Madeline Rhodes Shares “Bailing on Your Birthday” Single + Lyric Video, Debut LP ‘The Brothel’ Coming Later this Year

Madeline Rhodes is a pop singer-songwriter from the Upper West Side of NYC. After previously releasing material under the moniker MuMu, Rhodes signifies a shift towards a more vulnerable storytelling style, allowing her audience to connect with her on a deeper level by releasing new material under her given name. Today, she announces details on her long-awaited debut LP, The Brothel, arriving later this year.  Watch the Lyric Video for “Bailing on Your Birthday” HERE

Rhodes was raised by a single mother and five older sisters in a home that her family jokingly calls “The Brothel” (hence, the record’s namesake). Growing up in a home rife with mental illness and addiction, Rhodes found solace in songwriting, using music as a form of therapy and self-expression. She found a way to make sense of the chaos surrounding her through her lyrics.


“This album is about mental illness as a family disease,” Rhodes explained. “I’ve spent so much of my life masking insecurity, laughing through anger, and painting over red flags. But there came a point when I couldn’t keep up the facade. This album holds family stories of betrayal, sickness, loss, and, most of all, love. It’s brave to stand on two feet, but sometimes it’s better to fall when your foundation is cracked. This album intends to help people realize that the things they hate most about themselves are the things that made them the extraordinary people they are today. I hope this album validates the need for self-care and amplifies the cry for help.”

The first single from The Brothel, out today, is titled “Bailing on Your Birthday” (recorded with the brilliant French producer Gaspard Murphy).

“It was my best friend’s birthday, and I was having a terrible depressive episode,” Rhodes recalled on the track’s origins. “I called her after the party had already started and told her I wasn’t coming. She was pissed, and I was like, ‘It’s not always about you!!!’…on her birthday. Rude. But also kinda true? I wrote this song as an explanation for my absence at her party. I hope that when she hears it, she forgives me.”

She continued: “There are so many songs out there about going to a party, getting wasted, and having a great time. This song is about NOT going to that party, taking care of your mental health, and having a better time. Parties should be optional, not mandatory. We all have different capacities for social events. So, next time you want to cancel someone’s party, you can send them this song.”

Stay tuned for Madeline Rhodes’ debut LP, The Brothel, coming soon. Listen to “Bailing on Your Birthday,” out now via all DSPs.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW:

How would you best describe your new musical era, and how does this first single, “Bailing On Your Birthday,” introduce this idea? Is there a throughline between this new material and your previous projects under the MuMu moniker?

I would describe this new musical era as unapologetically truthful. This change has been a result of growing pains. I enjoy performing as MuMu’s character because she is self-assured, fearless, and bold. But I didn’t follow my path as an artist to hide behind a facade. These days, I’m facing my demons not because I’m brave but because I need to survive. This new sound and a new name (my given one) is an effort to acknowledge my demons so they won’t consume me.  And I think the music I’ll be putting out this year will reflect that and hopefully relay the message that being weak can actually be quite strong. 

Bailing on Your Birthday is the story of a depressive episode, dressed up with upbeat synthy glitter. 

When crafting this new material, where did you draw inspiration from? In your opinion, which influences can be read most clearly in your new output?

My inspiration for the new stuff was drawn from a lot of tears, loss, time alone, and good old-fashioned growing pains. Regarding influences, Julia Michaels, Lorde, Sarah Bareilles, and Tove Lo. 

Connect with Madeline | Socials: Website / Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / YouTube

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