Music is universal. No matter what language you speak, where you were born, or what you believe in, music has a way of connecting people from all different backgrounds and cultures. Good music does this even better and connects people all over the world that bond over their shared love of their favorite artists.
Rising star Qing Madi is a prime example of this. Her most popular song, See Finish, has generated almost 700,000 streams on Spotify as of writing this article, and she also recently signed a recording contract with Columbia Records, one of the biggest music labels in the world, home to household names such as Harry Styles, Adele, Celine Dion, and Beyoncè. The Nigerian native is starting to make a name for herself in the Afrobeats genre at only 16 years old.
The Teen Magazine had an opportunity to interview this young musician, from which we learned so much about her. Read on to learn more about her life, goals, and journey to success.
Where It All Begins
Born in Benin City, Nigeria, Qing Madi fell in love with music at the age of seven. She stated, "I’ve been making music since I was 7 years old. I had started prepping myself to become a star because of how bright I see myself.
I have been writing and composing music since that age as well. Dancing fostered my love for music. Growing up as an aspiring dancer, I understood music to a descriptive level. Each beat and chord was there for a reason and the capability of music to draw me out of concentration into another scenery."
When describing her music, she stated, "I describe it as Afro R&B. In terms of musical influences, I really admire Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone, Tiwa Savage, Burna Boy, Brandy, Davido, and Nicki Minaj." For those who don’t know, Afrobeats is a genre of music flowing out of African countries that fuses elements of R&B, pop, and jazz. The style was conceived in the 1960's but gained immense popularity in the 2000's and has continued to take off ever since, spawning sub-genres such as hiplife and dancehall. Qing Madi's music is a blend of the West and African cultures of music.
The young artist also pays her respects to her family and faith, specifically her mother for getting her where she is now. Her mother had her enrolled in a ballet school when she was young, where she would study the art of music in more depth. In addition, she would get gigs to sing at weddings and other events at an early age.
When she was younger, she would perform at her mother's shop in Nigeria to entertain clients. All of these experiences and more were the foundation necessary to build her confidence in pursuing a successful career in the music industry. Despite her love for her roots, she has coped with being far away from home. When asked, she stated, “I genuinely enjoy the environmental change and learning in new places. It’s also increased my focus."
Viral is Vital
As mentioned earlier, Qing Madi's most popular song, See Finish has generated almost 700,000 streams. This was the starlet's first introduction to virality. Her music garnering so much attention led to her being signed to Columbia Records. When asked what the experience was like, she stated, “It was the most intense feeling knowing that a label of that magnitude was intrigued by my potential. It definitely made me feel excited.”
However, success hasn't come without its struggles. Being a young teenager in the entertainment industry comes with its obstacles. When asked what her favorite and least favorite things about being an artist was, she said, "My favorite thing is the fans.
People who come up to me virtually or physically saying my music helped them. Of course, the finances are a bonus as well. My least favorite thing are trolls and people who only exist to bring you down.
I think they do this because emotionally they aren’t fulfilled." She said that if she could change anything about the music industry, it would be, "The expectations of a female artist. I believe females should be allowed to be as versatile as possible, whether it’s wig style, music or character. We are women, but at the same time, we are humans with different perspectives on our career. I don’t like that we’re looked at as just “Barbie dolls." We are creatives."
Listen and Learn
The songstress also has an important message she wants her listeners to receive when listening to her music. She commented, "As a 16 year old, I want everyone to know this: You're understood, you’re heard, you have every reason to feel the way you do, and you’re not being ungrateful to anyone for feeling this emotion." Songwriting can be a very intimate process for an artist. Qing Madi also went into depth about her experience with songwriting. "I love writing alone. I tend to write about my past or present experiences. It helps make my lyrics more real."
Her song, “Why”, a track detailing her bullying experiences while in school, was a hit. It now has close to 130,000 streams on Spotify as of writing this article. She gave some words of encouragement to people being bullied currently.
She stated, "Be patient. People only fight what they fear. Being bullied in school makes you the main character most times.
Some things you have to endure to become you and have a story to tell. Speaking up as well is important if you’re being bullied, even though when I did I was told “it’s normal”. But you never know what can happen when you speak up."
9 Fun Questions with Qing Madi
Like any 16 year old, Qing Madi also has ambitions and things she wants to accomplish. Read below to see some of her answers.
1) If you could open a show for any artist, who would it be?
“Internationally, I would love to open for Kendrick Lamar and locally in Nigeria, for Davido.”
2) What's your favorite song you've written and why?
“My favorite song I’ve written is called “Still on You” and it’s because it is so much like my track “See Finish. It’s an actual emotion I’ve experienced.”
3) What is the best advice you’ve been given?
“Do not let people’s indecision disrupt your vision.”
4) What is your dream car?
“A Bugatti.”
5) What’s one thing you can’t live without?
“My phone.”
6) Dream vacation?
“Spain, because I speak Spanish, and I would love to practice more with actual indigenous people.”
7) If you were stranded on a beach and you could only bring three things, what would you bring and why?
“My phone, food and water, because I’ll need those to survive. Being stranded on a beach to me sounds like a vacation. I love being alone.”
8) What is your favorite food?
“Jollof rice.”
9) Where do you see yourself in the next three years careerwise?
“Successful and happy, with the right energy and the right people.”
The Future of Qing Madi
Qing Madi is a promising young talent, bound to take the western world by storm. She is taking the sound and influence of later greats such as Aaliyah and putting a modern but reminiscent twist on them, which will be successful in her career. She has an EP coming out soon, so stay tuned for that. If you want to stay in the loop with Qing, be sure to follow her on Instagram.
