[Photo Source: madidiaz.com]
If you haven’t met Madi Diaz’s music yet, consider this your nudge. Diaz makes intimate, folk-tinged indie pop about connection, longing, and all the messy in-betweens. The magic is in how she alchemizes heart-piercing lyrics, approachable melodies that feel familiar yet new, and a voice that goes straight to the heart.
I’ve been following Madi’s music for over a decade, knowing what a gem she’s always been. Watching her recent (very deserved) rise has been a joy — each release feels closer to the bone: more vulnerable, more luminous. It’s about time more people discovered her music.
Let’s catch you up on her journey
Madi grew up home-schooled by a creative duo: her Peruvian mom, an early-childhood & visual-arts educator, and her Danish dad, a woodworker/musician who first sat her at the piano before guitar took over.
After high school she was accepted to Berklee College of Music, then chased songs to Nashville in the early 2010s, releasing the Ten Gun Salute EP and touring with The Civil Wars and Landon Pigg. Early on, Paste named her a “Top Ten Buzziest Act” at SXSW 2009, and her songs landed across TV — Pretty Little Liars, Drop Dead Diva, Army Wives, Princesses: Long Island, and more.
In 2012 she made a sharpening detour to Los Angeles. A decade later her circle widened again: in early 2023 Diaz joined Harry Styles’ band on the European leg of Love On Tour; in spring 2024 she supported Kacey Musgraves across the UK/EU, then opened for Stephen Sanchez at the Minnesota State Fair.
Along the way she’s written with/for and duetted alongside many notable artists — among them Lizzy McAlpine, Kesha (“Resentment”), Maren Morris (“This Is How a Woman Leaves”), and Lennon Stella (“One Less Question” — and yes, she’s wearing KALEIDOS vintage pants in the lyric video. See below! 👀).
Fast-forward to now
Following two GRAMMY® nominations for Weird Faith (Best Folk Album; Best Americana Performance with Kacey Musgraves), Diaz is asking listeners to lean in even closer — Fatal Optimist reads like the final chapter of a heartache trilogy, her starkest, most haunting work yet. And this week, she’s giving us one last glimpse before the full record lands.
New song + album this week
Her new single, “Why’d You Have To Bring Me Flowers,” is the final preview before the full album lands — an aching slow-burn that tees up what’s to come on Fatal Optimist (out Oct 10th on ANTI- Records).
"While you’ll find subtle accompaniment from an occasional baritone guitar or bass, Fatal Optimist comes down to Diaz alone in a room with her acoustic guitar. This is her Unplugged moment, her stripped-down version, the Madi Diaz album most likely to haunt you with its starkness. Simplicity can be much more difficult to nail than camouflaging a song with layers of production. It is exactly what these songs needed." [Union Stage Presents]
We currently have “Heavy Metal” on repeat. Brace yourself for spare arrangements, emotional clarity, and lines that linger long after the last chord.
[Photo Source: madidiaz.com]
In the press
Madi was just featured in The New York Times — a great primer if you’re discovering her today. See the Times’ post on X, and Madi’s own announcement (with photos) on Instagram.
[Photo Source: Madi Diaz Instagram]
Local show (DC)
Union Stage — Thu, 10/16 (All ages)
Doors 7pm · Show 8pm. Get tickets
A fun KALEIDOS connection
In this lyric video with Lennon Stella, Madi is wearing KALEIDOS vintage pants — a tiny stylistic cameo we love. Watch “One Less Question”
Where to start listening
Queue up History of a Feeling and the Grammy-nominated Weird Faith, then roll into the new singles to hear the path leading to Fatal Optimist. Listen on Spotify