Madisyn Gifford Opens Up About Heartbreak with First-Ever Song “Without You” (Listen) | Celeb Secrets

The budding songstress sits down with Celeb Secrets to talk about her debut single, who inspires her musically, and her upcoming EP.

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Choosing a debut single is never easy, but 20-year-old Madisyn Gifford seemed to have made the right decision with the release of her first-ever original song “Without You.”

Turning to the topic of heartbreak and loss for the piano-driven ballad, Gifford penned the track when she was seventeen and going through a few different kinds of lows all at the same time. Starting with just a simple key arrangement, “Without You” builds as the song plays, showcasing the 20-year-old’s powerful vocals that will take her very far in years to come.

“To me it only felt appropriate for it to be my debut to the world because the song itself represents my own debut into my love of music,” Gifford tells Celeb Secrets. “It still applies to me today because every time that I listen to it the song takes on different meanings for me.”

Celeb Secrets sits down (virtually) with Madisyn to talk about her journey that led to her musical debut, who influences her as an artist, and plans for her first-ever EP that’s coming out next year. Take a read at the full Q&A below and let us know if you’re loving “Without You” by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sending us a tweet at @celebsecrets.

Just in time for the holidays, Madisyn released her own beautiful rendition of “Christmas Dreaming” which you can listen to here. It’s the perfect cover to listen to while sitting on your couch with a cup of hot cocoa while taking in the beautiful weather of the season — whether it be snowfall or sunshine.

You can keep up with Madisyn by giving her a follow on Instagram at @madisyngifford.

Celeb Secrets: Congrats on the release of your debut single “Without You.” Were there any nerves going into releasing your first song ever?

Madisyn Gifford: “Thank you so much, that means a lot! And yes I definitely was a bundle of nerves leading up to the release of my first single. Mostly because the song is one that is so near and dear to my heart and I really wanted people to like it! Mostly I was excited though because it’s a song that I’ve been holding on to for a few years now so I was ready for it to be out in the world.”

CS: For people that haven’t heard the song yet, what can you tell us about it? 

MG: “For those who haven’t yet heard it, ‘Without You’ is a mostly piano based track that is pretty centered around the lyrics. It explores themes of heartbreak, loss, and moving on. For me I always feel like it represents the beginning of something, those first few steps on the road to moving on.

CS: Can you talk to us about the creative process behind making the song? 

MG: “The creative process of writing the song was a really free flowing one. It came to me at a moment where I was feeling a lot of things all at once so I picked up my guitar and put all those feelings on to paper. I think I wrote it in about 10 minutes, it was really quite cathartic for me.”

CS: We know that you are now 20, but wrote the song when you were 17. What made you want this to be your debut single, and how does it still apply to you today? 

MG: “Although I’m 20 now and I wrote the song three years ago it is still one that I hold really close to my heart. It was only the second song I had ever written at the time and through writing it I think I really discovered my love of songwriting. To me it only felt appropriate for it to be my debut to the world because the song itself represents my own debut into my love of music. It still applies to me today because every time that I listen to it the song takes on different meanings for me. As humans we are in constant cycles of welcoming new things into our lives and letting go of old things. That is a theme I’m always able to relate to even if it isn’t necessarily the exact situation I was writing about 3 years ago.”

CS: What first initially sparked an interest for you to pursue music professionally? 

MG: “What initially sparked my desire to pursue a professional career in music was a combination of a lot of things I think. I made the decision to not go to school and pursue music instead when I was seventeen only a few months after writing this song. I think I had just come to the realization that I was never going to love anything as much as I love singing and sharing my words with people and if I never gave it a shot I knew that I would always regret it. I was definitely taking a riskier path than the traditional university route I had previously been planning on but I knew it was what I had to do.”

CS: Who are some artists that inspire your music? 

MG: “There are so many artists that inspire my music I couldn’t even name them all of I wanted to. I have been obsessed with listening to as much music by as many different people as I could for as long as I can remember. Some of the main artists that inspired my love of music in my younger years though are Ani Difranco, Norah Jones, Sarah McLaughlin, and Stevie Nicks. I was always so enamored by there abilities to put their feelings and words into song and wanted that so badly for myself.”

CS: Is there more music on the way? If so, what can you tell us about what’s to come? 

MG: “There is more music on the way yes! We are currently working on the release of my debut EP ‘Learning to Exist’ that will be coming out in early 2021. It features 7 songs that have been written over a period of the last three years and I’m very excited about the music and being able to share it.”

CS: Is it similar to “Without You?” 

MG: “I would say there’s one or two songs on the EP with a similar feeling to without you, yes. But throughout the project I was exploring a lot of different sounds and styles through my music and I think sonically that really shows. Hence the name being ‘Learning to Exist;’ I think I really found my footing and my sound through the creation of this EP!”

CS: Since we’re Celeb Secrets, can you share a secret or fun fact about yourself that both our readers and your fans wouldn’t know about you? 

MG: “Hmmm… a secret that the public may not know about me is that I am extremely clumsy. Like clumsy to the point where it’s really embarrassing because I’m constantly running into things and tripping over my own feet. Luckily it’s gotten a bit better as I’ve gotten older but it’s still something my close friends and I are always joking about.”