INTERVIEW
Will McNab | 12/03/2024
Transitioning seamlessly from the realms of pop to an edgy landscape of pop-punk and now venturing along a path she’s not set on before, superstar Maggie Lindemann has continuously explored and experimented with her sound. Each time, she has only tried to put her most authentic self forward and push the boundaries of her creativity.
Maggie joins me over a call from LA, having made the vibrant city her home for the past decade after relocating from Texas. Reflecting on her time in LA, she acknowledges the abundance of opportunities it offers in the entertainment industry. “I’ve lived here for ten years now, so it feels home. If you want a career in entertainment, there are so many opportunities living in LA. Every producer I work with, and every event is here.”
Despite immersing herself in the bustling energy of LA for her career, Maggie maintains a deep fondness for her home. “I love Texas. It’s very calm, and it’s where I grew up. I try to spend as much time as possible during the summer and holidays, seeing my parents is the best thing. When I go, I stay pretty close to them. Also, the food is way better, there are so many different great foods in LA, but Texas has the best food, so I love that.”
In March, she unveiled her latest EP, HEADSPLIT, marking her first release since her debut album SUCKERPUNCH. It’s a kickass, high-octane EP that embodies her vision for the future and the direction she wishes to pursue. As Maggie reflects on the release, she shares her excitement for it and for being busy once again. “I’m so happy that it’s finally out! I hate that in-between period from one project to the next. It’s this awkward time where you’re not really doing anything publicly, but personally, there’s so much going on.”
Ultimately, HEADSPLIT presents a collection of love songs infused with a dark and haunting twist. However, within each track, Maggie skillfully navigates themes of manipulation and inner conflict. For instance, in "Deprecating" feat. Siiickbrain, which inspired the EP’s title, Maggie confronts manipulative behaviours head-on. Similarly, in "Hostage," she grapples with her inner demons, highlighting the dichotomy between love and self-doubt. “I feel this project is a love song EP, but then it’s also about being stuck in your head and overthinking,” she explains. “It’s like my head’s been split. Half of me is super in love, and then I overthink, what if something bad happens?”
Opening up, Maggie explains how much of this “Head split” follows her throughout her personal life. “There are just parts of me that have really bad abandonment issues,” she shares candidly. “Even when things are going amazingly well, there’s a little thing in the back of my brain that’s telling me that shit’s going to hit the fan.” She understands that it’s not true and that little voice in her mind is taking control. “I know it’s not true and shouldn’t listen to it. It’s just this little voice that tells me everything’s going to get messed up, and everyone’s going to leave.”
I ask Maggie how she deals with these moments and how she regains control when her mind drifts into these turbulent mental states. “I just freak out. I really don’t have coping skills,” she admits. “I have to just let it run its course because it comes in waves. All of a sudden I’m thinking if someone said something in a weird tone, and then it’s, ‘Oh my God. Do they hate me?’” she explains. “I’ll feel like things are weird for a bit, and then all of a sudden, someone will say something, and it snaps me back into reality, and I realise they don’t hate me at all.”
Many artists find solace in channelling their inner struggles into their art, using it as a vehicle to express and alleviate their emotional burdens. I'm curious if Maggie also views her music and songwriting as a coping mechanism. “Yeah, I think so,” she reflects. “Although it’s less of a coping mechanism and more just, therapeutic.” Maggie admits, “A lot of the time when I’m writing and I hear it back, I think maybe I’m being dramatic. It’s a dramatised version of whatever is going on because what’s actually in my brain is probably not accurate. So when I actually hear it back, I think I’m definitely overreacting for sure.”
Throughout her career, Maggie has often collaborated with different songwriters, sharing the writing load on her projects, but HEADSPLIT becomes undeniably hers as she writes solo for the first time. “I really enjoyed it,” she exclaims, reflecting on the experience. Despite its difficulty, this solo endeavour has been transformative for her, allowing her so much personal growth. “In the past, there had been times that I would get stumped on a section and sit back and let the other writers kind of take the lead for a second. With this project, it allowed me to be really focus on it.” She continues, “I think not having to rely on anyone else helped me get songs done way faster.”
Looking ahead, this project hopes to be the start of many like it. She expresses a desire to continue exploring solo writing and even considers extending her talents to writing for other artists. “I want to keep writing by myself and then maybe even extend myself and start writing for other people.” Maggie holds the likes of Finneas O’Connell and Olivia Rodrigo in high regard, admiring their songwriting prowess. “Finneas. I think he is such an incredible songwriter. And together Finneas and Billie are insane songwriters. And then I also love Olivia Rodrigo, obviously. I think she’s so talented, and she’s so young. When I first started making music, writing was something that was really scary and really hard for me. The fact that Olivia, at such a young age, is fully writing her own songs is really admirable.”
In today’s world, the next biggest single is just a swipe away, and tracks are being sped up faster and faster for maximum consumption. There is an obvious pressure for artists to continuously release. “It’s so different than it used to be; you don’t really have much time to sit back and really think about what you want to do next.” She notes the unpredictable nature of viral trends on platforms like TikTok, where a single song can suddenly overshadow months of hard work. “I think TikTok has really changed the music industry because we’re consuming so fast. You could put out all this amazing work, and then all of a sudden, a song on TikTok could blow up, and maybe that person takes over what you were trying to do. You know what I mean?”
It’s especially hard when you also feel like you're part of the problem. “People’s attention spans are so short now. Including mine,” she admits. “I’m definitely a victim of it. It’s hard for me to watch TV shows or even YouTube videos without getting on my phone or wanting to do something else. I have ADHD, which is really bad. When I’m making music, I’ll get really into it for maybe 30 minutes. Then, all of a sudden, I’ll snap out of that and be on Instagram or Twitter. I think in that aspect, it can help, but it can also really distract me. In some ways, it can be a blessing just as much as it is a curse. Knowing that I do have to be quick to do things is helpful because it makes me more inclined to get up and go to work than just sit back and take a little break because I do want to continue the momentum.”
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In 2016, Maggie experienced a meteoric rise with the release of her single “Pretty Girl”. Today, the single and its remixes boast over 1 billion Spotify streams alone. However, despite her initial success, Maggie found herself grappling with the constraints of being signed to a major label. “I released four or five songs with the label. There are so many perks to being signed, but I think we just had different directions in mind.” As she delves deeper into her experience, Maggie shares her sense of disillusionment. “I was so young; I just wanted to make music, and I was down to listen to people who I felt knew what they were talking about. I got swept into things that I just didn’t want to do and didn’t feel genuine to me. I felt super inauthentic during that deal.”
In 2020, Maggie made the bold decision to leave and establish her own label, Swixxz Audio, which also serves as the foundation for her clothing brand. This move marked the inception of her own empire. Currently, Maggie is the sole artist under her label. “Yeah, no, it’s just me right now,” she confirms. “I really want to eventually sign other artists, but I think I want to establish myself a little bit more first. It is so much work to be an independent artist, but definitely when I get to a point where I feel I can do that and really put my attention into someone else.”
While Maggie acknowledges that there’s still a journey ahead before she can start signing other artists, she dreams of curating an eclectic lineup. In a fantasy world, Maggie’s lineup would look something like this: “I would probably pick Bring Me The Horizon and then Beabadoobee because I just love them so much. I’ve loved Bring Me The Horizon since I was just so young. And then, again, probably Olivia Rodrigo. I love Olivia Rodrigo. I feel like "PARANOIA" and her vibe kind of intertwine a little bit. I love her marketing. I love her aesthetic. I don’t know. I feel I could really work with her.”
With a sense of clarity, Maggie compares the pressures of her past experiences to her current situation. The shift from the frenetic pace dictated by external expectations to a more self-directed approach has brought a renewed sense of motivation. “Being signed with my distribution deal just feels more motivating as opposed to ‘you need to do something now, and it needs to be good,’” she shares. “So yeah, it’s just not as much pressure, but I know I need to do it. It’s like when you’re in a rush to do something, and you’re scrambling, you’re dropping things, and everything’s falling apart. But if you would just calm down and do it at a good pace, you’d probably get there at the same time.”
Looking ahead, Maggie reflects on her future plans and ambitions. HEADSPLIT serves as merely the inaugural step towards a larger ambition—an album in the making. “I’m definitely working on an album. I really want to put something up as soon as possible, but it’s such a process, but hopefully soon.”
As anticipation builds for her upcoming album, Maggie eagerly looks forward to her performance at The Troubadour on May 28th. “I’m excited to perform this project and just to perform live again,” she shares. “It’s just exciting. I think this show will be really cool. I think it’ll be a fun vibe.”
Reflecting on her recent tour across Europe and America, Maggie expresses gratitude for the overwhelming support. “It was amazing. I’ve never headlined a tour before, so it was really cool. Then the fact that it sold out in four minutes was just so cool,” she says proudly. “It was really fun when we went to Europe on an actual tour bus. I mean, the US was amazing. I’ve toured in the US before, so I kind of knew the vibes a little bit, but I think people really blew me away. I wasn’t expecting people to mosh so much.”
Looking ahead, Maggie dreams of expanding her tour to Japan, Asia, and South America. “I really want to go to Japan, so hopefully, I’ll be able to do a tour in Asia and South America, too. The shows are so crazy down there. I always get comments saying, 'Come to Brazil.’ It’s been an ongoing thing since forever, so Brazil would be really cool.”
HEADSPILT by Maggie is out now.
Photography: Alexis Rosario
Styling: Kirsten McGovern
Hair Stylist: Johana Castillo
Dress, Roff Ael. Leather Necklace David Menkes. Leather Choker, David Menkes. Fingerless gloves, Tableaux Vivants. Belt, Benedetta Bruzziches, Ear cuff, Michael Opipari. Earrings, My Dearest World. Bracelet, Eliburch. Shoes Roff Ael.
Dress, Alice Seon. Bow Tights, Greta Carmel. Pink Fishnets, Stylists own. Earrings & Necklace, April Beila. Index ring, Marland Backus. Ring, Ariana Boussard. Shoes, Roff Ael.
Top and Skirt, Fey. Leather armband, David Menkes. Earrings & Rings, April Beila.