Artist Friendly with Joel Madden

On this week’s episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden sits down with James McAvoy. Born in Glasgow and raised by his grandparents in the Drumchapel housing estate, McAvoy landed his first screen role at 16 after actor David Hayman visited his school. He went on to become one of Scotland’s most recognizable exports, earning BAFTA nominations for The Last King of Scotland and Atonement, playing Pro...

On this week’s episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden sits down with Paul Walter Hauser. A Michigan native, Hauser spent years waiting tables and working the door at a Burbank comedy club before a two-episode guest spot on the DirecTV series Kingdom turned into a 24-episode run in 2014. From there he became one of Hollywood’s most in-demand character actors, with standout turns in I, Tonya, BlacK...

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden sits down with Dasha. Born in San Luis Obispo, California, Dasha began performing in coffee shops and wineries at age ten and released her first original song at thirteen. After years of grinding as an independent artist — and dropping out of Belmont University in Nashville during the pandemic to chase music full-time — her 2023 single "Austin...

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden sits down with Warren Zeiders. Growing up in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Warren spent his teenage years chasing a lacrosse career rather than a musical one, picking up guitar only as a casual hobby along the way. A string of sports-related injuries ended that path in 2019, and COVID hit the following year. At his sister's suggestion, Warren posted...

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden sits down with Tim McIlrath of Rise Against. Rise Against formed to inspire change for the better, taking the torch from Bad Brains, Minor Threat, and 7 Seconds to create their own political anthems. From the raw sound of 2001’s The Unraveling to the complex themes spread across last year’s Ricochet, it’s apparent that the Chica...

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden sits down with Carly Pearce. Born in Taylor Mill, Kentucky, Carly Pearce left high school at 16 to take a performing job at Dollywood, then moved to Nashville at 19 to chase a solo career full-time — working odd jobs and driving her own van between shows before her big break finally came. Her 2017 debut single, "Every Little Thing," launched a...

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden sits down with Daryl Palumbo. Formed in 1993 by a then-teenage Palumbo and guitarist Justin Beck, Glassjaw became one of post-hardcore's most influential acts, known as much for their unpredictable, genre-defying sound as for the loyal following of musicians who cite them as an inspiration. In 2003, Palumbo launched a second project, Head Auto...

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden sits down with 6LACK.Born in Baltimore and raised in Atlanta, 6LACK grew up around music from the start — his father owned a recording studio, and he was already stepping into the booth by age four. After cutting his teeth as a teenage battle rapper, he broke through in 2016 with his debut album Free 6lack, which spawned the Grammy-nomina...

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden sits down with Dan + Shay. Dan + Shay met at a house party in Nashville in December 2012 and started writing songs together not long after — an unlikely pairing, given Dan came from an emo band background and Shay had been a solo artist on T-Pain's label. Since then, the duo has become one of the most decorated acts in country music history: t...

On this week's rerun episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Benji Madden and M. Shadows. Good Charlotte recently returned with Motel Du Cap, their first album in seven years, and the pop-punk elder statesmen are ringing it in with their longtime friend M. Shadows on Artist Friendly.  The Madden brothers and Avenged Sevenfold vocalist go back, from meeting on ...

On this week's rerun episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Eyedress. Born in Manila, Eyedress came to the US at five years old, moving through Arizona and California — discovering punk and skate culture along the way — before his family returned to the Philippines when he was 15. After years of self-releasing lo-fi bedroom recordings and slowly building an online following, he broke...

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Andrew McMahon. Back in the early 2000s, McMahon catapulted to pop-punk fame as the vocalist and pianist in Something Corporate. While the band took a break, he started writing solo songs that formed the nucleus of Jack’s Mannequin, whose first album, 2005’s Everything in Transit, covered the collapse of a long-term...

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Mikaela Hoover. Hoover’s best known for her long partnership with James Gunn, who created a web short for her called Sparky & Mikaela before casting her in a series of superhero films, including 2010’s Super, 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and last year’s Superman. Following those roles, she’s step...

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Travie McCoy. This summer heralded Gym Class Heroes’ “Universal Language,” doubling as their first music since 2011’s The Papercut Chronicles II and a taste of their upcoming album. Quickly, news of their Back to Basics tour with Lupe Fiasco followed, which kicks off in September. Before heading out on the road...

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Chase Rice. After nonstop touring, the country star recently came off the road and limited his schedule to just a handful of shows that would “not look like anything like what I’ve done the last 13 years of my life.” Catching up with Madden in the Artist Friendly studio, Rice discusses finding fulfill...

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Chet Hanks. Hanks' acting career began in the late 2000s and soon bloomed into a series of appearances on hit TV shows, including Empire, Atlanta, and Shameless (most recently, he’s made headlines for living in an RV out in Nashville while promoting a new season of the Netflix comedy Running Poin...

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Hongjoong of ATEEZ. Back in 2021, Hongjoong — one of the various members in ATEEZ — transformed Linkin Park’s “Numb” into a K-pop hit, even getting a shoutout from Mike Shinoda. Since then, the group have only continued to explode, growing their international fanbase, selling out tours, and landing on the Billboard 200 with the re...

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Pat Monahan of Train. Beginning in July, Train will go on a huge tour to mark the 25th anniversary of Drops of Jupiter — the 2001 album with a title track that won them two Grammy nominations and reached certified diamond status last year. Before hitting the road, the pop-rock frontman stopped by the Artist Friendly studio to catc...

On this week's rerun episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Jacoby Shaddix of Papa Roach. More than 20 years since their inception, ⁠Papa Roach⁠ continue to thrive. Their 2000 album Infest seems to grow bigger every year as new people discover songs like “Last Resort” and “Blood Brothers.” They also remain on the road in support of their 2022 LP Ego Trip, including wrapping the secon...

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Bebe Rexha. Before she signed to Warner in 2013, Rexha was in a short-lived electropop band with Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz called Black Cards, which led to touring with Travie McCoy, multiple solo albums, and a summer on Warped Tour in 2015. Now she’s freshly independent, forming a partnership with indie label and distributor EMPI...

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World. Earlier this year, Jimmy Eat World unveiled the 25th anniversary tour of Bleed American — a landmark album that wrapped their sophisticated, heartfelt storytelling in giant hooks and polished production. Before their headlining run kicks off next week, the frontman stopped by the Artist Friendly stud...

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Jacob Charlton of Thornhill. After opening for Sleep Token on their massive North American arena tour last year, Thornhill quickly captured the attention of the heavy scene. Now, however, they’re in the midst of their own headliner, dubbed the Mercia Tour, presented by our friends at Revolver. While on the run, the frontman stoppe...

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Maisie Peters. The British singer-songwriter’s last album, 2023’s The Good Witch, was a “twisted” take on a breakup album, exploring the “fun and intrigue in being so hurt because it means you cared so much.” Her latest record, Florescence, takes a softer, brighter turn that’s grounded in hope as Peters embraces adulthood. Sitting...

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Lizzo. Lizzo shows up fully in everything she does, and this Artist Friendly conversation is no different. From the diamond single — 2019’s rerecorded “Truth Hurts” — that started with tears in the studio to sleeping in her car on Thanksgiving night, she traces the full arc of who she is and how she got here. Sitting down with Mad...

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Linda Perry. Perry quickly made her mark as the primary songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist for 4 Non Blondes, where she penned the international hit “What’s Up?” (which Thursday covered earlier this year). That album, 1992’s Bigger, Better, Faster, More!, spent more than a year on the Billboard 200 following its release, going pl...