Madison Beer has spent the better part of the past decade quietly – and then not so quietly – reshaping her narrative.
Entering the public eye as a viral discovery in her early teens, the New York-born artist has grown into a fully realised songwriter and pop star, steadily earning her place beyond the internet-origin story that once defined her. With each release, Beer has leaned further into emotional clarity and creative control, carving out a space that balances glossy pop precision with diaristic vulnerability.
That evolution came into sharp focus on 2023’s Silence Between Songs, an album that marked a turning point in both sound and self-assurance. Now, Beer is ready to turn the page again with her third album Locket – a project she describes as a time capsule of who she is right now.
Written and completed in the wake of touring, the album captures a sense of momentum and freedom, shaped by lived experience rather than expectation. Early singles “yes baby” and “bittersweet” hinted at that duality; the tracks are playful and sexy on one hand, emotionally reflective on the other.
We caught up with the pop star to talk timing, creative evolution, and what this new era means for the artist she’s become.
Rolling Stone AU/NZ: Locket comes three years after Silence Between Songs. What made now feel like the right moment to release this record, was there something you were waiting for or working toward?
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Madison Beer: No, not really. I think I just finished tour and I was just really ready to jump back in. And, you know, it takes a long time once you finish an album, you don’t usually just release it. There’s a lot of prepping that goes in, picking the singles, shooting the cover art, getting vinyls printed takes months. It’s kind of a long process. So I kind of knew I had to get off of tour and hit the ground running if I wanted an album out. My goal was actually this past Summer, but I knew that if I wanted something out by 2026, I would have to get moving on it.
What can fans expect in terms of sound or themes, compared to your previous releases?
I think that it feels more evolved. It feels very true to where I’m at now. I mean, all of my albums, I feel like have been very different and are all really good for that time that I’m in. And that’s how this feels. It feels like a really great little time capsule of where I was at when I made it, and I’m excited for people to hear it. I think it feels different than anything I’ve ever done.
Fans got a good taste with “yes baby” and “bittersweet”, they’re beautiful songs. If we can focus on “yes baby” – it’s quite a sexy, playful, fun song… What unlocked that side of your creativity?
I think that coming off of like tour, seeing how much fun “make you mine” was to perform, I really wanted to release something else. I knew something that was tethered to the new album that was still dance, but I also knew that I didn’t want the whole album to be like that because I don’t feel like that’s very true to me. But yeah, it was fun making another sort of version of that and “yes baby” just feels fun and sexy and I’m really excited to see how it performs on the road.
You’ve mentioned the video transformed the song for you, added new energy… Can you tell me more about that? How did the visuals shape the song?
So the lyrics, as you know, are sexual, “I just want to hear you say yes baby“, I feel like that was a sexy lyric, right? But then with the music it took a different tone because it’s kind of like encouraging other girls and being like, ‘Yes baby!’, like it’s a totally different way to say it. And I think that was really fun and really cool.
I worked with some of the most amazing dancers I’ve ever seen in my life that blew me away. So it was a really fun, awesome experience. I mean, even the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, I feel like changed the meaning of it, like it didn’t feel sexual to me, it felt bossy and hot.
What’s the fan reaction been like, to those singles?
It’s been great. People definitely have responded really well to “bittersweet”. It’s such a great mix of hopeful lyrics that feel happy, or I guess the lyrics are sad but the production is hopeful, and I think that’s really cool and people are into it thankfully and that feels good.
You’ve been writing and producing your own music for years now. How has your approach to songwriting or producing evolved since your debut at just 13 years of age?
I feel like growing up, obviously it all changes and starts to evolve because you just get older. But I also think that, for me, I’ve just really come to a place where I want to make stuff that I feel really proud of. And the music that I’m leaving in the world, I want it to be stuff that I feel good about. That’s been my biggest thing is just, how can I create stuff that regardless of the pressure of what I think people want to hear from me, what do I want to hear from me and what do I feel like is going to feel good? So that’s been very fun and very cool.
Your lyrics are often described as diary-like, deeply personal. But you’re also extremely online and have written a memoir at 25. Is it tricky to decide what you do share, and what you don’t?
No, I wouldn’t say it’s tricky. It definitely is a decision though, and it’s a conscious decision that I think of. There’s a lot that I have out there and that people know about me, and there’s a lot of stuff that I keep private and that’s just for me. I don’t feel like it’s something that I struggle with or something that I have to really think about, it feels like something that just kind of happens.
I think that there can be a line that I think you tow – wanting to be vulnerable, wanting to be honest, especially in the music, but then also wanting to maintain a sense of privacy in my own life. So it’s been definitely an interesting journey to figure out what to say and what not to say, but I’ve gone to a place where I feel good about it and I don’t feel guilty anymore. There was a time where I kind of was like, ‘Oh, I should say more and do more’. And now I’m kind of like, ‘No, it’s no one’s business’.
You’ve built a really devoted following in Australia. Have you noticed anything distinct about how Australian audiences connect with your music compared to the US?
I definitely felt a lot of energy when I went on tour in Australia, I can tell you that it felt so warm and welcoming and everyone was so sweet. I had an amazing experience and that was my first time being there. So I felt nothing but positively, but I don’t know. It was just a really fun time and my Australian fans are definitely fired up, which is really cool and exciting to see.
@madisonbeersydney thank you so much forever♬ original sound – ╰( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°☆*:・ﾟ𝑬𝒎𝒐𝒍𝒚
Is there a specific moment from that tour that you recall, the best memory, you can share?
I think it was in Sydney, I filmed a TikTok on stage because I think that was the last show, forgive me if it wasn’t, but I recorded it and it was so fun and everyone loved it. Whereas I guess sometimes I would think I would be judged for doing that, but they made me feel really welcomed.
Looping back to Locket to finish up, what’s one thing you hope people take away from the album?
You know, I don’t think I have something specific I hope they take away. I hope they just enjoy it, I hope they really just love it. I hope it connects with them and resonates with them. I hope it’s something they can listen to and have fun and vibe out to.
How do you plan on celebrating it… A Locket tour, another trip to Australia maybe?
Definitely all being decided. I currently don’t know, it’s something that is still being sorted out, but 100% that is something I want to do for sure. It’s being discussed!
Madison Beer’s Locket is out now.
