BIGSOUND Buzz Act & ‘Heartbreak High’ Star Ayesha Madon Is Going Places

She’s refreshingly candid about the fact that she has “only 3,000 Instagram followers”, but make no mistake: Ayesha Madon is one to watch. An actor and singer with several TV credits to her name, including a starring role as Amerie in the Netflix reboot of Heartbreak High, Madon is all about chasing passions – even if it makes for a busy schedule. 

“It kind of appears, from the outside, that I've started off in the acting world and then come to the music world, but in reality, I started off as a musician,” she tells. “I've been writing non-stop since I was in my teens. I haven't released anything, but I've been chipping away at this music thing for a while now. I've also been acting since I was little, but I never really went into it with the intention of pursuing it professionally. It just feels like everything came to fruition at different points in time.

“There's a similarity between acting and music in that you can kind of lock into this uninterrupted focus and creative flow. It doesn't happen all the time, but I just love that feeling – I'm addicted to it, and I always know I'm doing good work in my scenes and when I'm writing if I have that.” 

That same flow led to the birth of Madon’s new single Goldfish – a bop written about the fantasy of an uncomplicated life. Post-COVID, it doubles as an open letter to those of us who try to “hold it all together”, and occasionally drop the ball. 

“To be honest, I'm really bad at juggling. I deal with anxiety daily, but I've been really good lately. I've been going to therapy, meditating heaps, and just really taking care of my mental health - doing shit that you should probably do in your day-to-day life to take care of yourself. When I'm taking care of myself, then I can usually manage with the other things, but sometimes I just don't do that stuff, and then everything is overwhelming.” 

The topic of self-care is a big one, especially amidst the artificial narrative of perfection perpetuated online, and Madon is conscious of what she’s putting out there. 

“I just kind of try and be as authentic as I can be. I think it would be a disservice to try to be a perfect model. I just show up as my most authentic self, and if someone gets something out of that, then great, but I’m by no means someone that I think anyone should [model themselves on], you know? I’m quite a mess.”

Of course, putting anything “out there” invites criticism from anyone who cares to comment, and the entertainment industry can be a breeding ground for trolls. Still, after years in the industry, Madon has never felt better prepared to handle it.  

“At first, it really scared me, but now I've hit a really good point where I go, ‘Who is this person, and why do I care, and why do I give them agency over what I do?’ There are always, always, always going to be people who hate your work and love your work - and [their opinions] actually have nothing to do with you, and it really doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is if you like what you do and like your work. Then people can give you their opinion ‘til the cows come home - but if you don't like what you do, it's not gonna be fulfilling.” 

While putting work “out there” can be daunting, particularly for industry newcomers, it’s also rife with opportunity. Perfectionism is often the only roadblock, but with the right mindset, the world opens up, just as it did for Madon after she gave herself an ultimatum. 

“I told myself, ‘Whatever you write, you will release.’ I had no team on board, so I didn't have to let anyone know that any of my plans. If I wanted to really do something, I could literally make the call that day to do it. Now, I’ve got amazing people on my team, so I'm way less spontaneous, but going in with that kind of energy to whatever I do – just doing things and not worrying about them being good – always yields the best results. 

“If I don't finish a song in one sitting, I can guarantee it won't be finished. I have to get at least the bare bones down the day I start, or I won't finish it. It's my fatal flaw. By the same token, if I'm sitting on music for too long, I'm like, ‘I hate this. I don't want to release it.’ Just so self-critical, when the fact of the matter is, it's not that important. No one cares that much. No one cares as much as you do about your own music. So, the main thing is to just do it – just make moves, and something will eventuate. It'll unfold somehow.” 

When it comes to writing, on the other hand, things can unfold differently each day, depending on the mood and the stories waiting to be told. If lost love is a dark cloud, Madon’s more mature, refined writing style is the silver lining. 

“I think the main thing that actually changed my writing style - even the work that I'm releasing now, Goldfish and the next few releases written in 2021 - was experiencing heartbreak. That changed everything, so the next era of music is completely different. I think it's kind of cool that different life things can completely shift your creative style.

“I feel like everything is an experience, and if I’m feeling something at all, I'm happy about it, you know? Feelings like heartbreak are just misplaced love, in a way, so it's nice that you can feel that.” 

Invariably, those feelings make their way into her lyrics – and her best work often begins with a spontaneous top line in a ritual inspired by the legendary Dolly Parton. 

“I was watching a Dolly Parton documentary on Netflix, and she was talking about how sometimes she just goes into the bathroom and writes stuff on a napkin – she wrote Nine To Five on her acrylic nails. I've started to kind of write like that, just write top lines without any consideration harmonically, and my top lines are so much better for it.”

Madon’s lyrics – particularly on her 2020 debut single Outside Of The Party – often allude to a sense of introversion, and although she’s not one to turn down collaborative opportunities in the studio, she readily admits that her personal life is another story. 

“You wouldn't expect this about me, because I'm quite bombastic as a human, but I'm quite socially anxious. I say dumb shit in public constantly, so I really do prefer being on my own, and lately I’ve found that the pursuit of writing is so much more fulfilling to me when I'm doing it by myself. It feels more objective in a weird way - like I'm writing for me, which is always nice – and I don’t have to think about whether the song is going to sell or worry about wasting another collaborator’s time with bad work.”

Having made a handful close collaborative connections on her career path to date, Madon is gradually building a supportive network. 

“I've made a weird, unexpected, best friendship with Alex Laska, the lead singer in Kingswood – you would not expect us to be friends but that's a really meaningful one. It’s not exactly collaboration, but working with my managers, Zach and John, has been just amazing. They're like my dads, and it feels way beyond business at this point – just people that I love.” 

With her support network firmly in place, she’s producing new music on the regular, with some exciting plans in the coming months. 

“I’m dropping more singles. I'm really happy to have started this process now, because hopefully it'll be more frequent. I've got them all lined up, ready to come out. 

“I’m also currently in rehearsal for BIGSOUND. This will be my first live show, so I'm very curious to see how it's going to manifest – and I'm just excited to play live. I started in music theatre, so I come from a live background, and I haven't played live or done anything live for so long, so I'm really excited. I’m also just really excited to see the other artists – I live under a rock, so I'm not super ‘in’ with the industry and don't really know many people, so I'm excited to see everyone's work.” 

A self-professed “notoriously awkward human being”, Madon will take musical notes over networking at every opportunity – and her upcoming performance at the 2022 BIGSOUND festival will be no exception.

“One of my favourite artists, Ashwarya, is performing. I just love her music, but I'm gonna lay low, because I'll fangirl a bit, and if I met her, I would say something stupid. I don't know what it would be, but I guarantee you it would be something dumb.” 

Ultimately, Madon is happy to be right where she is – living her own optimistic mantra, “magic happens when you back yourself,” and earning those soul connections one new Instagram follower at a time.

Catch Ayesha Madon at BIGSOUND– all details here.