Maddy Hicks gets candid on new EP ‘Situationships’

By: Sydney Hise

Meet Maddy Hicks, a 23-year-old Nashville-based musician writing about the typical “twentysomething” experience that we all find a little too relatable. Blending her unique sense of rhythm and rhyme, plus powerful pop melodies, Hicks has gained an immense following on TikTok with over 100k followers—a number that continues to grow. Since then, she has released several singles and a new EP titled Situationships. I had the pleasure of chatting to the singer-songwriter about her latest release, dealing with situationships, and more.

Photo: Audrey Bergeron

777 Collective: Let's talk about the first track on the EP, "Strong Woman." First off, great track; the first time I listened to it, I was like—excuse my French—”Holy shit, the song is just so powerful.” I also have to tell you that "Kinda Over It" got me through a really, really bad situation that I was in last year. So I went into this EP with really high expectations, and they were exceeded. You did a really nice job with this project. There's a dichotomy in society of being a strong woman, and presenting yourself as a strong woman to men, and to people that you are dating, and being weak also in those relationships, because you're perceived as a strong woman on the outside, right? What was the inspiration or the thought process that you had when you went into writing that song?

Maddy Hicks: I was in a situationship at the time. This was like 2021, forever ago, still one of my favorite songs I've ever written. But I was in a phase where it was constantly in my notes app, just like typing about how I felt about this situation. And something that I started typing about one night was like, I was just noticing that this person was constantly attracted to strong women and different past relationships, and current and things like that. And even just commented a lot on strong women in media and things. But as soon as there was something that questioned his power in a way, he would just write it off, and it's almost like gaslighting of like, trying to explain around how they're actually not that powerful. It was just wild to kind of realize that. I realized that I think a lot of men feel that way, that they're attracted to strong women in the first place. But ultimately, they want to be the one person that's stronger than them, which is just not the right pairing at that point. I just wanted to write about that. And I actually wrote the song in one night, because it was just a very pressing subject on my mind at the time. And it just all came out exactly how I was trying to figure it out. I'm really proud of that one. I think that it can apply to a lot of different situations, too.

That's something that happens in the music industry as well, where all of these men want to surround themselves with strong women, but then at the end of the day, they feel inferior. So I think it definitely can apply to the music industry, too, right?

MH: Yeah, I heard at one point that there was the Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson effect sort of thing, where it's really strong women lately kind of have been choosing to be with men who don't present themselves as very strong and powerful. Because at the end of the day, they don't want to go home and feel like they're still having to be on and having to be powerful. They just want to relax with somebody who feels like is on like, maybe a lower level in a way. There's just an effect of that with women in the media right now. I just thought that was interesting, too.

Your songwriting style is very communicative, it kind of feels like you're on a FaceTime call almost. What do you think shaped the way that you write or what are some of your influences?

MH: Definitely, Taylor Swift is a huge influence on me. I've been listening to her since I was little, and she's definitely shaped a lot of the way that I write. I think another big influence would be Sarah Bareilles. My mom kind of raised me on her first album. And also, I was a big theater kid growing up and when she went off and wrote Waitress, the music for Waitress the musical, that kind of also just impacted me of like, oh, I can write in a way that's kind of larger than life, that's more of like for the stage or more character based. I think, yeah, I think that I've learned to listen to a lot of very honest storytellers, and specifically female singer-songwriters. I think that that's definitely just programmed into my brain - when you're sitting down to write, just be honest and just let whatever's piling up, just come out. Because like you said, like on a FaceTime call, it's just whatever is on your brain, you need to get it out somehow. And so that's what ends up in the song.

It's interesting that you mentioned Sarah Bareillies because I definitely can see, like, "Gravity" of is one of my favorite songs of all time, and it definitely kind of mirrors some of the songs that are on this album, which is really cool. I'm going to piggyback off of the Taylor Swift thing that you just said. The bridge of “Ginsburg” is very Fearless Taylor Swift-era sounding to me. Do you have any artists that you were listening to during the creation of this EP, and that were influential on its sound?

MH: I would say certainly Taylor Swift is always just a constant influence. But in 2021, I had a really big inspirational music year where I suddenly discovered SZA's first album and also Haim's album, Women in Music Part III. I saw them live last year, and it was just mind-blowing. Even though that was a while ago, that was around the time that I first started writing some of these ideas that ended up on the EP. And I think that they've certainly shaped even just my flow. When "Kinda Over It" took off, that felt very foundational for me about, I am allowed to be wordy in my songs, and people actually like that. So, some of these artists that I've listened to, like SZA and like Taylor Swift, that kind of build on words and build on phrases in ways that are kind of outside the box. It felt very validating for me that that's a way that I could go further with it, so I think that those artists are what come to mind to me first when you asked that.

You can definitely hear the Taylor Swift influence on the entire EP, it's very good. Most of these songs have a cohesive theme of hurt, both either in the moment or after the fact. Is there a specific moment in time that the songs are about or are they clips from kind of different situations?

MH: I would say that this EP is made up of three different situationships that I was in, in the past few years. It is wild how they kind of overlap, because some of the songs ended up being about multiple people or about something that happened after I wrote it. And so it's really just snapshots. As I started collecting the songs for the project, I started realizing that the one thing they all had in common was that these were all temporary relationships, there was no settling into like a situation where you were allowed to fall in love or anything. That's where a lot of the hurt comes from, and how I kind of decided to structure the EP around this temporary situationships idea.

There's one song on this EP that's very much an outlier. "All Mine" is very different than pretty much all of the rest of those songs. Is that about a different situation than one of the three that you were in? Is that kind of like a caricature of like, maybe thoughts or ideas you've had? Or is that pulling from personal experience?

MH: I wrote that song with Gabe Simon and JT Foley. And when I came into that write, I had already decided that the EP is going to be called Situationships. I was trying to figure out what was left to write. And I realized that what I hadn't said yet was what I want, just spelled out clearly. I was like, just imagining a perfect scenario where I could be in a really boring, monogamous relationship and just feel safe and comfortable. I wouldn't say it's based on real experiences, but it's based on what I wish I could have told these people. That I could have just said, like, I want to go to the grocery store with you, like just really simple, boring stuff that you don't really get to do or ask for in a situationship. That was fun to just dive in and be like, if I'm being honest, I want all these things.

When that song came out, I was like, “This is very different than all of the other are things that were kind of in the same like soundscape.” That's really interesting to hear you say that it's more of like a list of wants or a future that you want. That's really cool.

MH: I kind of told myself that I needed to be over the top with it so that maybe guys in the future would hear it and get scared off if they just wanted a situationship. They would have to hear it and be okay with it and then we can pursue something.

I feel like the guys that, at least that I've gotten into situationships with if they— that song is also very much how I feel, I relate a lot to that. I'm very much a monogamy person. And yeah, I think they all would be scared to death if they heard that, which is a good thing.

MH: Exactly! I've gotten on the dating apps again recently. And since releasing that song, I've had a couple guys stop talking to me, which is just what I want.

How do your songs go from like little scraps on TikTok to full fledged ideas? Do you typically hash a song out before it goes on TikTok, or do you do some writing after you put it on TikTok? How do your full cohesive ideas come together?

MH: A couple of the songs on the EP I had already written and finished before I even got on TikTok. And then in January of 2022, I was like, I gotta give this app a shot. Everybody says it's how you do it now. I just threw out half-finished song ideas that I already decided I was never going to release. I was like, this will just get people kind of interested in hearing what my music sounds like, ish. Then when "Sleeping with Anxiety" and "Kinda Over It" suddenly, took off a little bit, I felt kind of overwhelmed and confused, like, do I finish these songs? Do I just try and advertise other songs that I actually want to release? I ended up learning through that process that when people want something, you should just give them what they want, it really doesn't matter, and you'll probably like the song anyway at the end of it. So anytime that a song does really well online, it's usually one I haven't finished yet, and I just kind of sit down and crank it out, and then record it and release it as soon as possible.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but "Sleeping with Anxiety" took a while, right? How did that process work for that song?

MH: So that one was the first one that I had that took off in any way. And when I posted that, it started to gain a following over a couple of days, and that's actually when Garrett (Gnash) DMed me and was like, "Hey, I saw this song. It's really cool. I'd love to write with you sometime!". And I was like, "Whoa, that's crazy.” Before I could even reply to him, that next day, "Kinda Over It" took off, like overnight, and he messaged and was like, "Hey, we need to write that song and so I was like, ‘Oh, my gosh, yes, of course.’ We decided, "Kinda Over It" is the one that's really cooking, let's focus on that right now. So we co-wrote it together and he actually introduced me to his label. That whole process takes like, at least a month just to even like sign and work all the deal points out, so that's why it took some time. As soon as that was finished, we released "Kinda Over It.” Then we kind of got cooking with "Sleeping with Anxiety," with production. For that one, I was working with a couple of producers out in LA and so I was sending them song files and hearing demos back, and that process took a little while just to communicate "I'm feeling more this idea" or "Maybe we could tweak the drums like this". Then that ended up being a couple months later even that that came out. It was kind of a whirlwind when it all took off, but then the actual recording and releasing took a minute.

That song is so good. It's very, I think, relatable, which is probably why a lot of people on TikTok sort of, you know, took a liking to it.

MH: Yeah, I was blown away at how many people related to it. Because for me, it felt so specific. And I felt like, like, "This is just me, right?". And everyone was like, "No!". There were people telling their stories, and they'd be so different, but they were completely drawn in and they connected with me, and that was so special.

What has been your favorite part about being on TikTok?

MH: I think reading through all the comments. When something does well or even does just okay, I will read through the comments, and, especially when I first got on TikTok, it was a really stressful time in my personal life, and I was kind of drowning. It was my last semester of college, lots of ups and downs really rapidly. I felt like the TikTok comment section was my safe space, that I could just scroll through there and read somebody's story on there and reply to them and connect with everybody. It was just something I never expected and really needed at the time. And so I think that's still my favorite thing is just connecting with people on there.

Do you have a favorite song on this EP, and which one is it, and why?

MH: It's definitely "Strong Woman," I have a soft spot for that one. Like I said, I wrote it years ago. But when it happens all in one night like that, it usually means that it's a special one, and it's something that I just needed to say. I think that it's still probably the only one that could make me cry, just every time I hear it, because I think about the place I was at in life at the time and how I got out of it since then. It makes me feel sad for the person that wrote the song, and also really proud of the person that got out of that situation. It's just a really special one. I also love the last track, which is "See You." That one also lately has been making me kind of tear up a little bit to hear it, because it's like the opposite end of the spectrum. It's just about having hope in these situations. And that little beginning phase where it could be anything and you actually feel happy thinking about a guy. It's just really sweet. I think that the first track and the last track are my favorites.

The EP is called Situations. Do you think that situationships in society are a problem? Do you think they're caused by like, what is going on in social media, dating apps, etc? What is your stance on situationships?

MH: It's so hard. I did a poll about this the other day on my Instagram story, saying "Are situationships good or bad?". And I was surprised it was like 75% bad, but 25% good, and it was like a couple-hundred people weighed into that. Which got me kind of thinking a little bit, because originally my stance was they're bad. I never want to do one again, I want people to learn how to commit. But the past couple of weeks that I've been thinking about that, and including like how my last track on the project is a message of hope, I think that there's merit in situationships, because I think that there's a reason that you decided to go with it, even if you knew it probably wasn't going to work out. And those little moments where it felt like anything is possible and it felt like you're actually seen by someone for the first time, I think those make it worth it. I do think as a society, we could learn a little bit about being more communicative and being more precious with people's feelings. But I also think that if you know you're not ready to be in a relationship, and both people feel that way, I think that situationships are a good compromise.

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Situations EP is available on all streaming platforms now.