Maggie Lindemann rose to prominence with her breakout bubblegum pop single "Pretty Girl," the song that took over social media in 2016.
It's been a long time since the 24-year-old singer released "Pretty Girl," and that much is evident in her music, as she pivots and switches up the direction of her music with her newly released debut studio album "Suckerpunch."
Despite the drastic change in genre, Lindemann continues to write and sing about her life and experiences. While "Pretty Girl" is about her depth as an individual and girl, noted in the chorus, "I'm not just a pretty girl," tracks off "Suckerpunch" are about her "complex inner dialogue," as Nylon Magazine put it.
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'Suckerpunch'
Lindemann revealed in an interview with People Magazine that she grew up listening to rock and punk music, which was a far cry from "Pretty Girl."
"I wasn't as involved creatively because I didn't know what the f**k to do. Pop wasn't my vibe," she said.
Now that she is a lot older and has more experience under her belt, she has decided to take more control over her music and the direction she wishes to take it.
"I'm experimental," Linnemann told Nylon Magazine. "I like to experiment with a lot of different things, different genres. I hope people can realize that."
The album boasts 15 songs, each of which tackles a different theme. The album starts with "intro / welcome in," an instrumental track that starts slow and slowly builds up as it fades out. Interestingly, the first track serves as an intro to the second track, "take me nowhere."
The third track, "she knows it," follows a crush who is already in a relationship. This is followed by "casualty of your dreams," "self sabotage," "phases," "i'm so lonely with you," and "break me!"
The album continues with "girl next door," "we never even dated," "novocaine," "you're not special," "hear me out," "how could you do this to me?" and "cages."
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Breaking Point
"[...] Being so young, and then put into something where you don't know anything about it, you just kind of listen to what people say, and then it f**ks you in the long run," she explained.
After years of going by what was "expected" of her in terms of her musical direction, Lindemann traded bubblegum pop music for something more authentic.
"All that bubblegum stuff I did, now that's out there, and that was what people first saw of me, and it's just not who I am at all," she continued.
She began forging her way by launching her own label, Swixxzaudio, and released "Paranoia" the previous year. It was her first EP, and it explored the alternative rock and pop-punk genres.
Lindemann excitedly shared that she now has full control over her music, and by launching Swixxzaudio, she has more freedom to pursue what she wants.
"I also own my masters, and I have creative control fully, so anything I want to do creatively, I'm allowed to do."
The singer's risk in launching her own label and creating music that did not align with how the audiences initially knew her has actually paid off.
The release of "Paranoia" was critically acclaimed, and welcomed by fans. "I thought there was going to be way more hate than there was, but it had an amazing response," she confessed.
"Suckerpunch" is Lindemann's authentic self turned into an album. She celebrates her artistry and individuality through it. "I think it's just the evolution of me and my music, and who I am as a person. I tried a lot of new stuff and I just explored some stuff, so I think it's just the evolution of me as a person and an artist."
