Two years removed from his critically acclaimed EP, Headspace, Maddox Jones has returned with his highly anticipated debut solo album, Believe It. Marking his most honest and genuine release yet, Believe It follows Jones’ journey to becoming himself, overcoming addiction and falling in love. The twelve song collection tells the story of Maddox Jones in a way that feels incredibly personal, yet will easily resonate with fans and new listeners alike.
With Believe It out now, we caught up with Maddox Jones to discuss the creation of the album, his growth as an artist, and plans for the rest of 2022. Read the full interview and listen to Believe It now below.
Prelude Press: You kicked off 2022 with the release of your new single, “Ready To Be Better” from your new album, Believe It. What makes “Ready To Be Better” a special track to you? Can you tell us a little bit about it?
Maddox Jones: “Ready to Be Better” is as the title suggests a song about wanting to make a change. I remember picking up my guitar New Years eve 2020 and I was in a place where I was pretty much sick of my own s**t. I decided to write a song about exactly where I was at that time. I looked at the time on my phone, took a deep breath and let the words pour out of me. “It’s a quarter past 3 on New Year’s Eve but it could be any day from the past few years I’m skating on ice, fighting my vices yeah.” I was partying too much and felt like I’d been pretty selfish in a lot of ways. It’s basically like an extrapolated version of waking up with a hangover saying “I’m never drinking again”. I felt like I’d let people down and I wanted to say sorry. I’ve been sitting on this song for a minute, but 2 years deep into Covid it feels relevant in a whole new way, I think we’re all ready to be better.
Believe It is your debut album as a solo artist. With that in mind, did you have any major goals when you began working on it? Was there anything in particular you wanted to accomplish with a debut album?
Since I’ve been a solo artist I’ve released 1 EP and a string of singles. I’m creating my best work ever as a solo artist and an album seemed like the natural next step. I think my major goals when creating this album was just being as authentic and genuine as possible. I just wanted to be natural with what I was creating. I didn’t set out to make some mad concept album or anything, just a collection of songs that tell the story of Maddox Jones in 2022. I think with an album an artist naturally gets more attention from the media etc. giving people something to sink their teeth into is great. Some people say the album is dead, I say the opposite, I think it’s well and truly alive.
You made your solo debut only a couple of years ago as well, with the release of your Headspace EP. How do you feel you’ve grown as an artist (or even just as a person) since then?
I think I’ve leaned into the fact that I am a solo artist whilst still really enjoying collaborating with producers, artists and writers. I think I’ve become less frantic and a bit more like ok with the fact that there are ebbs and flows as an artist. Also, being jealous of other people’s success is completely pointless, life is a journey, I think I’ve grown up a lot actually thinking about it. I’m grateful that I get to release music and that people want to listen to it.
Did you learn anything while working on Headspace that you were able to apply to Believe It?
I learnt that I can actually just be inspired about my own life and write about it and that looking inward is a great thing to do when writing songs; being personal. I adopted a more conversational approach to my songwriting which I’ve carried over to believe it.
Lyrically, was there anything that you wanted to touch on with Believe It?
I wanted to express everything that’s been happening over the past couple of years to me personally. There’s songs about manifestation, there’s breakup, there’s love, lust, existential questioning; thinking about it I think it’s got it all in terms of what I was trying to express.
What would you like for fans to take away from the album?
I want them to feel like they know what Maddox Jones is all about and also feel inspired, uplifted and understood.
What was the most rewarding or fulfilling part of working on the album?
Writing the initial song on piano and forming all the lyrics, finishing the actual bare bones of the song is the best bit because then the rest of it is just fun. If you’ve got a finished song to hang production and beat ideas on then there’s always something solid to come back to if you veer down the wrong path.
Do you feel more or less pressure as a solo artist as opposed to writing and performing with a band?
Hmm it’s all the same really, I always put pressure on myself or imagine pressure that isn’t there. I think the key to it is to stay consistent and not dwell on things for too long. Come to think of it there is probably more pressure as a solo artist because there’s no one else to share the load with but I love being solo, a bit of pressure is good.
With Believe It out now, do you have any other big plans in the works? Any shows or tour dates coming up?
Yes I am supporting Janet Devlin on tour late April and also have other gigs planned. I wrote a song with Janet recently. She’s awesome; so down to earth and genuine and super talented. I’m excited to get the album out and see where it takes me.
Thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thanks for taking the time and supporting my music, I really appreciate it.
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