Maddie Poppe
American singer-songwriter (born 1997)
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Madeline Mae Poppe (born December 5, 1997) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, and the sixteenth season winner of American Idol. She is a multi-instrumentalist—playing the guitar, piano, and ukulele. Prior to winning American Idol in 2018, Poppe released an independent album titled Songs from the Basement. Poppe released her second studio album, Whirlwind, with Hollywood Records in 2019.
December 5, 1997
- Singer
- songwriter
- Vocals
- guitar
- piano
- ukulele
Maddie Poppe | |
|---|---|
Poppe at the Iowa State Fair in 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Madeline Mae Poppe December 5, 1997 Clarksville, Iowa, U. S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 2015–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | maddiepoppe |
Early life
Maddie Poppe was born to Trent and Tonya Poppe in Clarksville, Iowa. As a young girl, Poppe sang for her family, but did not start performing until she was in middle school.[1] She graduated Clarksville High School in 2016, attended Iowa Central Community College and then went to Hawkeye Community College. Her father is also a musician and is a guitarist.
Poppe began playing guitar at age 14.[2] She began performing at church, as well as with her father's band at the Pioneer Days festival.[3] Poppe had also been a stagehand, setting up equipment for musicians at the county fair.[4] She got her start performing at the Butler County Fairgrounds in Allison, Iowa.[5]
Poppe has talked about not wanting to settle for things she did not like to do. She remarked, "I was trying to get gigs while I was supposed to be paying attention to a lecture."[6]
Career
2015–2016: Songs from the Basement and The Voice
Poppe independently released her first album, Songs from the Basement, on June 20, 2016. That same month, Poppe opened for Diamond Rio at the Butler County Fair.[7]
Prior to Idol, she auditioned for the tenth season of The Voice in 2016.[8][9] The program aired on February 29, 2016 where she sang "Dog Days Are Over" from Florence and the Machine, but none of the judges (who were Adam Levine, Pharrell Williams, Christina Aguilera, and Blake Shelton) turned their chairs, thus being eliminated.[10] Despite her elimination, Clarksville honored her with a city event at the Clarksville Library.
2017–2018: American Idol
In an audition held in New York, Poppe sang "Rainbow Connection" from The Muppet Movie. Judge Lionel Richie said she had a "storytelling voice" and that "we need you in this show". Katy Perry said she had a "distinctive quality in your voice" and Luke Bryan said "I'm not critiquing you, 'cause you got me, I'm saying yes." After singing her original song "Don't Ever Let Your Children Grow Up," Perry said Poppe reminded her of herself as they "write a little bit of the same style."[11]
Before her Top 24 performance, Poppe admitted that she didn't expect to win American Idol, planning to make it to Top 24 and get eliminated at some point. "This sounds terrible, but I don't want to go into things with super high hopes because then, obviously, I would be super let down if it doesn't work out," she told Bobby Bones. Poppe also admitted she has stage fright. "I remember times when I'd gotten up on stage and it totally just flopped. I fear that every time I walk on stage, I worry that it's going to happen again."
In her Top 14, Poppe sang "Homeward Bound" by Simon & Garfunkel, sparking Katy Perry to remark, "I closed my eyes and I thought I was listening to Joni Mitchell," while Luke Bryan labeled the interweaving of her modal voice and falsetto as "seasoned" and "big-time pro."[11]
Prior to the May 20 finale, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds declared May 20, 2018 to be "Maddie Poppe Day".[12] During the finale, she performed her winners' single "Going Going Gone", which was originally written by Mitch Allan, Lindy Robbins and Julia Michaels.[13] At the end of the show, after Poppe performed "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac, Katy Perry revealed she would be voting for her.[14]
On the results show broadcast on May 21, Poppe was declared the winner, with Caleb Lee Hutchinson as runner-up and Gabby Barrett in third. Poppe was also the first female winner since Candice Glover in the twelfth season and the first Caucasian female winner since Carrie Underwood in the fourth season.
| American Idol season 16 performances and results | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Episode | Theme | Song Choice | Original Artist | Order Number | Result |
| Audition | Auditioner's Choice | "Rainbow Connection" | Kermit the Frog | N/A | Advanced |
| Hollywood Round, Part 1 | Contestant's Choice | "Dreams" | Brandi Carlile | ||
| Hollywood Round, Part 2 | Group Performance | "Mama's Broken Heart" | Miranda Lambert | ||
| Hollywood Round, Part 3 | Contestant's Choice | "Don't Ever Let Your Children Grow Up" | Maddie Poppe | ||
| Showcase Round/Top 50 | Contestant's Choice | "Me and Bobby McGee" | Roger Miller | ||
| Top 24 Solo/Duet | Contestant's Choice | Solo "Brand New Key" | Melanie | 3 | |
| Duet "Bubbly" (with Colbie Caillat) | Colbie Caillat | ||||
| Top 14 | Contestant's Choice | "Homeward Bound" | Simon & Garfunkel | 10 | Safe |
| Victory Song | "Walk Like an Egyptian" | The Bangles | 1 | ||
| Top 10 | Disney | "The Bare Necessities"
(from The Jungle Book) |
Phil Harris | 1 | |
| Top 7 | Prince | "Nothing Compares 2 U" | Sinéad O'Connor | 7 | |
| Birth Year | "If It Makes You Happy" | Sheryl Crow | 13 | ||
| Top 5 | Carrie Underwood | "I Told You So" | Randy Travis | 5 | |
| Mother's Day Songs | "God Only Knows" | The Beach Boys | 10 | ||
| Finale | Winner's Single | "Going Going Gone" | Maddie Poppe | 3 | Winner |
| Reprise Song | "Don't Ever Let Your Children Grow Up" | Maddie Poppe | 6 | ||
| Hometown Dedication | "Landslide" | Fleetwood Mac | 9 | ||
| American Idol season 16 non-competition performances | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Episode | Song | Collaborator(s) | Original Artist |
| Results Show | "All Night Long (All Night)" | Lionel Richie and Top 10 | Lionel Richie |
| "Meant to Be" | Bebe Rexha,
and Gabby Barrett |
Bebe Rexha
featuring Florida Georgia Line | |
| "Rainbow Connection" | Kermit the Frog | Kermit the Frog | |
| "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/ | Caleb Lee Hutchinson | Judy Garland Israel Kamakawiwo'ole | |
2019–present: Whirlwind and Christmas From Home
Following her American Idol victory, Poppe had 42 days to complete a record.[15] On May 17, 2019, Poppe released her second studio album, Whirlwind. She appeared on the seventeenth season of American Idol on April 21 to advertise her new album; however, the show cut to commercial before she was able to mention it.[16][17] The album's third single, "Made You Miss", debuted at number 39 on the US Adult Top 40 chart and peaked at number 21.[18][19] The album's fourth single, "Not Losing You", debuted at number 37 on the US Adult Top 40 on October 12 and peaked at number 26.[20][21]
Poppe joined Ingrid Michaelson on the Dramatic Tour in the United States from October 3 to 29, 2019.[22] On November 20, 2020, Poppe independently released her holiday EP, Christmas From Home. She went on the Maddie Poppe's Acoustic Christmas tour in Iowa from December 4 to 19, 2020,[23] across the United States in December 2021,[24] and an Iowa leg in 2022.[25] The tour evolved into an annual Christmas show at the Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.[26]
Poppe departed from her folk-Americana roots with a series of independent non-album singles in 2022 and 2023.[27] On April 29, 2022, she released the single "One That Got Away", which was described as a turn towards jazz and funk sounds.[27][28] The music video, which released the following month, featured Poppe as an escaped convict and Hutchinson as a detective.[27] Poppe then released "Peace of Mind", a drum- and guitar-backed ballad, on August 12,[29] and "Screw You a Little Bit", which she described as more honest than her album Whirlwind, on March 31, 2023.[30]
On May 2, 2022, Poppe and Huchinson returned to the American Idol stage to perform "Islands in the Stream" by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton, as part of The Great Idol Reunion 20th anniversary special.[31] Poppe was a surprise celebrity guest on The Masked Singer Tour, in Omaha, Nebraska, on May 28.[32]
Poppe set off on a self-titled nationwide tour in the summer of 2023, with support from fellow Idol alum Megan Danielle.[33][34] Preceding the tour, she reported that she was under new management and was anticipating new music in 2024. In September 2023, she performed as the opening act for Joshua Radin on his fall tour.[33]
Personal life
Discography
Studio albums
Extended plays
| Title | Details |
|---|---|
| Christmas from Home |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Adult Pop [21] |
US Digital | |||
| "Going, Going, Gone" |
2018 | — | 13 | Non-album singles |
| "Keep On Movin' On" | — | — | ||
| "First Aid Kit" | 2019 | — | — | Whirlwind |
| "Little Things" | — | — | ||
| "Made You Miss" | 21 | — | ||
| "Not Losing You" | 26 | — | ||
| "One That Got Away" | 2022 | — | — | Non-album singles |
| "Peace of Mind" | — | — | ||
| "Screw You a Little Bit" | 2023 | — | — | |
| "Good Enough to Let You Go" | — | — | ||
| "SOS I'm In Love" | — | — | ||
| "Rainbow Connection" (Kermit the Frog cover) | 2025 | — | — | |
Promotional singles
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" | 2018 | Non-album singles |
| "Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree" |
As featured artist
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "Bring It On Home" (with American Authors and Phillip Phillips) | 2019 | Non-album single |
| "Neverland (version two)" (with Joshua Radin) | 2023 | though the world will tell me so, vol. 2 |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | People's Choice Awards | Competition Contestant of 2018 | American Idol | Won | [36] |
| Talent Recap Fan Choice Awards | Favorite Reality TV Competition Contestant of 2018 | Won | [37] |
Tours
- The Dramatic Tour (2019) with Ingrid Michaelson
- The Fall Tour (2023) with Joshua Radin