The “Pretty Girl” singer opens up about taking control of her career, her love of horror films and her darkly intense new record, Headsplit.
Maggie Lindemann could have easily become an also-ran Ariana Grande or Dua Lipa. She started her career as a pop artist with a worldwide mainstream hit, “Pretty Girl.” But instead of allowing her career to be controlled by others who wanted to turn her into a producer-driven pop princess coated in Auto-Tune, the Gen Z artist decided to forge her own path. Ditching the light Top 40 style for a darker, she pursued a deeper electronic style with intense lyrics that tackle love and loss in a way that’s beyond the singer’s 25 years.
HUSTLERMagazine.com caught up with Lindemann to discuss taking control of her career, her recent Headsplit EP and rumors that her dad is secretly Till Lindemann from Rammstein.
HUSTLERMagazine.com: You started your career making pop music. What inspired you to transition to a darker electronic sound?
I’ve always wanted to make the type of music I am making now. But when I first started making music, I was young, and the music I made then was the type of music I felt I needed to do at first to get into the music industry. Then my song [“Pretty Girl”] started blowing up, which was completely unexpected. After I signed to a label, they pushed for that pop sound. It fit what they imagined someone being so young and having a certain look should make. Once I took control of my music and career, I got to make the choices I wanted. Take the music in the direction I wanted. I just had to fight my way to get to where I am now.
Lyrically, there was a shift toward more intense topics. Do those come more naturally to you than pop lyrics?
For sure. Writing about stuff I’m going through is so natural. This genre is way more natural to me. Writing these songs comes to me quicker. It’s a completely different process than pop.
