like to allow myself to relieve that pressure. Because although yes, I am an incredibly introspective and emotional person- I am also silly and struggle with ADHD and go through friendship breakups and like to sing about kissing girls in my cowgirl boots. I am learning to allow myself to show the other parts of myself too.
MD: Your new EP, (the angry part), is out in the world on today! How are you feeling about its release, and how long has it been in the making?
MZ: This EP has been in the making for two years? Honestly it has been such an odd journey for me. I had my life kind of crash around me on the same day a few years ago. I was dropped by my management and was broken up with literally within the span of three hours. I remember sitting outside and sobbing to my mom that my life was never gonna recover from these losses. This EP stemmed from me feeling really abandoned. You can hear the disbelief in my voice I think.
MD: What story does this EP tell?
MZ: I wanted this EP to be called (the angry part) because it was important to me that people understand this is only my side and one part of a story that continued. Yes, I was devastated. Yes, I had to step away for sixth months and deal with the emotions of two major losses like that. But I also came to terms with the reality that I was not happy. In some ways I didn’t realise how miserable I was until my life was flipped upside down. I also am very loyal, so it has to be the other people leaving me or else I will try and mend things. Now I am perhaps in the happiest place of my life so far? I think I am learning and growing a lot and this EP was the really icky shit I had to work through before taking accountability for my part in why I was so miserable.
MD: Does songwriting help you process your anger? If so, how? It seems like such a healthy outlet. I also feel that, as women, we’re sometimes judged for expressing anger. Have you felt that in your own experiences?
MZ: Absolutely. I always describe writing music as throwing up. I get a feeling and suddenly I’m stuck on it. The way I relieve and figure out that feeling is by putting it in a song. I have really learned the art of nuance this year though. Realising my songs are simply my emotional experience and sometimes that means it’s not the objective truth. Good luck dating songwriters, god damn.
Maddie wears jumpsuit NADINE MERABI; shoes ASOS; earrings + rings URBAN OUTFITTERS; bracelet ASOS
MZ: The next two are my absolute favourites. He Calls Me Pretty was inspired by a close friend of mine dating someone who was incredibly toxic. I needed her to hear what she sounds like the more she would make excuses for him and his behaviours in our conversations. I wanted it to be extreme so she understood what it felt like to be somebody who had to hear a man getting away with treating her unkindly simply because he would call her pretty afterwards. I think this song is incredibly relatable for anyone who has watched a friend lose themselves in a relationship with someone who is good with their words and mean with their actions.
MD: Why did you decide to release the EP in little parts / cheeky nuggets instead of all at once?
MZ: Honestly, I felt I wanted everyone to experience my healing journey in the same way I did. I was angry for a long while and then it followed up with a lot of beautiful growing and thoughtfulness. Sharing the angry part really helped me understand what a dark sad place I was in when writing these songs BUT I certainly didn’t stay there. Since, hinting that there will be an after.
MD: Your music is deeply emotional - was writing this EP confronting in any way?
MZ: Absolutely. My co writer JT Roach said “what would you write if you weren’t afraid of anyone listening. And that is exactly what I did. And now I am having to stand up for the songs in a very healed place which feels, kismet.
MD: What do you hope listeners take away from (the angry part)?
MZ: That it is okay to feel the deepest, angry parts of humanity! It’s part of being human. Even in my song Heaven I tell someone that I will literally hate them from the afterlife hahahaha. The reality is that actually I went through my first queer breakup, my feelings were hurt and I learned a lot. I do not hate her now and I won’t from heaven but there were some moments in my healing journey when I really thought I would. And now there’s a song for people to listen to when they’re in that place too.
MD: If this EP were the soundtrack to a film, what genre would it be, and what would the plotline look like?
MZ: Psychological thriller romance 100%
A girl who comes out of the closet and gets swept away in her first WLW relationship with a masc only to realise they weren’t the love of her life… simply a lesson. A really tough lesson that wears a carabiner and perhaps haunts her dreams for far too long because she’s a songwriter and too dramatic for her own good.
MD: Since it’s International Women’s Month, how have you found navigating the music industry as a female artist in a heavily male-dominated space?
MZ: Hard. And unfortunate. Also exhausting.
MD: I’m sorry to hear you had to postpone the Sad and Sexy tour (love the title) due to health reasons. How are you feeling about that?
MZ: Sad and not so sexy lol. Respiratory infections are not for the weak. But I have this weird feeling it’s going to be for the best. There are so many other parts of this story I need people to hear before we sing together!
MD: Which song from the EP are you most looking forward to playing live?
MZ: He Calls Me Pretty absolutely. I think those synths are going to hit so incredibly hard!! Also M&D (you’ll get it in a few months)
Maddie wears jumpsuit NADINE MERABI; earrings + rings URBAN OUTFITTERS; bracelet ASOS; coat ARTIST'S OWN
MD: What does performing in front of your fans mean to you?
MZ: Concerts are literally my favourite way to connect with my listeners. I feel like my listeners and I have gone on such a journey together that it feels like a yearly check in where we get to talk about the year we’ve had. It’s also so fun to see what songs they connected to the most. I just really love performing.
MD: What’s on your tour rider? Any fun or unexpected requests?
MZ: I love this question. Whiskey and also uncrustables. SHIT SLAPS.
MD: Any last words for the fans?
MZ: I love you and I can’t wait for the other parts. Also I recently discovered iPad games and that shit is fun.
MD: And finally… What’s your favourite F - word?
MZ: FREAK
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