Rising Country star Madeline Merlo has won over the hearts of many with her powerhouse vocals, vulnerable lyrics, and captivating performances. Her most recent project, ONE HOUSE DOWN (from the girl next door), was released in October and gave fans a true taste of her natural talent. Growing up in a small town outside of Vancouver, Canada, the British Columbia native was raised in a household that always had a love for country music. Between spending her days riding horses and writing songs, Merlo dreamed of one day making it big in Music City.
“I started coming back and forth to Nashville when I was sixteen - pretty much [as soon as] someone told me there was this mythical land called Nashville where you could write songs for a living,” Merlo shares. “It was so mind-blowing to me… I couldn’t believe it was people’s jobs.”
At only eighteen years old, Merlo signed a record deal in Canada and began earning radio play, tour slots, and award nominations. In 2017, the songstress packed up a U-Haul and officially made the move to Nashville, eager to learn and grow as a songwriter.
Merlo recalls the game-changing moment in her career when she got a phone call to be on NBC’s show, Songland. Finding herself in Los Angeles on a whim, she had the opportunity to play an original song for iconic country music trio Lady A, in hopes they would choose her ballad to record. Immediately, her voice and lyrics caught the band’s attention, and her track was chosen - little did she know then, “Champagne Night” would soon become a three-week Number One song for Lady A!
“It’s such a gift,” Merlo says, on the reaction of her song. “When you’re writing [the song], you have no idea that it’s going to bear so much fruit for you in the future. It’s so surreal… this is everything I’ve ever wanted to do.”
While a songwriter at heart, Merlo has had vocal features on songs from award-winning country artists Dustin Lynch, Cole Swindell, and Jelly Roll. Most recently, Merlo teamed up with Lynch again - only this time, to feature him on her own EP! The pair performed their song, “Broken Heart Thing,” together live for the first time ever at Merlo’s Grand Ole Opry debut this October - a moment that was a huge honor and bucket list moment for her.
“It was just as magical as I imagined it would be,” she shares of her Opry debut. “That place has so much history and is so legendary… to be invited into the circle that every artist I’ve ever loved and looked up to has stepped inside just meant so much to me.”
Reflecting on the strong presence country music had throughout her childhood, Merlo shares her lifelong admiration for strong female artists such as Shania Twain, Martina McBride, Faith Hill, Carrie Underwood, and Taylor Swift, to name a few. While country music has always been at the forefront, Merlo also takes influences from John Mayer and The 1975, in addition to Motown artists, such as Etta James and Billie Holiday. She has always loved songs that tell a story, and she hopes to continue to share and inspire others through her own.
“The artists that inspired me the most growing up were all very brave and unapologetically themselves… I think as women, our voices need to be heard on the radio and in the world! In my music, I want little Madeline to feel like if she had heard it, it would encourage her to be herself, and I hope my music can do that for other aspiring artists,” she shares.
Be sure to keep up with Madeline Merlo on socials and listen to the ONE HOUSE DOWN (from the girl next door) EP available now on all streaming platforms!
@madelinemerlo
“I had a career up in Canada first, but I really wanted to learn how to write great music… I always had Nashville on my heart.”