“[As a kid], I was always singing and putting on a show of some kind—music overall was a very sacred thing to me from an early age. I knew I wanted to be an artist and do this with my life, so it’s crazy that that’s actually how it turned out,” states Madison Beer. With looks to kill and harmonies that shake your soul, Beer has quickly become the latest sultry, pop princess from this generation’s global youthquake. Soaring into internet virality at just 12 years old with her YouTube covers of American classics like Etta James’ “At Last” and Roberta Flack’s “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” Beer’s rise to stardom happened almost immediately—signing her first record deal a year later. Life should’ve been thrilling for the budding artist, but it wasn’t everything she dreamed of. “In hindsight, I think it was too much for a kid.”

“I was exposed to a lot at a really young age and I was ripped away from things that a child should be doing when they’re young, for stuff that didn’t really benefit me. I think in 20 years from now, we’re going to look back and think ‘wow, we really shouldn’t have let certain things go on and have protected our young women better.’” She didn’t feel connected to her first single, the teen-pop ballad “Melodies.“It [wasn’t] right for me even when I was 13 and I was pushed to do it,” she notes. Tired of the restrictions placed upon her, she grew determined to hone in on her untapped musical potential. After dropping a slew of singles and her 2018 debut EP, As She Pleases, Beer grew a steady fan base as she experimented with new producers and songwriters such as Jax Jones, Martin Solveig, and Charli XCX, and collaborated with artists from Offset to Kim Petras. Beer not only found her place in the music industry but also took her stance on owning her sound.

“I’ve learned to fight for what I believe in and have the ability to stand on my own two feet. Now, I stick to my guns—I’m a lot more grounded as an individual. I’m more sure of who I am, which leads into my music and makes me more certain on what to put out.” This accumulated growth eventually led to this year’s release of her debut studio album Life Support, under her new label Epic Records. “I think [my sound] today is really different—it’s a lot more mature,” she says. “It feels like a big leap and it’s continuing to grow into this really beautiful, exciting place. It’s really been about getting to know who I am at my core and then letting that be the driving ship on where I go, musically.”

Now at 22 years old with the world as her stage, Madison is living her pop star dreams, touring the US this past fall (“I live to perform—It’s what I love to do,” she says) and gearing up to drop new music in early 2022. “I want to be really strategic with what comes next,” she says. “Each step I make, going forward, I think is going to be a pinnacle turning point in my career. The future feels very bright and I’m trying to welcome that light in—everything is a stepping stone.”

Just recently, the pop princess sat down with V’s Mathias Rosenzweig and Edward Shorter, a doctor and professor of psychiatry, for our latest podcast ‘V Wanna Know’ to discuss and learn more about the history of mental health.

Getting candid about her own struggles with her mental health, Beer got real about her aim to help destigmatize the topic. Touching on mental asylums, the misdiagnosis of women’s mental health throughout the centuries, and issues with the current state of affairs with the psychiatric field, the episode was surely one to hear! Click here to take a listen to Madison’s episode from our ‘V Wanna Know’ podcast now!