Music lovers caught a glimpse of Madison Ryann Ward during her appearance on the hit Netflix series “My Next Guest Needs No Introduction With David Letterman.”
During the episode with rap superstar Jay-Z, Ward was featured with hit producer Rick Rubin in his Malibu studio recording a song, which turned out to be her new single, “Mirror.”
In the newly released video, Ward’s intoxicating vocals strikes the inner soul, enhancing Letterman’s viewpoint on why her performance was so captivating during the show. When Letterman asks Ward about her objective in making music, she replies, “Just to be honest. And to move people in a way that they’ve never been moved before.”
Inspired by artists from many different genres, Madison Ryann Ward combines bluesy, soulful melodies with folk, rap, and gospel-influenced lyricism to create a classic sound that remains all her own. Having grown up in a creative family in Oklahoma, Ward was exposed to music at a young age, which would come to inform her distinct style. Gospel hymnal songs were her first experience with music as she listened to her mother play piano in the church choir until age eight. When she was twelve, her father opened a BBQ and blues joint where she spent her teenage summers waiting tables while the likes of Billie Holiday, Etta James and Bessie Smith bumped through the restaurant speakers.
However, music was not always the path Ward had in mind. Having played sports all her life, excelling in volleyball, basketball, golf, and track, she decided to play collegiate volleyball at Oklahoma University and planned to play professionally overseas after graduation. But when a group of athletes heard her singing Aretha Franklin’s “Chain Of Fools” in the cafeteria and posted a clip on Twitter, the video went viral after being picked up by WorldStarHipHop. The response Ward received prompted her to consider a shift towards making music professionally. Ward took songwriting trips to Nashville, eventually moving there for a year before splitting her time between the studio in New York and Los Angeles, where she signed with management followed by a label deal with legendary producer Rick Rubin. “Mirror” sets the stage for more new music from Madison Ryann Ward in 2018.