Madison Beer has nothing but praise for her longtime mentor , who she says has been nothing short of ‘incredible’ throughout her career.
In 2012, Peaches singer Justin discovered Madison singing on YouTube and quickly signed her to his record label making for a full circle moment for the popstar, who himself was scouted by Usher on the video platform when he was a teeny-bopper.
Since then, Madison has gone on to build a solid fanbase with 32.9million followers on Instagram and 18m on , and released her debut studio album Life Support in 2021.
She’s now ending the year on a high with her sultry new single Showed Me (How I Fell In Love With You), which boasts a ‘cool 60s edge’, according to the singer herself, who added: ‘It’s this edgy sound that feels like the right kind of sexy for me.’
In case the track sounds familiar, it samples The Turtles’ You Showed Me from 1968.
Clearly, Justin has an eye for a good thing as he spotted Madison’s talent a whole decade ago.
Opening up about their friendship, the singer told Metro.co.uk: ‘He definitely gave me a lot of advice and of course I still keep in contact with him, I think he’s amazing.
‘He’s super focused on his own life obviously now and we obviously don’t speak as much but he’s been incredible every step of the way and I’m really grateful that I had someone who also is so experienced and knowledgeable in the industry. He signed me so early that I still have all the tools that I still find useful to this day.’
Noting the parallels between how they both found success on YouTube, Madison added: ‘He’s amazing and it is quite sweet and serendipitous that he was able to sign someone the same way that he was signed, it’s really cool.’
At just 16, Madison made the bold decision to cut ties with her major label to go independent after feeling they were trying to shape her into a popstar she didn’t want to be.
She recalled: ‘When I first got signed I felt like I was stepping into a role I had been told to play instead of just having my own visions amplified, so that was definitely a weird tricky thing for me which is why I decided to be independent for so long because I was like, I don’t want to experience this again, I want to find my music that I like.
‘It was awesome that I could just do this without a label.’
However, ultimately, Madison wanted to expand her music’s reach and so signed to Epic Records in 2019.
‘[Being independent] was great for a couple of years but I felt like my music deserved more so that’s why I ultimately did end up signing with a label at the end of it but for the time being it was really amazing and taught me a lot of awesome lessons,’ she said.
‘I feel really happy that I’m in a position where I step up for myself and make sure no one’s going to tell me what I can and can’t do or say or put out. I want to be around people who support me.
‘Years and years of being stepped on, I don’t allow anymore. I make sure the music I’m releasing and literally every aspect of myself I make sure is me.’
If ever Madison needs that extra boost of empowerment, she only needs to connect with the millions of adoring fans following her on TikTok, but her heavy social media presence must be daunting.
‘There are definitely things that are exacerbated and made worse because of the industry for sure, ‘she explained.
‘I think when I get freaked out the most is when I’m trying to be offline and haven’t used social media, then I’ll have that thought of there are people posting or tweeting about me, that can be weird sometimes but I’m used to it and I also don’t make it my life. I try to make my life outside of social media very fruitful and positive so I don’t feel such a pulling weight of having to be on all the time or so on with uploading content.
‘My priority is just to focus on my real life. It can be a lot and my relationship with it has changed significantly over the years.’
Her relationship with equally popular influencer Nick Austin also sparks intrigue with Madison’s followers, but you’ll barely find a trace of him on her social channels.
It’s for a good reason as Madison explained: ‘Just knowing that I don’t have to tell people anything and people can want to know things all they want but that doesn’t mean they’re going to get it or find it out so that’s been awesome. Sometimes you feel this – not responsibility – but need to share or need to inform.
‘When you see people post, “we broke up” or “we did this”, I don’t think people are entitled to all information they would like to know and I really set that boundary and I like to respect my relationship or friendships enough to not have to post things unless I feel it’s right or I feel I want to.’
She added: ‘That’s been a really helpful outlook for me, is just saying “no” and “that’s not for you”.’
Madison Beer’s new single Showed Me (How I Fell In Love With You) is out now.
