PIEN HUANG, HOST:
And finally today, new music from Madison McFerrin. She comes from a family of singers, including her father, Bobby McFerrin, but she says her new album, "Scorpio," is about coming into her own voice. Madison McFerrin wrote the album as her engagement to a longtime partner fell apart. The opening track, "Heartbreak," sets the stage for her story.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HEARTBREAK")
MADISON MCFERRIN: (Singing) Looks like we are headed for a heartbreak. Oh, I hope it wasn't all a mistake.
I wrote "Heartbreak" on the piano, and as soon as I started putting it together, I knew that I wanted to transpose those piano chords into vocals.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HEARTBREAK")
MCFERRIN: (Singing) About to say, looks like we are headed for a heartbreak.
It's more than just an opener. It's also kind of a Madison McFerrin, all-encompassing song 'cause it starts vocals, a cappella, and really moves into this bigger, broader sound, which I feel like really embodies the musical journey that I've been on from 2016 to now.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "HEARTBREAK")
MCFERRIN: (Singing) To say, looks like we are headed for a heartbreak. Looks like we are headed for a heartbreak.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "AIN'T IT NICE")
MCFERRIN: (Singing) Is it hard to keep me out your thoughts? Distracting from your plots. You can't afford to spend the time.
I made "Ain't It Nice" with jazz phenom Julius Rodriguez and his co-producer Maddi St. John. And it was kind of created instantly. They played this beat for me, and I wrote the song in, like, 30 minutes.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "AIN'T IT NICE")
MCFERRIN: (Singing) Ain't it nice? Ain't it nice? Ain't it nice? What's it like...
I just want people to dance at my shows. I want people to have a good time, and this definitely embodies that. I definitely see my voice on "Scorpio" as another instrument. I very intentionally, this time around, wanted to build layers with my voice that could not be separated from the instrumentation. This song isn't anything without these vocal layers. And I think that they just add a beautiful element to the soundscape.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "RUN IT BACK")
MCFERRIN: (Singing) Do you miss the sass just a little? Thinking about your hands upon my waist. We could run it back, noncommittal. We shouldn't let this go to waste.
When I wrote "Run It Back," I always knew that I wanted it to be minimal because I was just playing it on the piano myself and was enjoying hearing it that way with just me and just the piano. And it felt like that's really all it needed. On top of that, I feel like this is one of those songs where I really get to shine vocally.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "RUN IT BACK")
MCFERRIN: (Vocalizing). (Singing) What you got going on?
I wrote my debut album during the height of the pandemic, so collaborating with other people was not possible. And I'm grateful for that moment because that moment is also what allowed me the time and space to learn how to produce. So then I got to enter this record with more knowledge, more confidence and knowing what I wanted and what I wanted things to sound like.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "RUN IT BACK")
MCFERRIN: (Singing) Now you got me wondering. Never mind. Call you on the phone. Tell you I'm alone. What you got going on?
I used to feel a lot of pressure coming from the lineage that I come from. But that was when I didn't know who I was. I come from a legacy of really incredible musicians, really incredible vocalists, in particular. And I am here to just carry on that legacy. And it's not about pressure. It's about honoring where I come from and owning that and feeling grateful for it. And I feel incredibly honored to continue the McFerrin legacy.
HUANG: That was Madison McFerrin. Her album "Scorpio" is out now.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "RUN IT BACK")
MCFERRIN: (Vocalizing). (Singing) What you got going on? Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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