An Okotoks musician’s 22nd birthday is one she’ll never forget.
Just two days before the big day, country singer/songwriter Maddison Krebs released an EP she developed from three years collaborating with songwriters in Nashville.
“I’ve been down here in Nashville working with lots of really amazing people,” she said. “The EP is to show off what I’ve been working on this past while and where I am right now musically.
“I’m super excited to have it out in the world for everyone to hear.”
The seven-song EP, titled Maddison Krebs, was released today and produced by American songwriter/producers Jeff Trott, who’s worked with Grammy Award-winning artist Sheryl Crow.
“He’s a writer on a lot of the songs and is definitely a mentor to me,” she said. “I’m just super proud that we got to work together on this project. He’s a dear friend and I definitely love writing with him and collaborating with him.”
Krebs said the songs represent her delving into her own self-discovery.
“A lot of these songs really helped me through that growing process,” she said. “Writing continues to do that for me now and it will forever.”
For Krebs, it was about stepping out of her comfort zone and being more vulnerable.
The song Norma Jeane, in honour of the legendary Marilyn Monroe, is about staying true and following dreams.
“It relates to the story of Marilyn Monroe and it just talks about being a woman and being proud of the skin you’re in,” she said. “The fact she’s so timeless and she’s still an icon for so many people is so fascinating to me. Her story is really tragic too. I only hope that girls now know that they can be themselves and they can be happy and follow their dreams.”
The past few years for Krebs, being on her own in Nashville and pursuing her dreams, has been a dream come true.
“As a kid you have these dreams and aspiration but you don’t really know how it feels until you’re out there actually doing it and pursuing it head-on,” she said. “Experiencing that is thrilling and fun, and you’re put in a vulnerable position because this is something you love so much and you want it to work so bad.”
Each song Krebs wrote represents a different shade of the young artist, she explained.
“I wrote over 200 songs for this EP and I really dove off the deep end as much as I could,” she said. “It was lots of work, lots of digging, lots of feelings and so much writing. These are the ones that bring truth to me.”
Other releases for Krebs in recent years include the upbeat single Real Real Thing last summer, Live for Love a year before that and her 2016 EP Bulls-Eye.
With a new EP out, Krebs still remains busy writing in Music City.
“I would love to write for a full-length album in the future,” she said. “I love co-writing with other people. I will continue to do that, but also I have been writing a lot more on my own and I feel there’s something very magical about that and I’m going to keep exploring that as well.”
To learn more about Krebs and what she’s up to musically go to maddisonkrebs.com
