The Songs Behind: Maddie Grace

Few independent artists have had a year quite like Maddie Grace. After relaunching under her new name in February, the  singer-songwriter has been rolling out her debut EP ‘Showing Signs of Strong Emotion’. The five-track collection captures the rise and fall of a relationshop, moving from the first rush of falling for someone to the fallout when it all comes crashing down. It is a body of work that proves exactly why Maddie has built such a devoted following which continues to grow by the day.

From the heart-on-sleeve story of ‘Let Me Fall’ to the sharply written ‘Amelie’, which the Maddies' fans the Bubble Army voted their favourite, each song captures a different shape that strong emotion can take. It is easily one of the best EPs of the year, which is why I was so excited to speak to Maddie to hear more about the project and what comes next, before discovering the songs that have shaped and inspired her through my Songs Behind feature.

You have spent the year building up to your debut EP ‘Showing Signs of Strong Emotion’. How does it feel to have it out in the world?

"It feels really amazing. It feels very freeing and like it’s all out of my hands now and down to the universe or something, which is very liberating. It was something I knew I was doing from November 2025 and I knew all the songs had been shown to some of my fanclub during that time. I was wanting to release the tracks throughout the year but it was really difficult choosing the order because I loved all of them, and I felt like I knew Annabeth was gonna be coming October, so it was a long stretch, but it was well worth it."
 

Where did the EP title come from and why did it feel right for this collection?

"It popped into my head when I was at the piano in November 2025. I was really living the EP in 2025 despite not having that be about that year at all, I had other singles that weren’t related. A lot of the songs became fanclub favourites in real time that year and it all just was so clear at the end of the year that these 5 songs were that title."

The new music has come with a new artistic identity. What did that change for you creatively and personally?

"Shortening my name to Maddie Grace felt like the complete reflection of this EP coming into the world, if you will. It was weird because it felt like I was evolving and the new music was what I considered my best work to date. I also changed my hair colour for this EP era and changing my name at the start of the year was definitely different. I’m not always good with change and I couldn’t lie and say that I wasn’t trying to find my feet through the whole thing. It was all new again, but also just me still, so it was a bit weird to adapt to that change. I just wanted to make sure that it was still me that was there, just a few little changes. Madeleine Grace McPherson and Maddie Grace are the same person."

You have an amazing group of fans around you called ‘The Bubble Army’, how important have they been in this journey?

"They have been incredibly important. It started building out of nowhere when I had just started pursuing music and writing. I hadn’t written many songs before I wrote a song called Treat Me Right (Bubble Song) and that’s where the name came from… and I posted it online and it had reached a lot more people than I thought. It was crazy, and it was a dream, I was working so hard and to have a fanclub start from that song was amazing. I didn’t release any music in 2024 so I kind of felt very isolated and hidden away, but 2025 was even crazier and so many new bubbles found me and my music and have been with me since 2025 to the EP release now. It’s crazy how much they love being a bubble, and I love the name so much. They make me feel so seen in return, and they really do mean a lot to me."

What can we expect from you as the year wraps up and into 2027?

"Now the EP is out I’m hosting Showing Signs of Strong Emotion - The Page Sessions for the EP. A hangout and an acoustic show with the fanclub in London on December 5th. I got them all to vote for where they wanted me to do it and London was chosen. I also had Birmingham and Bristol as runner ups and I would seriously love to go everywhere and play my songs and meet up with the army. We will have to see what 2027 brings us, if there’s any more dates for the Page Sessions. Then it’ll be 2027 and I think I wanna slow down and spend some time with myself again and keep digging deeper."