Q&A: Maddie Regent Details a Second-Chance Romance in “See Me”
WRITTEN BY ANTHONY RATCHKOV
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Maddie Regent is an indie-pop artist based in Los Angeles. Her marvelous new single “See me” tells the story of a second chance romance. In doing that, it also dives deeper into the complexities of presenting your vulnerable side to another person.
“Ancient lover” is the opening lyric of this song. Zeus and Hera were also ancient lovers in Greek mythology. While other artists can be a bit in the trenches of choosing collaborators to create their music with, Maddie Regent and her producer/fiancé Cade Hoppe have simply watched from above and just done their own thing, working together in creating many timeless records, with “See Me” being the next flash of brilliance they will throw down from above to the rest of the world.
Life on Jupiter had the pleasure of sitting down with Maddie Regent to discuss “See Me,” Pride and Prejudice and everything in between.
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LIFE ON JUPITER: Congratulations on the new release! Could you start by telling us the story of how “See me” came to be?
MADDIE REGENT: I moved to LA almost a year ago. It was a big transition coming from New York. My fiancé and I spent a lot of time watching movies. We weren’t thinking about starting a new project anytime soon. We’ve been watching a lot of historical romance stuff like Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights, so that kind of shaped the direction that we went with the songwriting; more cinematic. In my head, I had a full story that I definitely related to, but I was imagining that I was in this different kind of universe like Pride and Prejudice leaving my lover on a train. That's where that imagery evolved.
You mentioned before that the song feels like a second chance romance story you would read in a book. I was wondering if there were books that specifically capture the feeling of “See me?”
REGENT: Pride and Prejudice is one of my favorite books. I like the idea of two people where they’re like, “No, we can’t be together, but it's meant to be.” In my life, I always joke that I could send a text or just not talk to them for three years, I could pretend like it never happened. That’s why I connect to the story so much. It’s technically not a second chance romance, but I love the idea that you can meet someone and it might not be the right time and you have to figure yourself out. It’s the idea that a person will wait for you and be there for you once you’ve figured yourself out. I relate to a lot in my own life, being able to make mistakes and grow and have people that will accept that. I love that trope.
The theme of this song obviously revolves around the chorus question “Can you see me now?” Do you think that in trying to present an improved version of yourself to a past acquaintance that not everybody will see who you fully are?
REGENT: Yeah, that’s why I imagine in the story that it’s years later and I’m writing a letter to this person that I had cold feet for. It's very vulnerable to say I wasn’t ready but I’m ready now and just let them do what they want with that information. I showed you my worst side, and now this person knows me better than other people because they experienced that. For them to then come back— it’s very romantic. It’s a hopeful song. It's like, “Can you see me now?” This is me, take it or leave it, knowing you would be ok afterwards, but also the what if? What if I was easy and just went along with everything before figuring my own stuff out? Who knows?
You’ve mentioned in the past that sometimes releasing music in general can be a challenging process of vulnerability, is “See me” also a triumphant step forward in the confidence of presenting yourself in that sense?
REGENT: I’m a small artist and when you’re releasing new music you’re hoping to reach a new audience, but you also know that everybody that knows me in person is going to be listening to my music, I can’t hide that much. It feels safer to be more vulnerable to people I don’t know than to people I do know. I feel so much more connected to me in this new world I am trying to create because it’s how I actually view the world. With this song, I’m telling this big story. It’s weird that I’m not playing a character but an elevated version of myself that just feels so much more sincere.
Your songs have a lot of vulnerable lyrics. Do you feel it’s important for artists to not let that pain define their identity but rather where they are at in life?
REGENT: It’s tough because you’re writing songs that feel close to you in the moment and then you release them three years later, or a year later, so it’s hard to stay connected. I’ve grown so much since I wrote about. I have a better perspective to help people that are maybe going through something right now. Being an artist, you’re in your head all the time, this is how I process my emotions. I want to share them, but to be an artist and make it a career, you have to keep driving it home to people that “this is how I feel, do you feel the same way?” I think I am able to separate it better now that I’m framing it as these stories, almost like folklore in a way. That’s why I’m a big Taylor Swift fan. I love these big worlds and this retrospective that still feels so real to me but I can tell it as if it's a story from my past and I’m in a different place that can still take me there when I listen to it.
Do you think that when you moved from New York to Los Angeles it changed your sound in a way or at least where you source your inspirations from, or is Toronto still the source of a lot of inspiration?
REGENT: It’s interesting because I feel so connected to Toronto. I’m very prideful, I love that I’m from there, but I don’t feel like I really grew up there because I moved to New York when I was 18 years old and I went to school there. I had my teenage life in Toronto but that was kind of like a little bubble. With the music scene in New York I was finally able to go to all the concerts I wanted to because everyone comes there.The small underground stuff informed a lot of my taste. I do think change is important though, and I found living in New York a little bit claustrophobic.I felt like I was surrounded by so many people doing so many great things, and it was hard to feel like I could have a voice. I didn’t move thinking I would make it in LA, it was just something to get me out of my routine and develop a new lifestyle. I didn’t grow up driving everywhere, now I’m driving everywhere. Listening to music in the car is so much different than listening to your headphones on the subway.I sit down thinking about music a bit differently.
Your fiancé has been your producer for a bunch of your songs now, could you give us some more insight on what working with him is like? Does it help to have your producer be someone who maybe knows a bit more about what's going on in your personal life?
REGENT: I feel very lucky. We started dating way before we started making music together. He became a producer when I was making my EP years ago and was having a hard time figuring out who to work with. LA specifically is a very big session culture. There is this pressure to be meeting with a bunch of different people and writing songs. I’ve just never been that way. We compliment each other really well. I’m able to be like, “I have the vision, I have the lines,” and he’s able to say, “I think I can beat that.” I can also feel comfortable to be like, “No, you know what, I think it’s good.” We can do that. I think that’s really important as we’re both growing artists.
Your artist name is just your real name, but do you feel that over the course of discography you’ve filled Maddie Regent with new meaning?
REGENT: It’s interesting because nobody calls me by my full name in life. People in my life call me Maddy, so I’d be able to separate it. Now I feel like it’s the grown version of me. When I think of Maddie Regent I want people to feel comforted and look up to her, someone that my 16 year old self would think was really cool. I struggled a lot with my self-worth growing up, I’ve come so far that I’m really proud of who I am and what I’ve done. That name to me is something I strive to do with everything now.
You’ve teased the fact you’ve obviously got more music on the way along with this release, what else can fans of Maddie Regent expect? Is “See me” kicking off a new era?
REGENT: See me is definitely the start of a new project. I’m hoping to release songs more consistently throughout the summer, throughout the fall, into next year and really try to build out this world. So definitely more coming, and some stuff I am really proud of.