Madison McFerrin

Vocalist Madison McFerrin is a genre-bending singer/songwriter known for her understated yet emotionally open mix of a cappella, electronic pop, jazz, and soul. The daughter of acclaimed vocalist Bobby McFerrin, she issued two a cappella-based EPs before releasing 2019′s You + I, produced with her brother Taylor McFerrin.
Born in 1992 in San Francisco, McFerrin was raised in a creative family surrounded by her father’s music, as well as albums by Stevie Wonder, James Brown, Nina Simone, and others. By age five, she knew she wanted to be a singer, a talent she pursued throughout her school years while living in Minneapolis and Philadelphia. After high school, she honed her skills at Boston’s Berklee College of Music where she focused on songwriting, influenced by her love of the Beatles, Erykah Badu, and Bob Dylan. It was during this period that she formed the funk band Cosmodrome, playing bars and clubs. Following her graduation, she moved to Brooklyn, playing in the electronic duo Binary Soul and touring alongside her father. In 2016, she issued two EPs, Finding Foundations, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, both of which showcased her vocal-based, a cappella sound. That same year, a video of her singing “The Star Spangled Banner” at a Hillary Clinton event went viral, receiving much criticism. Undeterred, McFerrin returned in 2019 with her third EP, You + I, which found her collaborating with her brother, producer Taylor McFerrin and expanding her sound with varied instrumentation. Included was the song “Try,” for which she released a video that directly addressed her viral experience. ~ Matt Collar