Amazon’s Music’s 2023 Artist to Watch gets ready to hit the Calgary stage

Amazon Music’s 2023 Artist to Watch, Madeline Merlo, is performing on May 30 to open for Riley Green. Merlo won NBC’s songwriting reality series Songland in 2020, with her upbeat, infectious song “Champagne Night,” recorded by Lady A. She went on to win Songwriter of the Year at the 2021 Canadian Country Music Association Awards, alongside her co-writers of "Champagne Night.” Returning home to Canada for a few shows with Riley Green, Merlo is excited to see her fans and share her new songs. We caught up with Merlo to talk about her music.

Tell us about your latest EP and single, Slide, and your new track “Same Car.”

My latest EP Slide came out in September and has been so much fun to perform live and watch people discover this new chapter in my artistry. It is my first project with my new record label BBR/BMG and working with new producer Zach Crowell. It is an energetic and diverse project that I think touches on all the different sides of me. 'Same Car' is a single I dropped in March about falling in love & getting your heart broken in the same car. I tried to capture the emotions of both good and bad aspects of a relationship and the song turned out so cinematic and cool, I'm very proud of that one.

As a songwriter, what inspires you while writing and what message do you want to leave for your listeners?

I think the key to being a songwriter is finding inspiration in everything. Every hard and joyful moment, books, movies, and even overheard conversations on the street can turn into a song idea. I think you can find inspiration everywhere. I certainly find it easier to write from a personal place though. Those are the songs that fall out of you because you know exactly what to say and how to tell that story. I always want to leave my listeners feeling understood and encouraged. I hope a listener can find themselves in my songs and feel like they aren't alone in whatever emotion they are sitting in. I also want to leave my listeners better than my song found them and that's why I love making happy music so much.

What are you looking forward to as an opener for Riley Green?

I am looking forward to being in Canada and seeing all my Canadian fans so much. They have watched me grow up and been there for me throughout many years of my career. I am excited that it is an acoustic set as well. Although I’m a little more exposed without my band behind me, I am looking forward to those intimate moments and sharing my songs in a more stripped-down version.