Nashville-based twin sister duo, Jaye Madison, consisting of Jordan and Madison Skinner, just released a new song, “Devil I Know.” This stirring song beautifully captures what it feels like to give in to self-doubt, defeatism, and negative self-talk. Then there’s a positive shift towards courage and empowerment that comes with the decision to become who you are meant to be and stop giving in to these negative feelings. We had the pleasure of interviewing Jaye Madison, and here’s what they had to say:
Q: At what point did you decide on the instrumentation for “Devil I Know” and how did you go about this?
JAYE MADISON: (MADISON): Well, I knew for sure that I wanted electric guitar on it since the beginning. The song was originally written on piano, but I knew I wanted it to have that rock edge & pain built into the instrumentation. Since this song is about my personal journey with depression, I not only wanted it to feel like it was heavy as a whole but like I was trying to shake it off more and more as the song went on. It builds to a guitar lick after the bridge that I described as the last “battle cry” of the devil as he dies when in the studio.
(JORDAN): We knew we wanted a full sound that encompassed the growing energy up until the big bridge and outro. We wanted to embrace the more rock side of our sound. The instrumentation builds throughout and follows the melody line and lyrics in an authentic and raw way. It purposely creates an echo of the vocal line and emphasizes the back-and-forth battle within one’s own mind. It’s a conversation that mimics the dark thoughts vs. the good. A lot of call and response and aggressive guitar lines take you on the journey of battling for your mental health.
Q: I like the passionate delivery! In what ways do you think your songs reflect your personality?
JAYE MADISON (MADISON): Thank you! I’d say both our personalities are mixed into our sound. Jordan has a lighter quality to her energy & presence. She just sparkles and I think you can hear that even more in our songs such as “In the Grey” and “Catch 22.” As far as my own personality, I take up space in a bold, solid way. I’m quite stubborn too so you can hear that warmth & determination in our sound as well.
(JORDAN): Yes, I always say our sound is like honey mixed with gravel. Madison has a darker timbre to her voice that is richer and deeper like honey. I add a bit of grit on the top and create a blend in our harmonious tone that creates the perfect mix of power and softness. We stand on our own as soloists, but together? It’s magic.
Q: What is your best memory from the songwriting process?
JAYE MADISON (MADISON): One of my favorite memories when it comes to songwriting is the time we collaborated to write the first version of “Pedestal,” coming in EP 3. We had a solid melody and structure for the song, but it wasn’t quite hitting the way we wanted it to. We stayed up late the night before we were scheduled to film a segment for Today in Nashville to edit the lyrics. We ended up calling it quits but then I got a stroke of inspiration at 6:00 am the morning of the filming. I completely rewrote the lyrics but kept our melody & bridge the same. I ran upstairs to show the lyrics to Jordan and the rest is history! Haha, just needed a super last-minute deadline I guess! #ArtisticTypesAmIRight
(JORDAN): One of my favorite memories writing together (and there are many), is when we wrote “Ride or Die.” This one is coming out on EP 2, but it’s a best friend anthem and completely sums up the sisterly love we have for one another. It was such a blast tying imagery and connections to “Thelma and Louise” to our own friendship within the song. We tend to lean toward darker/ more intense themes in our music, so when we are inspired by something uplifting and just plain fun, it’s a change of pace for us that we welcome. Lots of laughs were had.
Q: Do you play any instruments – if so, which? If not, which would you like to learn and why?
JAYE MADISON: (MADISON): I do! I play piano and have been since I was about nine. I learned from my grandma before my parents put me in lessons. I would love to learn bass guitar at some point – I think it looks so fun & laid back!
(JORDAN): I don’t, my instrument is my voice, and I am always growing my ability to listen and create closer harmonies than ever. Finding harmony is so fun to me. I used to resent it and think I only wanted to sing the melody, but once I started getting the hang of it, I prefer to (and usually do) sing harmony in our songs. We always do what is best for the song, but because Madison’s voice is naturally darker/lower than mine, it always kind of works out that way, with my lighter tones on the top of the vocal lines.
Q: Which 3 artists would you say have had a significant influence on your sound?
JAYE MADISON: (MADISON): I’d say the Eagles/Don Henley, Fleetwood Mac, and Heart are my top 3. They all have that heartland soul that we’re both so drawn to – a rich southern sound that isn’t always paired with a twang. Stevie really takes so many exciting risks when it comes to her phrasing and Don perfected lyrical genius in such a concise way. Heart of course inspired our melodies & harmonies. I think you can hear a lot of their influence in our sound, especially off the album.
(JORDAN): I fully agree with everyone Madison mentioned. We also have some Willie Nelson, Janis Joplin, and Billy Joel in our sound. We could probably spend hours writing out all of the artists who have inspired our writing because we were surrounded by so much good music growing up (thanks mom and dad!) We take a mix of folk, blues, rock, and country, and just write what feels natural to us. We don’t really go into writing a song saying, “this has to sound country.” We just write what is authentic to us and having grown up in Southeast Texas surrounded by diverse music our whole life, what we write can lean towards one sound over another at any given time. We let the songs tell us what they need. They always have our undeniable Jaye Madison harmonies though. That’s one thing that will never change in our music.
Q: What’s your favorite album? Why?
JAYE MADISON: (MADISON): I have so many favorites but one I’ve been listening to a lot lately is 30 by Adele. I think the lyrics are so introspective and healing. Lots of complex ideas and vulnerabilities in that album that I really appreciate. Rumours by Fleetwood Mac is also a strong vibe – there’s not one song on that album that isn’t a hit.
(JORDAN): Rumours is also a go-to favorite of mine. I also have to say Coco by Colbie Caillat. I listened to it on repeat in Middle School when I had my first crush, and had it play all night while I slept. I would walk through the halls with my green iPod listening to “Realize” and “Bubbly” over and over again. It was such a full circle and surreal moment when we got the chance to meet Mikal Blue who produced that album. It was even more crazy when he agreed to produce our debut album himself. Life sure surprises you sometimes in the best way possible.
You can listen to their just-released EP, MIRЯOR, HERE!
Interviewed by Zoey King
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