On a Thursday afternoon, Madison Beer is taking a break from a photo shoot in downtown Hollywood. “It’s the least glamorous place in the world,” she sighs. Given her 11 million Instagram followers and the constant barrage of paparazzi headlines (“Madison Beer Flaunts Her Legs!” and “Madison Beer Bares Her Midriff!”), you’d think Beer was a model, bored by routine photo shoots.
But Beer is a singer who’s been working her Fendi-clad butt off. She moved to California — her family stayed in New York — at age 13 to pursue a singing career after Justin Bieber posted a video of her singing on Twitter. The pop star helped get her signed to Island Records, his label at the time. After parting ways with Island in 2015, Beer independently released her debut EP “As She Pleases” in February through Access Records. The seven-track release mixes acoustic pop with R&B. It’s a raised middle finger to the labels who thought the 19-year-old couldn’t release her own music, the boys who think she’s coming home with them, mean girls. The EP’s single “Home With You,” currently sits at No. 27 on Billboard’s Top 40 charts, and her 30-city international “As She Pleases” tour sold out. We caught up with Beer, who has attended Lollapalooza, before she makes her debut at the festival.
Q: How do you feel about returning to Lollapalooza as a performer instead of an attendee?
A: I love festivals. I’ve been lucky enough to go to Lolla twice, and perform with Mako on the Lolla stage during their set in 2015 (for their song, “I Won’t Let You Walk Away”). But I’m still nervous! Having my own set time is great, it’s a cool switch. As someone who attends a lot of festivals, I think I can relate to festivalgoers and give them the energy they want during the set.
Q: The songs on “As She Pleases” are more intimate — and the tracklist is pretty short — so how will you scale up your show for Lollapalooza?
A: People can expect a few covers and old singles, similar to my tour shows. Except, very unlike my headlining tour, I know not everyone in the crowd is going to be my fan, so I hope I attract those people, too. But I’m not going to change much from my tour show, just spice it up, maybe with some new covers — I’d never compromise myself or my music just to please a crowd.
Q: As a musician, how do you feel when news coverage just focuses on your appearance, or your outfits?
A: It’s … kind of aggravating when I wear a shirt that shows some cleavage and it becomes a news story; meanwhile, guys walk down the street with no shirt on, and no one says anything. Paparazzi will be like “Look! She just turned 18 and she’s already acting like this!” It’s like, give me a break! I have more to offer than my face and boobs. If something happened to my face, I hope people would have the same love and respect for me otherwise.
Q: How has your social media following helped your career? Do the thousands of fan accounts ever feel overwhelming? Do you feel pressure to project a certain image on Instagram, Twitter for your fans?
A: No, the only reason I’m able to be successful independently is because of my fan base and how supportive of me they are. “Home With You” is 27 on the Billboard charts, like it’s crazy! I’m just grateful people are recognizing that I’m doing this independently. Times have changed in the industry. With social media, you can do it on your own, how you please. With image … I wanna be a role model, I’m not out here posting a– shots. On my stories and live streams, I try not to wear makeup or look like a million bucks, but just be genuine and act goofy. I don’t want people to think beauty is everything, but that you should have a good heart and be a good person too.
Q: So what’s next for you after Lollapalooza, when you finally catch a break from touring?
A: Straight to the studio. I’m working on my next album already, I’ve been sporadically at studio sessions near my house (in Beverly Hills). Music is my escape from it all, it’s where I’m most comfortable … happy.
When: 6:50 p.m. Thursday
Where: BMI Stage at Lollapalooza, Grant Park, 337 E. Randolph St., Chicago
Tickets: $157 for a single-day ticket; www.lollapalooza.com/tickets/
