QSC Aspiring Interview: Madison Watkins on her first song about faith & viral Hit ‘Curls’

Nashville-based artist and American Idol alum Madison Watkins is quickly becoming one of the most magnetic voices in soul-pop today, and a lot of that is down to the fact she studied the vocal techniques of Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Christina Aguilera, and Etta James, learning to imitate them on her karaoke machine after school – these musical icons are not for the vocally weak.

And all that practice paid off. With her powerhouse vocal range, heartfelt storytelling, and stage presence, Watkins has shared the spotlight with the likes of Tori Kelly and Jason Derulo, opened for Gwen Stefani and Elle King, and captured over 1.5 billion plays on TikTok with her breakout hit Curls.

Though she’s now known for her radiant confidence and vibrant online presence (with over 750K TikTok followers and counting), Watkins’ path hasn’t been without struggle. After appearing on American Idol, she moved to L.A., where she endured a toxic relationship and a period of intense anxiety and depression. 

Questioning everything, she took a step back from music, unsure if she’d ever return. But through faith, reflection, and sheer perseverance, Watkins found her way back to the heart of who she is, both as a person and an artist.

Now signed to Sony/Provident, Watkins is entering a bold new chapter. Her debut EP with the label, Letting Go, marks a deeply personal turning point. Written during a season of profound transformation, the project captures the highs and lows of finding herself again after stepping away from the spotlight.

In this interview, Watkins opens up about her first song about faith and how her connection to God saved her, leaning into her most authentic self after years of trying to fit an industry popstar mold, her time on American Idol, her viral song, Curls and pressure to create hit TikToks, and the making of her new EP, Letting Go.

You moved from Los Angeles to Nashville. How has living in Nashville influenced your music?

I've been in Nashville for about a year and a half. Before this, I spent eight years in Los Angeles before making the move here. I'm really enjoying it; it's been a significant change that I never expected, but here I am. That's life for you!

My story is quite interesting because I moved here after spending eight years in L.A., really grinding through the challenges of being an upcoming artist and learning how to write songs while figuring out my identity as an artist. I reached a point where I realised I was trying to fit a mould that wasn't truly me. I was portraying an inauthentic version of myself, influenced by what I thought the music industry wanted or needed for success. I found myself becoming a pop star persona that didn't align with who I really am.

I took about six months off to reflect on my life and think deeply about what I truly wanted. I pondered not only my musical direction but also who I am as a person. When I arrived in Nashville, I immediately felt a sense of authenticity that resonated with me. The slower pace here was something I needed; in the fast pace of L.A., I had lost touch with myself and my purpose.

Moving here was great because it allowed me to rediscover my true self and the music I want to create. There's a deeper meaning in my songs now, even though it may not be immediately apparent on the surface. In L.A., much of my music centred around relationships and love interests, which was fine, but I realised I was neglecting a significant part of myself: my faith. 

It's something I've always wanted to explore in my music, but I hesitated due to potential labels or misconceptions. Embracing this aspect of myself has enriched my music. When I let go of boundaries and wrote authentically, the quality of my music improved significantly. I realised that being true to myself, including my faith, resulted in more meaningful and genuine songs.

What early memories do you have of music from your childhood?

As we're talking right now, I'm looking at a blown-up photo of Whitney Houston hanging in my house. She was truly the reason I started singing in the first place. I first heard her voice on one of those little karaoke machine CDs they used to give you, and it was an insane experience to hear her voice. As we all know, she had – in my opinion – one of the greatest voices the world has ever known.

I remember hearing her voice and immediately knowing that singing was what I wanted to do when I grew up. I basically learned how to sing by listening to her. I would study her voice and try to imitate it. She had that big, powerful, belting voice, and I absolutely loved the way she sounded. 

Hearing her was what really sparked everything for me as a child. Other women I looked up to are Etta James and all the great soulful female singers. I grew up listening to them, just admiring their voices and learning from their style and strength.

Can we hear a Christina Aguilera influence in there, too?

Yes. She was someone whom, growing up, I would always listen to and learn how to run. She does all those crazy runs.

Are you into any music that might surprise people? Perhaps something that’s totally different to the kind of music you make?

I'm kind of all over the place when it comes to music. Something people might not expect is that I really love EDM and house music. Honestly, my taste is pretty broad. I enjoy singer-songwriter, super chill music, a bit of rock, and of course, R&B. 

But more than anything, I’m drawn to music that feels really honest. What I love about music right now is how genres are blending more than ever. Artists from all backgrounds are collaborating, which makes it such an exciting time to explore different sounds and expand your musical repertoire.

 I think people would be surprised by just how varied my listening habits are. I genuinely don’t have a favourite genre, I listen to absolutely everything. That variety plays a huge role in how I approach my own songwriting. When I’m in the studio, I might be inspired by something as specific as a drum beat or a synth from a track I’ve been listening to, and I’ll bring that into the creative process.

For example, I’m sure you know Olivia Dean – her song Dive inspired my track Everything I Need. There’s a similar uplifting energy in both songs. That “Maybe it's the loving in your eyes” part in Dive really stood out to me, and in my song, I sing, “I got everything I need.” They sit in a similar emotional space, and her sound definitely helped shape the vibe of my track. In the end, I really believe that listening to all kinds of music is what fuels creativity. Other people’s art is often an artist’s biggest inspiration.

Country music is having a huge moment outside of the US right now, especially with artists like Chappell Roan and so many others bringing elements of it into the mainstream charts. Being in Nashville, which is often considered the heart of country music, you can feel that shift happening?

Absolutely, 100%. I grew up in Arkansas, a small town in a small state, and country music was everywhere. I remember even as a kid, I had a few people reach out to me with country music opportunities and contracts. But at the time, I just couldn’t do it – I was surrounded by it constantly and felt like I needed to do something different.

What I really appreciate about country music now, though, is its storytelling. That’s what draws people in; it’s so honest and grounded. About two weeks ago, I saw Carrie Underwood live at the Grand Ole Opry here in Nashville. It was my second time seeing her in person, and hearing her perform live again was so inspiring. Her music really moves you.

I'm also loving what country music is doing right now. Take Brandon Lake, for example; he’s on the same label as I am, and he recently did a song with Jelly Roll called Hard Fought Hallelujah. It’s been incredibly successful. Brandon is primarily known as a Christian artist, but now he’s crossing over into the country world, and it’s working beautifully. 

And of course, with Beyoncé’s latest album tapping into the genre as well, it’s clear that country is having a real moment. It’s exciting to watch – and to be around it in Nashville is even more inspiring. It’s such a rich genre, full of heart.

You appeared on American Idol in 2021 and made it to the top 12. What did you learn about yourself and the industry from being on the show?

That actually wasn’t my first time on reality TV; I had done America’s Got Talent before that. But Idol was the show where people really saw me for the first time, and it was definitely a transformative experience. I feel like I truly discovered who I was as an artist during my time on the show.

One of the most memorable moments was getting to sing with one of my all-time favourite artists, Tori Kelly. We did a duet together that was absolutely terrifying, but also so incredible. Honestly, I just let Tori do her thing and tried my best to keep up – that’s all you really can do when you’re singing with someone like her! 

She’s someone I’ve always admired, and since then, we’ve stayed in touch a little, which has been such a cool experience. Watching her career evolve and having the opportunity to sing with her has meant a lot to me.

If I had to sum up the biggest lesson I learned from American Idol, it’s the importance of being a performer. It’s one thing to be a great songwriter or a strong vocalist – and those things are essential – but what really sets you apart is how you perform. Like I mentioned with Beyoncé, it’s the way you draw people in, how you tell a story through your songs, and how you connect with an audience. That’s what takes everything to the next level.

Curls was a massive hit on TikTok, with over 1.5 billion plays. When did you notice it was going viral, and why do you think it resonated with so many people?

That was really my first proper single – kind of my breakout moment. I had done music when I was younger, but this was the first time it felt like things were really taking off. At the time, Aussie Hair Care was running a hashtag campaign called #CurlMagic, and it just so happened that I had released a song called Curls. 

With my naturally curly hair, it ended up being the perfect partnership. They reached out, and we teamed up; it all lined up so well. I posted a video, and like with any viral moment, it just took off. Suddenly, everyone was using the song, and it started gaining insane traction online.

From that point on, social media really became the driving force behind the growth of my career. In 2020, my TikTok blew up: every video I posted seemed to hit millions of views. One of the standout things I did was a series called Hit That Note, where my friend would play a really challenging vocal moment in the car, and I’d try to sing it. People absolutely loved it – it became a kind of mini-series that connected with a lot of viewers.

So yeah, that song and everything that followed from it was the spark that started everything. It was amazing to see how much momentum it created and how it helped shape where my career is today.

Since then, have you felt pressure to keep up that viral momentum?

I think once you start going viral – or even just have a few videos take off – you naturally find yourself chasing that next big moment. But the funniest part is, it's always the videos I least expect that end up blowing up.

For example, there’s this one TikTok sound of mine – you might have heard it. It’s a Christmas clip from 2020 where All I Want for Christmas Is You starts playing, and I say, “Guys, I’m not gonna sing that. I’m not gonna do it.” And then, of course, I start singing it. 

It was super simple, but it took off overnight – it got around 11 million views. And every Christmas since then, people are still using that sound. It's wild.

After moments like that, it can feel like there’s pressure to keep going viral, to live up to what you’ve done before. But over time, I’ve really let go of that mindset. Now, I just post what I want to post. If it goes viral, amazing. If it doesn’t, that’s totally fine too. For me, social media has become a platform simply to share my art with the world, not something I measure my worth or success by anymore.

Mentioning Christmas in the summer feels wrong…

What a lot of people don’t realise is that right now, in the middle of summer, is actually when most artists are working on their Christmas albums. So yes, I’m currently in full-on Christmas mode, even though it’s July! 

We write and record holiday music way ahead of time so everything’s ready to go for December. It always surprises people, but that’s just how early the process starts. While everyone else is at the beach, I’m over here thinking about snow, sleigh bells, and festive lyrics.

Your new EP, Letting Go saw you working on it for a year, and during that time you made 80 songs. How did you whittle those down to five tracks?

It was definitely a lot of songs. I created many of them in London, which was really cool. I had a team over there that I was working with, and the whole process felt really inspiring. I think a lot of artists will write around 10 songs and then choose maybe five for a project. 

But for me, I was still in the process of finding my sound, so I ended up writing a lot more. I wanted to select the songs that I genuinely connected with the most.

When you're going into the studio every day, of course, you hope to feel inspired and creative, but the reality is, some days you make songs that just don’t work, and that’s okay. Other days, you’ll create something amazing. It’s all trial and error, and I really tried to give myself space to explore without pressure.

I wasn’t walking in thinking, “This has to be a hit”. Instead, I focused on making music that felt honest to where I am in my life and journey. In the end, I chose the most authentic songs, not necessarily the ones that screamed “hit single,” but the ones I felt a deep emotional connection to. When I’m out on tour, I want to be able to really feel the songs I’m singing – not just perform something because it’s catchy.

You’ve said that Letting Go was written at a time when you thought your life was over. You’ve been open about the fact that you were struggling with depression and anxiety; how did you get past this period of struggle, to have the energy and inspiration to want to write this many songs?

My faith is a huge part of my life. Honestly, God truly saved me during that season because I was in such a difficult place mentally, and He was the only one who really brought me out of it. I think a lot of the time, we look to the world for answers, for something to satisfy us or pull us out of depression and anxiety, but I believe that real healing has to come from something greater. For me, that’s God.

When I started spending time in prayer and really deepening my relationship with Him, things slowly began to change. That heaviness started to lift. It doesn’t mean I never struggle – I still have to walk through hard days and continue surrendering those things to Him – but my faith was what truly carried me through those dark seasons.

Another big part of that journey was surrendering my career. I stopped trying to force things. I’ve learned that when you try to control everything, it rarely works out the way you hope. So I let go – really let go – and that’s actually why I named the EP Letting Go.

I know the phrase “let go and let God” is a bit of a cliché, but that’s exactly what I did. I stopped gripping so tightly and allowed the story of my life to unfold naturally. It’s so easy to want to control every outcome, but I’ve found that when you truly surrender, things start to fall into place in ways you never could have orchestrated on your own.

Speaking of which, You Won't is your first song about your faith. What prompted you to delve into this aspect of your life?

I grew up in a small town where having a relationship with God was something that was always talked about; it was just a part of the culture. But it wasn’t until I moved to Los Angeles that I really began to understand what that relationship meant on a personal level.

When I got to L.A. and started "gaining the world" – meaning success, money, opportunities, attention – I realised pretty quickly that none of it truly satisfied me. No matter how much I achieved or how exciting things seemed on the surface, it always left me feeling empty in the end. Maybe it felt good for a moment, but that feeling never lasted.

That emptiness made me start asking deeper questions – like, “What is all this for? Why am I here? What’s the point of chasing all of this if it doesn’t actually fulfil me?” I came to believe there had to be something more, something bigger than just fame or success or even talent.

There’s a book that completely changed my perspective called The Purpose Driven Life. I recommend it to everyone I meet, because it helped me understand the deeper meaning behind why we’re here, what life is really about. I know it can sound strange to people who’ve never explored a relationship with God. They might say, “How do you talk to God? Aren’t you just talking to the air?” But for me, once I actually started talking to Him, everything changed.

I’m not exaggerating, my life genuinely started to shift. Internally, I changed. The depression and anxiety began to lift. The constant drive to chase after things that don’t really matter started to fade. And instead, I found peace, hope, and the kind of love I’d been searching for in all the wrong places, through people, relationships, and validation.

It was a love that only God could give me – something supernatural that’s really hard to explain unless you’ve experienced it yourself. That’s why I’m so passionate about it, and why I write about it in my music. It’s not just a belief, it’s something that transformed me.

And honestly, it’s like anything else in life that changes you – when you go to a restaurant and have the best meal of your life, you can’t wait to tell your friends, “You have to try this, it’s amazing”. That’s exactly how I feel about my relationship with God. It changed everything, and I just want other people to know that kind of love and freedom is possible too.

What can fans expect from your upcoming full-length album?

It won’t be coming out in 2025; it will probably be at the start of next year. I’m just adding another great batch of songs to what I already have, and I love all the music I’m creating. I’m really excited for everyone to hear it. Hopefully, I’ll get to go on tour and do all that, and maybe even make it to London.

In the context of feeling ready to write songs about your faith and expressing yourself through music, what does the phrase Play out Loud mean to you?

I love that phrase because, to me, it means fully being yourself and expressing who you truly are. I think that’s been the biggest part of my journey, really figuring out who I am, what I want to say through my music, and also encouraging others to be free to share their own life experiences too.

I find a lot of inspiration in other people’s stories, so to me, it means fully expressing yourself without holding back. It’s like being a kid again. Even in my song Spin, I sing about using my senses like I did when I was a child. It’s all about reconnecting with that pure spirit, being genuine, and simply being who you really are. That was the very first thing I thought of when you mentioned that phrase, just being yourself.

Away from music, what do you like to do?

When I wasn’t living in Tennessee, I was a big surfer. I absolutely love surfing. Living in L.A. made that easy, but it’s been really hard not having the ocean here in Tennessee. I’m into anything active, though, and I’m definitely a nature girl. I love camping, being outdoors, and if I’m not outside, I’ll find a way to get outside.

Maybe people don’t know this, but my close friends do: I love salsa dancing. I go salsa dancing almost every week and work with some of the best salsa dancers. It literally revitalises my soul to go dancing. I also love bachata and a lot of swing dancing, which is popular here in Nashville. My boyfriend and I love to swing dance together. He’s an amazing dancer. I just love anything to do with dance, but especially salsa.

I have a dance partner named Juan who’s about 80 years old. We recently posted a viral video of us dancing together, which is hilarious because he’s full of personality. He only speaks Spanish, and I speak enough to get by, but I’m not fluent, so we have a bit of a language barrier, but definitely no dancing barrier!