As a BBC radio 2 Young Folk Award Winner in 2019, I was very excited to discover Maddie Morris’ music. Their track, Marsha P. Johnson, really drew my attention with its pretty folky style. Maddie has a new album coming out soon titled Skin – make sure you give it a go if you like what you read here!

By Jane Howkins

You are releasing a new record soon titled Skin. What can you tell us about the album?

Skin is an album that explores identity, community, joy, shame, history and liberation. The songs on it are personal, reflective and include lots of social commentary and hope for change.

How has the reception to Skin been so far, and where can it be purchased?

The reception has been really great, it’s always nice to read nice reviews, but what I feel really touched by are personal stories. I feel like I have been given some real gifts of people at gigs, people I knew growing up and people who have reached out on social media, have all spoken about how the album has held importance for them, and for me, that felt really special.

What are your favourite tracks from the album and why?

I think I’m really proud of the whole album, but there are a few that stand out. It was great to finally release the first single Marsha P Johnson, as I’ve been playing the song live for quite a few years and it was great to get to honour her on a track with so many fab musicians.

The last song we recorded for the album was the IT teacher. I think it’s one of my favourites because it was very new when we recorded it – it feels really empowering to be able to tell that story and to be supported musically to do that. I was also really excited to share Cedar Swamp. One of my criticisms throughout my career is that I write and play a lot of sad music and Cedar Swamp is kind of the opposite of that and that’s really lovely.

Your music has a folky sound. What/who were you most influenced by when making the record?

I’m really inspired by the rallying cry of second wave feminism “the personal is political“ and Skin was really influenced by this idea. When you grow up feeling different or like you don’t have representation or that you don’t know anyone like you, personal stories are so important to feel seen and heard. I think for me, hearing the lived experience of activists, my friends and people around me, really influences the music that I make. I think thats why folk music as a genre really appeals to me, because of its ability to tell the stories of every day people throughout history.

In terms of artists, I was really inspired by people like Annie, DeFranco, Anaïs Mitchell and Laura Marling.

You’ve collaborated with several LGBTIA+ organisations. Are there any particular causes you’d like to draw attention to?

I’ve been really lucky to get to work with some fantastic charities and organisation supporting LGBTQIA people. Something that I’m really trying to explore both through my music and activism work is the experiences of LGBTQ+ young people in school and education. Recently the government introduced guidelines that have the potential to be detrimental to the well-being of young, queer, trans, and non-binary people. Many of us LGBTQ+ people live with the scars of experiencing bigotry during our time in education, and there needs to be collective action from both LGBTQIA, people and allies to support safety for young queer folk.

Another issue that I’m really passionate about is advocating and supporting the experiences of disabled LGBTQIA people.
I received a commission earlier this year to compose music, thinking about the dual identities of being both LGBT and living with a disability, neuro divergence or long-term health condition. As part of this work, I had a chance to meet and speak to a group of really inspiring individuals who like me, live with the dual identity. An experience that was spoken about often during this work was that the queerness of many LGBTQIA folk, who are also disabled, is dismissed, ignored and stigmatised by professionals and peers. Because of this, disabled LGBTQIA people often feel further isolated and I feel really passionately about challenging these expectations, and also finding ways that there can be spaces that are accessible to LGBTQ plus folk who are also disabled.

Where are you based? What is the local music scene like in the area?

I’m based in Leeds, it’s a wonderful city to be a musician in, particularly as a folk musician. There’s a great scene and loads of opportunities to play and meet other people and other musicians. It’s also a great city to live in as a queer person and I find it very inspiring to live in this lovely city.

Do you have anything else exciting coming up in the next few months?

I’m on tour up until the end of March and I’m really excited to keep sharing songs and meeting lovely people. There are a few other very cool things in the pipeline that I can’t talk about just yet, but if people are interested they should keep an eye on my social media and mailing list.

Do you have any tour dates lined up for the UK?

Yes! You can find all my upcoming dates on my website. I’ll be all over the UK and there’s plans in the pipeline to get out on the road again this autumn.

Any last words for the fans?

I’m just so profoundly grateful to get this opportunity and to be supported to do what I love as a career so as always, just loads of thanks and solidarity with the lovely little community of people who listen to my stuff.