Madison McFerrin - I Hope You Can Forgive Me

Fiercely independent artist and producer Madison McFerrin announces her debut album I Hope You Can Forgive Me—out May 12—with a new single, "(Please Don't) Leave Me Now", and accompanying video, both out today. The enchanting vocalist and songwriter will kick off her I Hope You Can Forgive Me North American tour May 20 with tickets available Feb 24. “(Please Don’t) Leave Me Now” arrives with a vivid and otherworldly video that delves into a traumatic incident she experienced with her partner in 2021. Produced by Andrew Lappin, Madison wrote the song after enduring a severe car accident and reflecting on surviving something that could have taken her life away or seriously changed it forever. With jazzy percussion, hints of funk and neo-soul, and a powerful message, “(Please Don't) Leave Me Now” asks for more time and displays a gratitude that is tied up in fear and complexity. Madison contemplates “(Please Don’t) Leave Me Now” and its accompanying video, "Being able to walk away from a near-death experience without physical harm is one of the greatest blessings I've received in this life. It reaffirmed my purpose as an artist. Writing '(Please Don't) Leave Me Now' became an incredibly therapeutic and cathartic experience. Being able to express that kind of fear while still creating a fun environment was key to making this song. Death showed up in more ways than one in the process of making this video. In the weeks leading up to the shoot, multiple family members on the production side passed unexpectedly, bringing our plans to a halt. The fate of the video was in flux. Thanks to the tenacity of my team, we were able to regroup and move forward, albeit with a delay. For the video, we wanted to capture the feeling of not being prepared to die. I’m talking to myself both above and within the grave, grieving both who I was and who I could be. I didn’t expect being in a grave for multiple hours in a day would affect me, but it definitely contributed to my journey in processing a near-death experience. This song and video are a manifestation of my own personal growth as not only a musician, but as a human.” Madison’s anticipated debut I Hope You Can Forgive Me represents an evolution in her career as she finds ways to improvise and self-produce in the midst of an ever changing global pandemic landscape. Following the a cappella projects that corralled early fans (Finding Foundations Vol. I and II), she collaborated with her older brother, Taylor McFerrin, for her subsequent EP, You + I, her first project with instrumentation. I Hope You Can Forgive Me builds upon that next step sonically while exploring themes of love, self preservation, fear, and conjuring. A majority of the tracks on I Hope You Can Forgive Me are produced by Madison, a newly refined skill she honed during the pandemic. In addition to being a producer and arranger, she is also an instrumentalist, playing bass, synth, and creating background vocals for several of the tracks. The intimate album features her father, Bobby McFerrin. Late last year, Madison released a groovy, soulful single, "Stay Away (From Me)" alongside a vibrant visual, artfully juxtaposing hypnotic, danceable instrumentals with lyrics that tackle the uncertainty of our times and her inner struggle with anxiety. With “(Please Don’t) Leave Me Now”, the enchanting singer-songwriter-producer continues to deliver ethereal vocals and euphonious melodies, and a delightful blend of electronic, pop, jazz, and soul with undeniable technique and expressive depth. Throughout her fruitful independent career, spanning three EPs and multiple collaborations, Madison has earned accolades from The New York Times, NPR, The FADER, and Pitchfork, who named her a Rising Artist in 2018. Her artistry has led to Questlove dubbing her early sound “soul-appella.” In addition to a stirring performance on the renowned COLORS Studio platform, Madison has also performed at Lincoln Center, Central Park SummerStage and BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn, and shared stages with the likes of De La Soul, Gallant, and The Roots. Off the stage, Madison’s music has been featured in episodes of Comedy Central’s Broad City and HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness. Working at the intersection of artistry and community building, Madison co-curated programming for the BRIC Jazz Festival in 2021, and in 2022, aligned her MAD LOVE initiative with the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy to provide some much needed space for healing from the collective trauma of the pandemic. Last fall, she mesmerized crowds with sold out shows in London and Paris during her It’s Been Too Long…EU tour and made her debut at the Corona Capital Festival after releasing, "Stay Away (From Me)," which she performed live on The Colbert Show's #LATESHOWMEMUSIC series. Ahead of releasing new music in 2023, she has blown away sold out crowds in NYC and LA.to present three installments of Summer Fridays—a series focused on themes of RELEASE, RESTORE & REJOICE with DJs, comedians and musicians providing some much needed space for healing from the collective trauma and grief of the pandemic.