INTERVIEW: Madds Buckley Illustrates the Relationship Between People and Machines
Singer-songwriter Madds Buckley explains how an early love of Warrior Cats led to the sweeping epic of her upcoming album A Simple Binary and a Complex Phrase.
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Madds Buckley honed her craft through Warrior Cats fandom – and it shows in her sweeping songwriting, soaring performances and, of course, her animated videos worthy of any anime opening sequence. But what does it mean to have such an intimate relationship with machines, and how does it impact our creativity? The RIAA Gold-certified artist seeks to understand with her upcoming album A Simple Binary and a Complex Phrase (out October 16.) Buckley's work follows her recurring characters Dog and Bird as they navigate a world – digital and organic – hostile to their personhood, and strive to prevail. In our interview, Buckley tells us more about how she kickstarted her creativity, her goals for the future, and what she hopes people will reflect upon after hearing he album.
I see that animation is very important to you and your music videos. What's your connection with illustration?
There’s so many connections I could talk about, honestly. I’ve always been a massive fan of illustration and animation! Before I was online professionally, all of my social media was just a massive art gallery; I miss those days! I was basically raised on Warrior Cats AMVs, animation memes, and fanart of my favorite series. I got my start online in anime spaces, making song covers and then original music, and even met one of my best friends when THEY made fanart of MY fansong, and now I get to work with them! I used to be one of the kids that would doodle all over homework and notes, but even if I don’t have as much time for drawing now, I still have a deep, deep love for art and its impact.
How do you feel your queer identity ties into your performance style or music?
It’s not something I think about too much honestly, because it just is, y’know? I am queer, and it’s shaped my entire life experience, which will always seep into my work. In easier ways to see, it ties into the stories I like to tell, why I prefer the “you” in my songs to be relatively gender neutral, what characters I write about as well, like Dog and Bird! I believe that anyone can listen to my music and relate their own lives to it, but it IS at its heart, queer music. In more subtle ways, it informs all the ways I interact with people, perform onstage, dress, view myself, etc. It also ties into who I perform FOR; everyone who is and was a weird little gay kid, and everyone with respect and good will in their heart :)
What would you like to say to people who are currently questioning their identities?
I think that highly depends on the person ;;^_^. In the age of the internet, it’s never been a better time to learn about what could be out there, but it’s also so easy to pigeon hole yourself, especially when you’re young and still trying to figure out who you are in every OTHER facet of life too. I would say, in general, to remember that labels are supposed to fit YOU, not the other way around. Live your life the way YOU are, and know that everyone’s experiences are different. You don’t need to box yourself in to belong here: you just need to be you!
Is there a professional “bucket list” item you would love to check off?Every time I got this question, I used to respond with “I want to play the Chicago House of Blues” just to have something there. But now that I’ve actually had touring experience under my belt, I have some bucket list items, or goals, that are more visible. I would love– LOVE to sell out a show one day. It would be a dream come true to be able to do that. Uh, besides that, have more animated music videos because I love them so dearly, but I’ve had that already lol.
What are you hoping people will appreciate about their relationship with technology after listening to A Simple Binary?
I don’t know if appreciate is the right word for how I want people to feel about this record! A lot of the album has to do with technology vs the human experience, and how that translates to/shapes your worldview. Modern technology is a fantastic tool, a miracle honestly. But it can’t replace what it means to be human. Humans are not lines of code, or memory on a hard drive. We’re malleable, fallible, and ever-changing, without an outside status update. And that’s what’s beautiful about BEING human, and why it’s so disrupting to utilize LLM’s to replace human connection. Comparing yourself to the never sleeping machine will only lead to burnout and disorder. And giving up autonomy can only lead to helplessness and ruin. I guess, I want people to re-examine their relationship with technology after listening. That’s the best I could ask for.
