#SPOTLIGHT: Madison Violet

JUNO Award nominated Folk duo Madison Violet have just announced their brand-new studio album “Eleven”, set for release on July 1.

With ten albums to their name, Madison Violet’s Lisa MacIsaac and Brenley MacEachern are widely recognized as exceptional storytellers and skilled multi-instrumentalists. Their heartfelt and meaningful lyrics combine seamlessly with their thoughtful melodies, delivering an expertly crafted balance of traditional musical elements with contemporary sounds. Blending their stylistically different yet beautifully complimentary vocal talent, Madison Violet harnesses the power of using their voices as instruments themselves.

In over two decades as a musical duo, Madison Violet have received dozens of notable accolades for their work, including a JUNO nomination for Roots & Traditional Album of the Year. They have brought home a Canadian Folk Music Award for Best Vocal Group Album of the Year, have reached the top 5 on the Canadian iTunes download charts, amassed over one million streams on Spotify, and have placed on CBC’s Top 20 multiple times throughout their career. Their music is consistently played across Canada and throughout the world, and the internationally acclaimed artists are no strangers to receiving glowing reviews for both their studio work, and live performances.

Madison Violet’s “Eleven” follows their 2019 release, “Everything’s Shifting”. In the three years between projects, MacIsaac and MacEachern focused their creative time on becoming more involved in the music creation process than ever before. Aiming to be more present and hands on with recording their music, the duo enrolled in a music production program at world renowned Berklee College, converted MacEachern’s vintage Airstream into their personal studio, and immersed themselves in both the creative and recording process in a way they had never done before. Eliminating the constraints of costly studio time and gaining complete control over all decisions related to the music making process, MacIsaac and MacEachern now rank among the 2.1% of female identifying music producers in the industry today, with “Eleven” marking Madison Violet’s first ever fully self-produced record.

Filled with deeply personal stories of love and loss, Madison Violet considers “Eleven” to be their most candid album to date. Beginning with “Utah”, a natural opener for the record, the track marks the second love song ever recorded by the duo and honours a new, romantic chapter in MacEachern’s life. A song about being fully oneself and mutual respect in a relationship, the tune also features lyrics written by MacEachern’s father – a bucket list goal for the artist that she was finally able to achieve.

Penned over a span of almost five years, “We Lost The Light” was inspired by the loss of MacEachern’s 20-year-old niece in a tragic accident. An ode to the young creative who saw the world through a different lens, the song contrasts the brightness of the melody with darker, more somber grooves – creating a vast musical experience that encompasses MacEachern’s feelings, memories, hopes and regrets. The lead track for the album, “The Sycamore”, is a uniquely personal Folk-ballad for both artists, written as a discussion from both of their perspectives about the challenges of having, and caring for someone with an eating disorder. A song about not suffering in silence, “The Sycamore” is intended for those who face challenges, and those who aim to support them, to know they are not alone. Also included on the album are two cover songs, Mandolin Orange’s “Golden Embers” and Neil Young’s “Out On The Weekend” – both songs of deep meaning to MacIsaac and MacEachern, which they skillfully made their own while honouring the original song writing and melodies of each track.

After over twenty years of creating music, Madison Violet’s eleventh album poignantly showcases both artists personal and professional growth. Covering the hardships and beauty of life and all of its experiences, Madison Violet says, “we always hope that though these songs are personal and written from our hearts, that listeners will be able to find themselves in these experiences and stories”. Hopeful, uplifting, and filled with skillfully crafted melodies that illuminate their stories, Madison Violet’s autobiographical eleventh album showcases the unifying power of storytelling, and the ability we all have to overcome.

Madison Violet will be touring across Canada this summer: