Beneath the upbeat rhythm of her latest single, the New York singer-songwriter explores the difference between falling in love with someone and falling in love with the idea of them.
We all have a tendency to fill in the blanks when it comes to people we care about. We imagine how things might be, overlook the details that don’t quite fit and sometimes become so attached to the possibility of a relationship that we struggle to see what is actually in front of us. It is an interesting subject for a pop song, and one that New York-based singer-songwriter Zoey Madison takes on with considerable personality in her latest single “Picture Perfect”.
There is no slow, sorrowful introduction or attempt to turn romantic disappointment into an overly dramatic affair. “Picture Perfect” arrives with an infectious rhythmic energy, immediately establishing a pop sensibility that makes you want to turn up the volume. It is only as the song unfolds that the more complicated story begins to emerge.
The title itself gives us a clue. We tend to associate the phrase picture perfect with something desirable, something that has all the right ingredients and appears to have fallen neatly into place. But Madison is interested in the difference between appearances and reality. Her song is about the expectations we build around another person, and the rather uncomfortable moment when those expectations begin to crumble.
The most revealing moment arrives in the bridge, where she sings, “I was holding on to a world that was made up in my mind.” It is a great line because it turns the focus inward. This isn’t simply a song about someone failing to live up to expectations; it is also about recognising how much of the fantasy we may have created ourselves. That is a more interesting place to take a relationship song, and it gives Picture Perfect an emotional dimension that sits nicely beneath its bright musical exterior.
Madison’s vocals are another reason the track holds your attention. She possesses a four octave range and an extended whistle register, and she certainly knows how to use them. There are softer passages followed by bigger, more expansive moments where her voice takes centre stage. The bridge is particularly effective, giving her room to move through the different textures of her voice while keeping the song’s momentum intact.
Madison has spoken about enjoying the recording process so much that she could have continued adding harmonies and layers long after the song was finished. Listening to the finished track, that makes perfect sense. The additional vocals give the arrangement its own character, and there is a sense that she has enjoyed exploring just how much she can bring to the recording.
Produced by Matt Chiaravalle and co-written by Madison, Chiaravalle and Lauren Salvo, “Picture Perfect” follows the piano-led “Love Like You”, demonstrating that Madison is not interested in staying within one particular musical setting. Where that earlier release allowed her to explore a more expansive ballad arrangement, this single gives her a livelier backdrop and a different way of telling a story.
Her musical influences include Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, Judy Garland and Ariana Grande, and there are clear traces of that appreciation for expressive, technically ambitious vocal performances in her work. Yet Madison’s growing identity as a songwriter comes from the subjects she chooses to explore and the way she approaches them. She is interested in the messy, contradictory parts of relationships, the things we tell ourselves and the moments when we finally see a situation differently.
With three tracks from her debut EP, Electric, already receiving recognition in international songwriting competitions, Madison has been steadily building a catalogue that gives listeners different sides of her personality.
“Picture Perfect” is an enjoyable addition to that catalogue. It has the rhythmic appeal of a good pop single, vocals that give plenty of personality and a story that becomes more interesting the closer you listen.
Keep up with everything Zoey Madison on her Website
