Crate Digging is a recurring feature that takes a deep dive into music history to turn up several albums all music fans should know. In this edition, singer-songwriter Madison Beer chats through her go-to records.
Madison Beer always knew she wanted to sing; that much was clear from her beginnings posting covers on YouTube as a teenager, generating an enormous following in the process. In putting together her new record, Silence Between Songs (available today, September 15th), she’s fully confirmed her love for songwriting, too.
“I’ve grown in such an awesome place that now I’m confident in the fact I’m a songwriter as well, and I love writing music,” she explains. “It’s honestly now one of my favorite parts of the process.”
The other piece of that puzzle is her time in the director’s chair; she’s now assumed the responsibility of leading the visuals on most of her music videos. “I literally used to sprint home from school every day, go on my computer, and make little music videos on iMovie,” she recalls. “I’ve always loved directing and being a part of the visuals has always been equally important to me. So now, stepping into that director role has been such a fulfilling process.”
Beer is drawn to music that feels like it came from a deeply honest place, no matter what time period it was recorded in. She’s a bit of an old soul, reaching for records from The Beach Boys and The Zombies constantly; and when it comes to present-day artists, it’s those that aren’t worried about “what’s gonna work for radio and what’s gonna be big on TikTok.” She explains, “I’m really inspired by honesty and vulnerability.”
Read through Madison Beer’s picks below.