Savannah Maddison: How Country Encourages Our Country's Finest
Florida-born, Nashville based singer-songwriter, author, and philanthropist Savannah Maddison takes on Country through the lens of the modern adolescent. The 19 year old country artists explores themes of love and relationships centered in contemporary youth experiences.
Savannah's prowess includes her writing endeavors, one of which is her book entitled “Sincerely: YOU, Letter Writing to Change the World,” which tells the story of her organization’s roots and encourages youth to start their own movements and service projects. Additionally, Savannah founded “Savannah’s Soldiers", an organization that sent over 350,000 letters of encouragement to soldiers deployed globally from students across the country. Please read our exclusive interview to learn more about Savannah.
Where are you based?
I am originally from from Florida, but I have lived in Nashville, Tennessee for over two years now!
As a country-pop artist based in Nashville, a city predominantly known for its influence and legacy within the country music genre, and home to the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, how much of an influence does Nashville play in developing your sound? What is it like being a new artist in Nashville?
I love living here! When I was ten, I visited Nashville for the first time and fell in love with the city. There was something so magical about driving down Broadway and listening to the country music coming from every window. Being from South Florida definitely influences the pop sound of my music, but I love the Nashville blend of acoustic instruments and story telling in country. I am also constantly surrounded by the best musicians and songwriters in the world, so I’m always getting to improve!
Can you talk about your first memorable introduction to music? Growing up, what, if any, forms of music were played around your house? What artist / genres did your parents, friends, etc. enjoy?
One of my earliest memories is driving down the road in Tallahassee and listening to “It’s Five O’clock Somewhere”, by Alan Jackson, with my dad. My parents both loved country so I was always listening to their music. I also grew up listening to Taylor Swift, and I loved her country pop sound. Now, some of my biggest influences are acoustic pop and country artists like Kelsea Ballerini, Ed Sheeran, Shawn Mendes, and Sabrina Carpenter.
How did you develop your musical taste and sound? Who were some of your influences?
I am so thankful and overwhelmed by the response to my most recent release! During a recent trip to LA, I had a writing session scheduled with Andrew Lane. The night before the session, he sent me the track we’d be writing to, for inspiration, and I was so excited about the music that I decided to get started early. I had the entire song done in 20 minutes. I loved the concept of a whirlwind relationship and falling in love quickly, and I came up with the “catch me if you can” hook to encompass the feeling of falling for someone fast and hoping that they feel the same way. When I showed Andrew, he loved it! We recorded it quickly and had the song done in about three hours. It’s definitely my favorite release so far.
Jejune loves that you are a published author of a Penguin Random House Publishing book entitled “Sincerely: YOU, Letter Writing to Change the World.” Can you tell us the story behind your book? What motivated you to write it?
Founding my organization at such a young age has given me the really unique opportunity to share my story across the country for over one million kids. In visiting so many schools and venues, I had always wanted to be able to leave something behind. The book has been the perfect way to do that. I loved putting all of my lessons and experiences together in one place!
You founded “Savannah’s Soldiers", an organization that sent over 350,000 letters of encouragement to soldiers deployed globally from students across the country. What prompted your decision to create this organization? Why are you dedicated to this cause?
Savannah’s Soldiers started as, and continues to be, a letter writing campaign. We collect letters from kids and adults all across America and send them to hundreds of units of brave men and woman until they all come home. We have grown to also include curriculum based education programing that positively impacts America's youth through Arts and Education. I love being able to educate others on what our military does and how we can support them.
It is important that we support all military men and women and honor the sacrifice that they willingly surrender for our daily liberties. However, it is equally important that the immediate family they leave behind have a readily available support system. From your first hand experience with your best friend and her Afghanistan veteran father, what advice do you have for people who express solidarity with the family of veterans?For each service member who is deployed, there are also affected spouses, children, parents and other loved ones at home. It’s so important to be there for families with a deployed family member. Watching my best friend’s family experience her father’s deployment was difficult, and I know that I wanted to do something to help make that year easier for them. If you know a military family that has a deployed member, check on them often to find ways to support them personally.
COVID-19 has created a new set of heroes and frontline men and women across the world. Have you thought about expanding your organization to include letter writing to these heroes?
I am so appreciative of the incredible frontline workers that are facing the pandemic head on. I’ve loved highlighting a few that I know personally on my social media pages and will continue to support them with encouragement and appreciation.
How are you staying positive during shelter in place?
I’ve been staying super busy creating music and social media content! I think it’s also really important for influencers to focus on spreading positivity through social media. I know that we are all experiencing an unpredictable phase in our own lives, so I’ve definitely been trying to use my platform to stay connected to others that may be struggling, and give them encouragement throughout the shelter in place.
What is your motto in life?
I strongly believe that every person has the power to make a difference. I try to live by this and encourage others to also!
To learn more about Savannah Maddison please follow her via the following platforms:
Instagram: @savannahmaddison
