When Maddie & Tae came to Nashville at 17, they had a publishing deal and a dream. The notion they would have a #1 hit, an RIAA GOLD-certified single, international acclaim and over 19 million VEVO views on their first single, the wry commentary “Girl In A Country Song.” Named Single of the Year in the Nashville Scene’s Country Critics’ Poll, Maddie & Tae became only the third female duo in 70 years to have their debut single top the charts.
For the songwriter/singers from Sugar Land, Texas and Ada, Oklahoma, getting the music right was everything. Rather than rush an album, Maddie Marlow and Tae Dye insisted on taking their time, refusing to hurry the recording process and collaborating with uber-producer Dann Huff on their Dot Records debut.
“We couldn’t have guessed it would be like this,” Tae says of the response. “Maddie and I were two girls with a big dream and a lot of determination. We wrote a song out of something a lot of people were talking about, and suddenly, people were talking about us. That’s when things got crazy…”
“But we’re really lucky,” Maddie picks up. “Everyone at our label understood and supported the process… Our first album means so much to us, and we wanted to get it right, to get it just the way we heard all these songs. Dann Huff is amazing and so patient. We’re almost done, and we’re both so ready.”
In addition to “Girl In A Country Song,” their debut album, START HERE, will include the follow-up “Fly,” which was debuted on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and World Premiered on CMT’s Hot 20 Countdown alongside Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Brushy Mountain Conjugal Trailer.” Having written with some of Nashville’s best writers, the Academy of Country Music Vocal Duo of the Year nominees are ready to get started.
“We had so many names,” Maddie marvels. “Pieces of lyrics, song titles, our names. But when it really came down to it, what this record is to us is the beginning of everything! You only get one first album…”
“START HERE,” Tae continues. “It says it all. Like ‘Fly,’ it is one of those sentiments that holds all the promise, all the chances and maybe a little bit of being scared. But you have to start somewhere, and this is pretty great place to begin.”
Joining Dierks Bentley’s SOUNDS OF SUMMER TOUR, Maddie & Tae are making their presence felt live. Not only did they grace the cover of touring industry bible Pollstar, they opened up their Pollstar Awards at the Ryman and will appear at both Stagecoach and the Tortuga Music Festivals.
But the big news is June 2. Maddie & Tae’s first record arrives on the heels of a #1 Billboard New Artist chart debuting self-titled EP. All music fans have to do is START HERE.
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