We had the good fortune of connecting with Maddison Haan and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Maddison, why did you pursue a creative career?
From a young age I’ve always felt deeply connected to music and the way stories are told through songs. I started learning piano at age 6 and something clicked in me then when I began to figure out the language of music. It was as though I had been given a way to better understand who I was and how the world around me worked. Since music has always been such a strong foundation in my life, I never questioned whether or not I should pursue it as a career. It’s always been an emphatic “yes!”.

And the older I get, I’ve realized how extremely important it is share my life story as it unfolds. My ultimate hope is that the music I write might allow for someone else to feel seen and heard. If they’re able to understand themselves better and experience hope and freedom, then I’m doing my job.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
As mentioned before, I’ve been studying music from a young age and have been building my path as a composer and songwriter ever since. I got my degree in composing and arranging and, aside from some random jobs to get through the worst of Covid, I’ve mostly had job positions in the music or entertainment industry. Though it’s been a fairly straightforward path to get where I am professionally, my personal life has had plenty of twists and turns that have deeply impacted how I approach my creativity.

One of the biggest trials I experienced was when I was 19 years old. My older sister had suddenly become very sick and had to have emergency brain surgery in order to survive. As she’s my only sibling, I was faced with questions like “am I going to be an only child for the rest of my life?”, “If she does live, how will recovery go?”, “Will our family ever heal from such a life-altering season?” During this time, full of questions and fears, I wrote music and poetry. It was the only way I could process the situation, my emotions, and thoughts in a way that felt safe.

Thankfully, over a long period of time, she recovered from the illness and I began my own healing from one of the most challenging periods of my life. As time has gone on, I’ve continued to write music, songs, and poetry about the ripple effects of facing life or death of a loved one, trauma, and navigating life when it takes you “off course”. It hasn’t been easy by any means, but I’ve learned something incredibly valuable that I didn’t know before – everybody has their own story. Through pain, strife, love, triumphs – we all go through it – and with that, my desire to share who I am through music has only heightened. Ultimately, I’d hope that anyone who listens to what I write could feel a sense of belonging and that their story is important, too.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Something I really appreciate about Los Angeles is the access to pretty much any kind of adventure you’d want. If I had a friend come in for a trip it’s so hard to try narrowing down the list of what I’d want to show them!

For starters, I’m a huge coffee nerd. So I’d definitely recommend starting the day with a pastry and americano or oat latte at Maru Coffee or Laidrey. From there, you can never go wrong with a hike up to Griffith Observatory or a walk along Manhattan Beach! For an evening out, I’d recommend cocktails at Bar Lis and late night jazz at The Baked Potato!

For bakeries and markets I really like Gjusta in Venice or Sight Glass in Hollywood. There are also some really fun things to explore at Los Feliz Flea and Silver Lake Farmers Market.

And these are just to name a few…. the list goes on… and on.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’ve had the privilege of working at Cinesamples, inc. for about a year now and I owe so much of my growth and opportunities to the team. I haven’t ever worked with such encouraging and supportive people in my life and feel deeply fortunate to know them and to further our company mission together. A lot of what I’ve learned about leadership, teamwork, creativity, and ingenuity has been because of the individuals there and who we are together.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maddisonhaan.music/

Image Credits
Amanda Muse, Steve Goldshein, Mickenzie Haan

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