One moment can change your life forever. One seemingly typical event on an otherwise normal night has the power to radically alter your life path and turn the world you thought you knew upside down. This is Madison's story.
Raised by acadmemic parents in Miami, Madison focused on scholarly pursuits. She attended a private school in Boston, graduated from college as a premed student and moved to New York to take a position in the Psychiactric Department at Columbia University. Her days were spent in a neuroscience research lab, studying for her medical school entrance exam and working on extremely high level research projects. Her path in life was clear, or so she thought.
Madison's boyfriend at the time was friends with Custom. One night, one random night like any other night, Madison ended up at Custom's loft where a group of people were hanging out, rapping and singing in his studio. Custom invited Madison to take a turn on the mic. She didn't sing, she had never been recorded, she was going to med school, she didn't sing. She did sing.
Custom put up a beat. Madison sang "Both Hands" by Ani DiFranco. Custom threw up some guitar. This was the moment. One seemingly typical event on an otherwise normal night. Days later, after Custom added a rap that recounted that moment in time and finished the track, Madison heard herself and was reborn. She said goodbye to the deposit she put down on her med school tuition. She said hello to poverty, the life of a starving artist, making ends meet by working many a difficult job. She said goodbye to the life she thought was hers and said hello to her true calling. After a year of writing and playing with a band she formed she signed a publishing deal with Windswept Pacific. Madison is a singer.
I've heard this interpretation of "Both Hands" and it blew me away. The collaboration is as magical as the tale it tells. In her words, "I am forever grateful to Duane for pulling the trigger...shooting the gun...hope is dope". This is Madison's story.
