#123 - Maddie Poppe - American Idol Winner Season 16

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Speaker 1: I welcome to episode A hundred and twenty three with Maddie Poppy who one American idol? Look at you? It's funny. I'll watch you on your insot stories and you have where you can't people can't send comments to you. I know, I do, Um, what did you want to send me a a comment? A couple of times I wanted to comment on something but there was no way to comment. I know. Well, because here's the thing. I get so many people that are just like ha ha, and it's a lot of d MS to go through. Yeah, but what I do is you can have it set up where only your friends where you can just see their messages. But then if you want to look in and see everybody else's you can. Is that under message requests you have a blue checkmark? Right? Yeah, okay, you're good, but you don't have to show me after. Yeah, but the thing is you I would say, you know, I can send your messages instead of just block them out. Yeah, I know, I know, I know I need to. I wanted to look through and see if any like verified people sent me messages, but I don't know how to do that there away. Yeah, Okay, you're gonna have to show you after I can't wait. Has anybody cool reached out to you? Yeah, Brooke White remember her from season? I think she was on Taylor Hicks season. She was my favorite. Taylor Hicks was my favorite. Yeah, broke a heead, blonde hair, country piano piano kind of thing. Uh she did. Um, trying to think there are a couple of other people from Idol, but I can't anybody that's not from Idol go. Hey, I saw you on the show and I thought you were pretty cool. Um. Oh, man, I sound like a loser. I can't think of anybody off the top of my head. I'm a loser, loser, recognized loser. Yeah, you got. You seem busy, You seem like I am. You seem like every time I look, you're somewhere else doing something else. I am. It's like everything's like hitting me all at once. You know, it's great, but it's like so overwhelming, you know. I feel like I can't really give to anything because it's like so much happening at once. The last time last time I saw you was the finale and that was it, and then you just kind of disappeared into the abyss of winning American idol. So what I wanted to really is what happens after the show, because you win, and and by the way, if you go check the interviews. I did a lot of press and I said, if they're voting based on who performed the best, Maddie Poppy should win. And I said that that's why I said, well, thank you, and you won, and I thought it was fantastic than you got me a little bit of trouble though, he was. It is a very touching message. I've really I really thought the message you're on Instagram was very kind. But when you said I told you that I did tell you you're my favorite, I guess I'm just real. I just who who yelled you? I got yelled at twice? So listen to this. First of all, no one yelled. No one yelled, they screamed, they were everybody was cool, but they were like, oh, you shouldn't tell people. But I was like, I want to be real and tell people. Wow, I really feel about them. And Maddie was my favorite of all the contestants. Stylistically. I didn't know you at first, but your music, I thought, this is the person that I'm drawn to. She's really good and I love how she sounds. And then when we were doing interviews for the final episode, they had told me that you and Caleb were dating. They had even said, hey, you can poke around a little bit and see if they'll talk about it, which Caleb was okay about it, but you were like, you don't know. So I knew I'd been told to talk about it. So I tweet, Hey, guess what they're dating and they're in the top two. My phone blew up from Idle going down, and I was like, what, take it down. And as soon as I took it down, three minutes later, you get they announced it on TV. Oh no, three minutes okay, because I saw your tweet that said I told you they were dating. But I was like, when did he say anything about three minutes prior? Didn't never take it down? That is funny. But I was never told to not talk about it. As a matter of fact, I was told it's okay to see what they'll say about it. That's okay. Yeah, No, I mean that wasn't us. We didn't know, And you know, I don't know how anybody didn't suspect it. What people they must have just thought we were like best friends. Because we would post pictures all the time with each other, you know, and we were constantly hanging out, like there was one where we're like eating, like sitting down at a restaurant. No one ever said, like Maddie and Caleb. You know why because he's the quintessentral central country boy and you're the singer songwriter, and the two just don't normally go together. Absolutely no. We tell each other that all the time, like we're not each other's types, Like I would like I would never go for like a country boy, and he would never go for someone like me. But it just works. Well, look at you too, and listen. I'm happy. I'm happy that you're here. You look good. Thanks. Yeah, do you have a voice? You're sleeping? Are you going to sing? I actually do have a voice. I'm waiting for like another cold to hit me, you know, but it hasn't yet. You win the show. You look surprised. But then what happens that night? So that night it was crazy. They took us right off. We did a like thirty minutes of press and then we got into this car and they Radio Disney was right there started filming me then and hasn't stopped filming me first a documentary I think they're making and um. And so after that, we got in two car and we got on the private jet. I got to see my family for like five minutes at all. No, no, wow, yeah, thats a little bit. It does suck, suck. And then you go, do you get to sleep or do you can start doing press almost immediately in the morning. Well, we flew on the jet and we slept for like six hours or whatever. And I didn't realize that it was like happening like right away as we got off the plane. I don't know why, but I didn't think about it. So I took all my makeup off in the plane and then I like we got off the plane, They're like, hey, we're gonna be on Good Morning America in thirty minutes, and I was like what. So I like slapped to makeup on quick, like I had the same hair from the night before, and it was like it was a mess. We Caleb looked great. I looked awful, but I was just like here we are. So you go and you do press all day? Do you stay in New York for a couple of days? We know we left New York that day, so in and out, but to go where? So they were going to fly at Caleb back home and fly me to l A. But Caleb and I were like not ready to be apart from each other, so he came back to l A with It was really nice. Also, it's a good story too, that you guys are together. It makes the story like, oh, check it out. So I would see why they would keep him around as well, not only for you, because you guys obviously enjoy each other company, but it's a cooler story. There's multiples and numbers. Yes, yeah, I was thinking that too, Like I think the producers have got to be happy with the way that like how many curve balls, like the finale through at the audience. You know, I just said multiples and numbers. I'm the dumbest statement I've ever said. I didn't even catch it. So you do you win straight cash though? Because I read you went Is that a real thing or is that like built into a contract somehow? I think I win that. I think that I do, But I have to set up like an account first so that it can go into there. Do you have a savings account right now? Yes? You do? Did you have it before the show. Yes, did they teach you how to because for me it was a problem. I come from an absolutely poor background. I don't know anything about money, but no one taught me how. I kind of had to earn. Do you have somebody that kind of says, hey, you're here, do here's what you do. A little bit, you put it here, you save it. Do you have someone did someone step in from you know, uh, Freemantle or or Idol or you know, well Idols pretty cheap didn't pay us anything and I'm getting now, I mean, they gave us per DM, but like there was never any like excessive amounts of money that we needed to like handle. And no, I guess before, like you know, I was telling people before I was doing all these little jobs by myself, and now I'm meeting with agencies and you know, with a management company and a label. Before I was recording in my basement and I was like doing like spreadsheets of how, you know, how many CDs I had to sell to, you know, and I was like setting that up online and you know, designed all my own merchandise and my website. Um so I kind of just taught myself how to do it and I've always been pretty frugal, Like I thrift shop and like I'm always I'm a penny pincher, So I think that helps too. I mean, I don't like go blow. I'm not gonna go below this two yet? Not yet. Do you worry that you'll lose some of your emo edge if you're not emo anymore? Em Yeah, email doesn't be punk, but you you're definitely an emotional style. Yeah, your singer songwriter. Yeah, that's why I was drawn to your music. And if you can't be sad because you just covered in money, how do you write sad songs? Oh, no, you can still be sad, I can. I mean I think you know, I don't think money defines happiness at all, do you. Oh no, I'm in the same, you know. But I worry about losing my edge in other ways. Yeah, I worry that, you know, I'm too inside the industry at this point. You know, I can't feel what a normal person who just consumes music, and so I have to walk that fine line and separate myself a lot of times because of it. Yeah, that's something that I noticed too. When I was meeting with people like about songs, I was like, I can still see everything still as like an outsider, because I am not in this at all, you know very much. And and so I'm I'm looking at everything as an outside and these people in the industry are like thinking one way, but I'm like, I'm looking at it as I would, you know, hear it on the radio and I would think, I hate this, and you know this, this isn't I think, Yeah, I won't. I don't. I know what you mean. I don't ever want to lose that either, because you know, I just don't want to get caught up in the system and then let it all change me. The hardest thing is to remain real when everybody else around you is fake. So that's why you have to put really real people around you. And it's tough because really real people will tell you when it's real bad. And so it's it's interesting. It's an interesting time for you because you know, you're going from the girl in Iowa two big TV show. Now it's I mean, I don't even know what you're gonna do, Like, what are you gonna do? Yeah, I mean, I I'm just lucky. You know, I've got like management team now, and management you know that, right, We have the same. Man. I know that's so cool because I remember I remember when he met with us, uh my manager Jonathan, when we we met for Top twenty four, Um, they gave us a list of all the people you know, and it was like you Luke Brian, And I was like, oh my gosh, how cool would it be to, you know, get picked up by this management because I never thought like winning wasn't ever really even on my radar. I was just like they said they would pick up other people if they were interested. So I was like, oh, man, I hope that they'd be interested in me. But now they don't have a choice. You know what's funny is you say you didn't think you would win, and you genuinely did not think you would win the first day we met. You did not. I don't know that you thought you should have been in the Top twenty four. Frankly, no. I I know because when I left for when I left for Hollywood Week, I remember telling my friend I said to him like, I just want to make Top twenty four, and he's like, you can totally do that. I was like, I don't think I can, Like I really did not. I thought, man, that's so many people to beat out, and I didn't know what to expect. Um. Yeah, and I just you know, And the other thing is that people have so much, so much more experience than me, and people you know were so much older. I mean they were like twenty six year olds and um, and I was just like, I just was so insecure, you know. And I felt like people you know, with those big belting voices would come in and do all these runs and I'm thinking, how am I gonna out seeing these people? But I think the key was, you know, that I didn't have doubts saying them. I think it's more I think that that actually worked in my favor that I didn't like that It allowed you to be consistently really good and then at the end you're great because you were consistently really good. I don't know, just speaking honestly, there were nights that I would go, oh, she was by far the most dynamic of the night. You were always up in the top two or three. I was always like, oh, America really likes her. I don't know that they've had enough time to love her yet, but they will. And you said you hung you just lunched hard the whole time. Then when it was the final night, like you closed hard, Yeah, what do you think it's? Okay? Let me ask you this, what do you think about this new song that you have? It is a little too pop for you, you know, I mean, I think I think it's I mean, when I first heard it, I was like, you know, there's enough pop to play on pop radio. But it's still got kind of my thing, you know. Um, But I love the song, but it is so freaking hard to sing that it makes me like, I mean, I love it, but I don't love singing it live because it's so hard to sing. Here's a little bit of going, Going Gone too. It's pretty high. Huh, that's pretty high, super high. Wait till this next note? Him die right here. It's like the whole song. You're up there, like the whole song. Yeah, it doesn't like it doesn't sound like it'd be very hard, man, It's hard to sing. I can never hit that note live. I'll be totally honest. Do you play it more stripped down? Just take yeah, and the slower style anyway, though, Yeah, and I and I take it slower too, otherwise I can't hit that You know what it is? It is that's the most pop I ever want to be. I'll tell you that because I know that when that song came out, it's a great song. But I read a lot of comments that were like, oh no, the industry got ahold of Maddie, Maddie changed her sound, and I you know, I didn't even take offense to it because I was like absolutely, Like absolutely, I understand why people could think that, And that's why, you know, I want to get more music out that's more me soon so that people know, you know, I'm still gonna stay true to who I am. But but I mean, it is a great song. It's a wonderful song. It's a it's a When I heard it for you, I thought, that's a really good song. I don't know if that's her song, but it's a really good song. Did uh somebody write that? Did Julian Michael? She co wrote that and she sang the demo and it was so much to live up to. That happens in town a lot where there are some songwriters they just don't want to be artists because there's a lot of travel and it's grueling to start out. So the songwriters like Hillary lindsay they sing as better or better than the artists, and so the artists will get the work tape and go, I can't sing this. You know that's a thing. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I that was so much to live up to. And the other thing was that, um, you know, I think the writer of the song was the producer who was recording it with me, and and I think that they loved her version so much because it was perfect. I was like, why doesn't she just release this song? It's really good? Um, But it was so good that like, um, I had to you know, like every he wanted me to sing exactly like her um, which I mean I still think they should like release her version too, But like they called that demo itis when someone hears the demo and they wanted to stay like a moment. I think he did a fantastic job. I just wondered what you thought about it now as you've separated a bit from it. Yeah, well thank you, But it's yeah, it's it's super hard to sing. 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And I was like, oh, maybe it's not all about followers, you know, because I had the lowest following of like any of the Top fourteen at the beginning, because I remember, um, you know that we we had announced like or we knew who the Top fourteen was when auditions were starting to air, and so I I, you know, my my audition got like a minute and everybody else in the Top four team got like five minutes because I looked at it on YouTube and it was like they got this big story and it was just my half of my song. And so I I had liked followers before the show started, and then I jumped after my audition to maybe like three thousand. Everybody else like I remember Mara Um, like Katie, they all jumped to like twenty thousand right after their audition, and I'm thinking, there's no way I'm gonna last, you know. And I thought me, and that's kind of unfair that I only got a minute and they got five minutes, um, you know, because we're on the top fourteen um. And I remember there's a picture that I took. I think it was the beginning of Hollywood week. I said, I'll shave both sides of my head if I get to ten thousand by this weekend, and I knew it would never happen, and I never I didn't. I got to like nine thousand some but like I had to big for ten thousand followers when everybody else in the competition was at like thirty, and I was like, there's no way I even have a chance because look at all these people who have followers. And then I couldn't even believe how the voting, you know, and I still think, um, near the end, I think in the top five, I might have had like the second to lowest followers on like all my social media, and so I just can't believe I've pulled it off. I guess it's not, you know, But then you think about it. It's like teen girls are on Instagram and stuff. You went from I think you had three hundred and sixty nine thousand or something. Yeah, it's pretty cool. Crazy. You know what's funny to me is I went into the show and they're like, hey, come to the show with you know mentor, And I was like cool. And so I had never been a part of American Idol before except watching. And I was a big fan for the first seven or eight seasons, and I said, I went off a bit and I didn't watch the last few seasons at all, and so I was like, yeah, I'd love to go back. I love the Trish who runs Free Man like I just and Luke as a friend of mine. And so I went. But in back of my head, I thought the producers probably pick all these people, like they probably moved the people. I really thought that for television, that there would be this grand conspiracy theory just to get the best people up for TV. I had so many conspiracies. Oh yeah, me too. But I'm gonna tell you it was so legit. I know, it was so legitimate that even I was shocked that it was legitimate. From the point where the three judges put people through completely legit. I'd pulled Luke aside and say, what's happening here? Are you guys really picking up the telling you He's like Bobby, we pick our own and I will talk to the people. And then when the voting started, it was legitimate. So the numbers were so real that I was shocked. No, I know, I had so I had so many conspiracies. I would go around telling people like, I know that this is true. I know that they do this, and it's all I think. It was on my head. I was very wrong. I was so so about it. It's so funny though, because yeah, no, I agree, because everything on TV's fake, everything on t TV, it's made for TV. So as long as you know it's all TV, it's not fake, it's television. And so I just thought it was a television show. But they stayed and they say it's so true that I was surprised. No, I agree, because I try not not to be fooled. I know, I know, well, being on the show, I was like, there's gotta be you know. We were always like watching the producers real close, like what what's you know? What's going on? And but did you care more? About the judges or the producers. The producers for sure, because I thought they were in control of everything. I literally thought, um, you know, just by things you would hear people say backstage, and um, you know, Hollywood Week, the producers come in front of the judges and look at all, you know, and approve of, like who they're who the judges are gonna cut or whatever. And so I always thought, oh, there's no way, you know, the producers are picking everything, and and I thought, oh, the judges have these sheets in front of them. I'm sure they say like put this person through, cut this person, and and so I always cared about the you know, the because I was thinking, you know, the producers know what makes a good TV show. That's why the producers exactly and they know everybody's stories. Um, but the judges, you know, the judges aren't. Producers are aren't putting this out for ratings. The producers are. So I was always trying to please the producers over everybody like I would like. I remember for Top fifty it wasn't aired, but I say me and Bobby McGee, well oh yeah, you weren't there yet, okay. But um, but like I went into the producers and they didn't like it, and I was freaking out because I was like, oh my gosh, I'm exactly and so I's like I have to please them, you know. Um, such an old solo did go and sing Janish Choplin. Yeah, I wish I would have aired it, you know, but the fact they didn't means you can still play it and even you know, you won't want to do a lot of covers at least for a while, because you just did a lot of covers. You know. I think the hardest thing when leaving one of these shows because I have a lot of friends that have one American idol or been in the top two or three Lauren Elena. I saw Scottie McCoury today. Um, so you know you want to get away from singing other people's songs because you feel like that's how you got here. Now you have to shake that, make your own voice. But the cool thing about that is you can do that into it three years and cut the Janis Shalplin song if you love it and it's cool again. Yeah I've never even thought about that. Or do you feel the pressure now to not do anything except your own and buy your own original music because obviously you didn't write this single, but it's not a song that everybody knows it can be your song. Yeah no, right now, I'm like so excited too, um to write more and and just to record, you know, my own stuff, because this song is great. But it's so I I've never released anything that I didn't write. You know. I released like an EP that was seven songs, and I wrote all of them myself and did everything, and so I could feel it more, you know, when I was performing, It's like and I could tell the story why I wrote the song. But with this song, I really don't have a story to tell, you know, and I don't. I can't really. I mean, I can relate with it because it's kind of like my life, like how I got up and left and kind of pursued this dream, but you know it's not my words. Did your music sell whenever you want on Idol? Yeah? Yeah, it actually did. It's from like I can't even stand to listen to it because it was from it's from two years ago. But um, yeah, I'm selling a lot of cts. My parents are back home, like shipping them out and stuff. Yeah, and they're they're on iTunes to like when my um my PayPal or whatever, when the iTunes like it's skyrocketed, like so iTunes, pay your PayPal. Yes, and you made some good money off that. Yeah, that's good. Is this song the one you did the original you did in the finale? Don't ever let your children grow up this name of it? Right? Yeah? Um? Is this song on that record? Yes? Oh you had to make a killing then, yeah, yeah, just so we should up. No, I can't stand to hear it. Here's the thing, because I have a new book coming on a week and a half and I write about this. If I ever listened to something that I've done a year or two years ago or farther and I'm not embarrassed of it, it it means I'm not growing. You should always be embarrassed of the stuff that you've done. That's like a good that's like I've never heard it put that way. And then when you are have the realization that, oh, this is normal because I feel like I'm going in a different direction. I'm growing a bit. So it's okay to feel that way because you're doing that. That's good. That's growth because you're moving. Yeah. No, like I I look back and I didn't do that, you know, that flip I do with my voice. I couldn't even barely do that. And I remember that's the first time when my dad and I were recording that in the basement. Um, I did that, like flip things with my voice accidentally. Um yeah. It was like, uh, yeah, we should up you know, the flip or whatever. Exactly, Yeah, yeah, exactly. So so I did that when we were recording and Dad's like, whoa, that was cool. How did you do that? I was like, I don't know. So that's like how I started doing that, and that was the beginning of it. And wow, I don't like listening to that. That's good though. But are you playing that song though? When you play, yes, you have to I do because I got to sell those years and it's your song. It's a it's a your song, and it's had exposure and I've got a story, you know, I have a whole story behind that song. So how's home feel? Are they happy for you? So happy for me? I mean, I haven't you know, been home since the hometown visit. I'm sure it'll be a lot different because you know, they're just not cameras, you know, it's not like a big thing anymore. But um, but yeah, I'm really excited to get home and see my friends and family and just my dog. I haven't seen my dog since like April. Really, yeah, do you have people that really weren't your friends? It's not kind of your friends but not really kind of like what a best friend. Yeah, So it's interesting and family and family members too that all of a sudden want to be want to be part of everything again. And I had a lot of cousins and I never knew when I first started to make it, like, oh, were cousins. I just looked at three and we're like nine cousins. What I know? And it's like, no, you know, everyone knows what you're doing. But it's also funny because at the very beginning of the season, Um, nobody thought there were you know, there were people who definitely thought I couldn't even make it past the first round. And I found online they had liked some comments that were like a guy that, and you know, they had written some bad like rude things like oh, Maddie, you know you should have went to school with her. She was a constantly singing. It was so annoying I'm so glad I moved away. Like this girl wrote this and all a bunch of her friends liked it. Well, then a bunch of those friends ended up in my in my messages saying like congratulations, Maddie, and I'm just like open not reply, like I know, I see everything. People that win the lottery and all of a sudden, you know, all the family members are yeah people. People think they're being like discreet about this, and I see everything. So what are you gonna do from here? Musical? Because here's the question that comes to me the most. What where where does she go? Like? What is she gonna do? What? What? Format? For lack of a better term, because I'm not a big believer in formats except for the business side of it, meaning you know, even what I do, and I'm on you know, a hundred and twenty country radio stations. I'm not the most country guy. I grew up in Arkansas, but look at me. I'm a nerd. So I'm the I'm the one that believes you can cross all the genres. I play hip hop on my country morning show, so I'm not the person to tell you have to pick a genre, but everyone else is going to say, you have to pick a genre of format to actually distribute your music. So where does that fall for you? Do you know? Yet? You know? Well, this is crazy first of all, because I remember before before auditions had or no, it was like in the middle, I was still at home and someone had tweeted like, oh my gosh, Bobby Bones just mentioned you on his radio show, and I listened to it. I was like, no way, And now I'm here, that's that's kind of my house. I know. I'm like anyways, um no, But I think for the genre thing, I kind of want to be. I mean, I don't want to be pop. I know that I don't want to be popping. Okay, let me ask a question about that, because pop only means popular, Like, think about the word pop. What the heck is that really true? Yes, pop means popular, that's what that. Okay. I thought, you're a very smart person. I am so smart. You don't assign pop with just Brittney Spears. That's what I've always done. Okay, I'm saying modern pop kind of okay, the modern pop sounds. Don't want that, don't ever want to have to play with the track, don't ever want dancers on my stage. Okay, dancers are one thing. I think you've given tracks a bad name. I can't know. I'm gonna tell you why, only because I have some friends that are fantastic artist that I believe the computer is also an instrument at this point, I really do. Now. I'm a singer songwriter fan first and foremost, and I've had to be converted. But I do believe the computer is an instrument. I know it can add, but I can't do it. I can't tell it. I'm sorry. I'm gonna have to disagree. I love it that you disagree, always disagree to. I love that because you've always disagreed, You've always agreed to. Like your opinions. Now, okay, so you're not pop whatever that means. But pop right now, pops, hip hop, pops, adele pop just means popular. So you have to eliminate. I'm not gonna be pop. You can say I'm not gonna play tracks. I'm not gonna put twenty one Savage on my song like you can say all that. Yeah, No, I mean I when I write it like comes out like Ingered Michaelson, Regina Specter kind of feel I wish I could write more like Brandy Carlyle. Um, but you know how you write more like Brandy Carlyle. You write with people that write with Brandy Carlisle. Yeah absolutely, I know. Yeah yeah, so, um, I mean, but here's the thing. I mean, I feel like usually I would feel like lost in a time like this, but I have such good people around me, Like I'm I've got like a manager now, and you know, I'm with this label and everyone around me. I was really scared, like, um, you know what, you know, if I was scared, people are going to try and change me. Um. And of course, you know, they pitched me songs that are are our pop and I'm like that's not really me. But they're cool with it, you know. And and everyone is really supportive of like who I want to be and what I want to do, and so who do you want to be? What do you want to do? Though? I mean, I want to continue to do exactly what I was doing on the show, I mean, because just I want to be true to myself and even if that means, you know, I don't want to do everything for like just the money. Oh, this song is gonna be a hit, so you gotta record it, you know, and I believe you. And here's the truth of it. There's not gonna be a lot of money if that's what you're doing. And so if you find your passion and you work toward it and you work hard, the money might come. Worst case scenario is you don't make any money, but you still do what you love. That's the worst case scenario exactly. So as long as you know, we're also in the land of streaming, which means people are finding different audience. It is just by going, let me check this playlist, let me so there is more for an artist like you. Now it's slower. It's slower. I am someone who would find your music and go, oh, this is mine jam, I'm gonna go watch. She's coming time. I'm gonna go watch. That's what I would do. But it's different than to keep put on the radio like bam yeah boom uh. Post Malone had one song selling that arenas absolutely put out a record. Now, it's great. But as as long as you're consistent, if that's really how you feel, they're gonna people tell you you got to change. You know, I get that. I totally get that because I know that's not what's gonna be on pop radio and that's you know. But I mean I love people like Sarah Barellas and Brandy Carlyle and they're not on pop radio. But that is my all the time. But that's like my music that I listened to. And I know that people will love you know. I mean obviously they loved me enough to yeah some through. I think you're great. I think you're You're the singer songwriter person that when I take a bath, put the candles on, put my singer songwriters on. Just playing the songs, you know what I mean, just playing my songs. I'm a big fan. Um, okay, so you have you don't have an answer yet, and what what you're defined? Ask? No, but I want to be everything. Yeah, when you're trying to be everything, you're nothing to anyone. I know, So you don't have to you don't want to pick now. I just wanted to because everybody's asking me. I just want to answer. I'm just gonna try. I'm just gonna do what I like. That's my answer. Okay, I'll accept whatever answer you give me. I'm just telling you I'm getting beat up about it. I need an answer. They're like, what's Maddie doing I don't know, I'm gona talked to her. I try to hit her on instagramtion we're playing my message because then accept messages. So well, listen, I'm very happy for you. Thank you, like genuinely I'm happy. I think you're a great artist to win it, because I think it sets the culture for people that watch the show to go, oh, Maddie Poppy one and she's a singer songwriter, and I can go be a singer songwriter on that show. And I think that's a strong thing. And I was never the obvious front runner, you know. Yeah, I don't think you were the front So I think that's really cool too, is that I was never who anyone expected to win. I didn't ever think that I could win this because you don't think you're gonna win the top three, Like you genuinely looked me in the eyes, you like, I'm a top three? What can I even wish for? And I believed you, and I don't believe anybody. Yeah, I mean, that's that's what I'm saying, is is like I was never like the number one thing anybody was talking about. Yeah. No, I've never been the number one anything anything, you want to ask Maddie before we we split away. I mean, I don't know. It's pretty crazy, like like a whole was how long was it? The whole American Idol process? When did you guys start? Like so I started October four, and um, and then I know, I mean I started August twenty nine, that my initial audition. Then September where leventh was my second audition, and then October four was my judge round. And then January one was the first day of Hollywood Week, and then March three we got our March fourth we got sent home. April nine, we came back out here, and I have not been back since since April ninth. How do you know all those dates? Is that just the thing for you? I don't know, that's weird. I just do. I just remember, like because I remember like getting the email saying this is the day you're coming back, and like that was just the day that I remember, my guess, and plus I met Caleb the first week off, and and like I remember like January twenty one this way, like first, where are you gonna move? Are you gonna because you can live in Nashville and not be country. It's just singer songwriter Galore. I mean it is. I mean a lot of the songwriters here aren't country. They just helped country artists. Yeah, I mean, I like l A enough, but I mean even just being here for like the past like five hours, people have been sown night everywhere. I mean, and just I feel like it's more of like a Midwest feel here, and you're closer to home, way closer to home, Like I could you know, and I don't. I don't know. There's just something about here. It's a great town. Cool. This is not my hometown, but it's a great town, especially for people that like to make real music, not find a melody then write the words later, Like, oh we got the melody, we have a hit. We'll worry about the words later. That happens a lot in the l A Rights. That is happening. But I'm proud of you. Are you gonna do my radio people? You listen to this months later, but you're doing my radio shop tomorrow. Then we're doing a deal with Luke. Then we're we've got like four days that we're gonna be doing things together. Well like well, like it's new. Every time I'll be like, yeah, really we'll be like, I haven't seen you in six hours. Maddie Poppy, Episode one three, thanks to life Flock. Listen, let me say this, download or stream. Don't ever let your children grow up, because that's where Maddie is gonna make a couple of cents. Yeah, needney guys and merch and dot com Maddie Poppy dot com, M A D D I E P O P P E P O p P any times I called you Maddi Pope. Just reading that name a lot, Oh my gosh, everything I know, I know, all right, Maddy Poppy Episode one, Thank you very much and we'll see you next time. By Ready