Pop Culturalist Chats with Madeleine Dopico

Remember this name: Madeleine Dopico. The talented singer-songwriter is an artist to keep your eye on in 2017. The New York native has quickly made a name for herself with her indie-pop track, “Nice Boy.” In less than two months, it’s accumulated over 200,000 streams on Spotify (and counting). When she’s not touring the country, Madeleine is in the studio working on her debut EP. And, we can’t wait to hear it! Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to chat with Madeleine.

PC: What is the inspiration behind your new single, “Nice Boy”?
Madeleine: When I wrote “Nice Boy” I was thinking about how vilifying it can be when we feel cold and apathetic towards people genuinely interested in us. It’s essentially an origin story of how the unintentional villain/heartbreaker came to be.

PC: What was the recording/songwriting process like?
Madeleine: I wrote most of “Nice Boy” alone in my room after what I one-sidedly felt was a pretty bad date. It was just me, a couple glasses of wine, and my piano keys. I always had an idea in my head of how the recording would incorporate electronic elements, like the sirens to play on the lyrics. My boys at EMW Music (Love you, Rob Grimaldi!) then really honed in on that vision and brought it to life in the Engine Room recording studio.

PC: You’re working on your debut EP, what can fans expect? And, do you have a release date?
Madeleine: I haven’t announced the release date yet because I’m still deciding how to package and release the songs in a way that reflects all the changes in how people are consuming music. But I can promise fans they’ll get some power vocals, several different genres/styles, and some pretty emotionally driven lyrics.

PC: How many songs will be on the EP?
Madeleine: I could tell you. But, then I’d have to kill you… 😉

PC: Describe the EP in five words.
Madeleine: Authentic. Diverse. Vulnerable. Catchy. Relatable.

PC: When did you know you wanted to be a musician? And, how did you get started?
Madeleine: I think I knew when I was three years old in nursery school and broke out of my classroom to go sing “This Land Is Your Land, This Land Is My Land” for all the older kids. But I took a different path leaving music as a hobby, and after studying nothing to do with music and working in offices that had nothing to do with music, I realized this was not just a passion. It’s my ultimate career ambition. I quit my job cold and started pounding the pavement.

PC: What’s been the most challenging part about being in the industry?
Madeleine: With my background studying at UPenn and working at competitive NYC startups, I got used to tangible benchmarks for progress- grades, promotions, etc. Now, my mom asks me how my music career is going all the time and I have to say, “I don’t know! I’m supporting myself and there are people who seem to like my art. Does that mean it’s going well?”

PC: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned?
Madeleine: I’ve learned to be self-assured and to be my authentic self even when it challenges how things are “supposed” to be. Things only work one way until someone comes along and proves they don’t have to. It’s art and not everyone is going to like me, or my work. But if I truly, personally believe in what I’m doing- I think I’ll be happy, and I think that happiness is infectious.

PC: You’ve toured a lot in your career, what’s been the most rewarding part about performing live?
Madeleine: The most rewarding part about performing has been seeing the depth of my support system. It’s the craziest feeling to step back and think that all those people in the crowd could be doing anything they want with their time, but they’re giving it to me.

Pop Culturalist Speed Round

PC: Guilty pleasure TV show?
Madeleine: Gilmore Girls

PC: Guilty pleasure movie?
Madeleine: A Walk to Remember

PC: Favorite book?
Madeleine: Catcher in the Rye

PC: Favorite play or musical?
Madeline: Next to Normal

PC: Favorite social media platform?
Madeleine: Facebook

PC: Hidden talent?
Madeleine: Irish Step Dancing (and I’m not at all Irish).

PC: If you could have dinner with five people, alive or dead, real or fictional, who would they be and why?
Madeline: All four of The Beatles and Morgan Freeman because I don’t believe that any human on earth can say they don’t like a single Beatles song, and Morgan freeman might be God.

Make sure to follow Madeleine on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. And, check out “Nice Boy” on Amazon and iTunes.