Artist Profile: Madison Shea

Nashville-bound

By Heike Hellmann-Brown

Despite her young age, 2014 Georgia Countrys Teen Artist of the Year, Madison Shea, has a long list of accomplishments. Born in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the now 18-year old grew up in Woodstock and discovered her passion for music early in life. In first grade, I entered my schools talent show with a song my mom used to sing when she was doing my hair in the mornings, the singer remembers. I instantly fell in love with being on stage. Knowing that I can make people smile with my voice was the coolest thing!

Shea went on to acting in plays and musicals, something she intended to pursue, until a poetry assignment in 6th grade came along. I discovered this amazing new way to express myself songwriting, Shea says. However, at that point, I played no instrument; so I only heard the music in my head. With the help of her mom and her music teacher, who put music to her written songs, Shea got in contact with a producer in Nashville, where she recorded two original songs at age 12. The exposure I had at such a young age is amazing, Shea states. Over the years, I worked with different producers, which helped me to evolve a feeling for the music industry, yet it was quite frustrating that I lacked experience. Something I kept hearing over and over for the next five years was: You are extremely talented, but you are not ready, you are too young.

Despite her disappointment, Shea worked hard on following her dream. As a teenager, she performed at local venues and festivals and learned to play the piano and the guitar, which enabled her to add music to her lyrics.

Today, Shea has written 80 original songs, six of those have played on Atlantas 94.9 The Bull. In 2011, she released her first EP titled, Ive Got a Secret, followed by the album, Miss Me in 2014. Its title track is currently playing on The Bulls Backyard Country. Shea opened for John Michael Montgomery at the 2013 Global Winter Wonderland at Turner Field and performed a pre-game and post-game show for the Atlanta Braves. When performing, she is either supporting herself on acoustic guitar and keyboard, or she is accompanied by her professional band.

A recent graduate, Madison Shea is now heading to Tennessee again. She will study Music Business at Middle Tennessee State University. The university also offers a songwriting program, so it was a hard decision. In the end, gaining extensive knowledge about the music business won out.

She is still pursuing singing while in college. Her next appearance will be October 4th, at The Bluebird Caf in Nashville, TN.

No doubt this Georgia girl is set to leave her mark on the music world! When I was 14, someone asked me, What is your backup plan? I have none because that would only set me up for failure!

MadisonSheaMusic.com

Photos courtesy of Lou Raimondi Photography