Madeline The Person Releases “MEAN!”
Written by: Julia Jade
Rising alt-pop star Madeline The Person, fresh off her North American tour with The Aces, has been teasing her fans with tidbits from her empowering song “MEAN!”- which will be featured on her upcoming EP, Chapter 3: The Burning. The songstress has garnered the attention of artists such as: Ed Sheeran, Lizzo, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo… need I say more?
“MEAN!” feels like the shyer, more fragile sibling of Taylor Swift’s 2010 hit “Mean.” “MEAN!,” depicts a character who knows that the antagonist’s hurtful words are lies, but is still working through the sting of their words. The soon-to-be anthem features the lyric “one thing I like about me is that I’m nothing like you,” allowing the character (and the listener) to take back their power and find solace in taking the high road. The arrangement further surrounds you with solemn harmonies accompanied by a music video that brings back the nostalgic agony of feeling alone in a room full of people- being extremely colorful and also painfully out of place..
“MEAN!” both as a song and music video feels like closure and coming home- a reminder of where we’ve been and where we find our sense of belonging. And luckily while her fans await the release of Chapter 3: The Burning, they will have this bop to play on repeat.