Last month, the night before the 2025 Grammy nominations were announced, Madison Beer was playing Fortnite with nine of her friends. They were absolutely convinced her seductive stunner “Make You Mine” was going to get nominated, but she didn’t want to get her hopes up — even though she’d already received her first Grammy nomination last year (when her LP Silence Between Songs was tapped for Best Immersive Audio Album). “I was like, ‘A girl can dream, but I’m not going to be up there,’” Beer recalls telling her friends. “They were like, ‘Why, bro? Your song was so huge.’ I was like, ‘You guys don’t realize it’s not about if a song is huge. There’s so many submissions, and dance music was huge this year. I’m not delusional.’”
Only when Beer woke up the next morning and tuned into the live Grammy nominations did she realize her pals were right. Not only did “Make You Mine” receive a nod for Best Dance Pop Recording, but she was the first name announced in the category. “Literally within one second, my fucking name is the first one on the screen,” she says. “And dude, I jumped up so crazy. It was genuine shock. First name. It’s like if you placed a fucking bet on a football player getting a touchdown and the second the game started, he did it. You didn’t even have to sweat the bet. So I jumped up, of course, as one does, and screamed at the top of my lungs, literally bloody murder. My boyfriend woke up and thought that we were in a nuclear war. That’s how loud I was screaming.”
Beer has spent more than a decade in the music industry — ever since 2012, when she uploaded a mind-blowing Etta James cover on YouTube and it was discovered by Justin Bieber. But all these years later, her shock over a Grammy nomination proves that she’s still that genuine, wide-eyed singer with a powerhouse voice who just wants to make it big. “Honestly, I know it sounds probably bullshit, but win or not, that recognition is there forever,” she tells Rolling Stone. “I’m just over the fucking moon about it.”
You just played Jingle Ball in New York. How’d it go?
It was crazy. They don’t tell you that Jingle Ball is chaotic AF, because there’s so many artists there that they’re obviously all trying to manage. You don’t think about it, but because every artist has a different set time, then every artist also has to go on the carpet at different times, and everyone has interviews at different times. So if you miss your interview by two minutes, it fucks up everyone’s schedule. So it’s stressful just coordinating you and 10 other artists, but it was so fun. It was such a cool experience. I mean, growing up in New York and going to Jingle Ball as a kid and being able to play was insane for me.
Was that your first time performing at Madison Square Garden?
It was. But it will not be my last.
What was that like?
It was surreal. I selfishly have always dreamed of headlining a show there. So I’m so excited that I played there, but the first time I sell out the Garden will be when I’m over the moon.
But it was insane just to be in that room and to be on that stage. I couldn’t even sing through my first song. I wasn’t really emotional until I got onstage and was looking out. I’m a bit of a dramatic singer. And I immediately, of course, put myself in a bad position, which was to start thinking about young Madison watching older Madison [during] my first song. I started crying and I couldn’t even finish the song because I was so emotional. It was such a dream come true. It’s ridiculous. There’s nothing like the Garden. Also, it’s Madison Square Garden, so obviously it’s always felt destined for me to play it.
Do you remember the first show you saw there?
Oh my god. I couldn’t tell you 100 percent what it was, but let me think. I don’t know if it was at the Garden, but I did see an American Idol concert once when I was younger in the city. I mean, I was super young when Justin performed there [around 2012]. That was the first time I had ever been backstage, anywhere. I was just like, “What is going on and why am I here?” So my most memorable first thing was Justin, honestly.
Congrats on your second Grammy nomination. You still sound very shocked.
The night before, my team was like, “It’s going to happen, girl.” I was like, “No, stop. Genuinely, everyone shut up. It’s not happening.” Because I’m just realistic. Not to put myself down, but my album last year didn’t crush it, and I was like, “I’m not going to be nominated for a Grammy with this album,” and everyone around me was like, “Don’t put yourself down!” I was like, “Girl, that’s not what I’m doing. I’m just being real. Let’s just call a spade a spade.” It wasn’t a Number One album or anything. It didn’t even go on Billboard at all. So when that happened, it was obviously insane. [Last] year, I found out because my mom literally called me, but it was a nomination for the mixing of the album. So it was different.
Then this year, there was more hope for me, but this year was especially huge for dance music. And yes, my song did super well, but there’s other songs that did way better. And there’s also 20,000 submissions for the Grammys. I just was like, “I don’t think it’s going to happen this year.” It’s not something that I’m ever expecting.
So I went to bed that night, and of course couldn’t sleep. At one in the morning I wrote a journal entry. It’s actually really cute. I basically said, “Just the fact that I could go to sleep tonight and there’s a 50 percent chance that I might wake up with a fucking Grammy nomination is something that I need to reflect on.” Because there was a point in time where that was never even remotely a possibility. And the fact that I get to actually go to bed tonight, and it could be something that I’m even considering might happen is insane and such growth, and I want to acknowledge that. So it was a cute little journal entry. And then at the end I was like, “But obviously whatever happens, I’m still proud of myself,” and blah, blah, blah.
You’re up against Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, and Troye Sivan in that category.
Are we kidding? Are we joking? Because I was so excited right when it came out, I didn’t even see who else was in the category because I was too busy screaming my brains out. So then when I went back to the TV and saw, I was like, “Holy shit.” I don’t even know what to say about it, because it feels fake.
Do you feel a sense of competition at all?
No. It’s not really about taking it home. Of course, everyone wants to fucking win the Grammy, but I’m a Grammy nominee forever, and amongst such amazing company. Also, every song that’s nominated, I’ve streamed endlessly this year. So it’s all amazing either way.
“Make You Mine” is such a feel-good dance track. How did you approach it?
It was made for my tour. I was about to head out, and then I was like, “OK, I need something a little more dancey.” Because my album was full of ballads. Shot myself in the foot there. I want people to have fun at my show, to be able to dance. So I literally was like, “Yo, [producer] Leroy [Clampitt], can I get in and make some fun shit for the tour?” And he was like, “Yeah, of course.” So we literally went in on a random Tuesday in October [2023] and made “Make You Mine.” And the second we made it, I was like, “Wait, this is so fire.” We actually had a plan to release — so “Make You Mine” was supposed to come on one Friday, and then another song was supposed to come on the next Friday, and another song was supposed to come on the Friday before tour. It was all just for the tour.
Then when I teased “Make You Mine” on TikTok, and it got so much traction, I was like, “Wait, we should hold off on the other songs and not cannibalize our release.” And then it went crazy, but it was so casual, the way it was made.
You can’t predict when songs on TikTok take off — let alone just the announcement.
Dude, yeah, you can’t predict it at all. You never know what’s going to click, and honestly, I love that that was the one that clicked for people because it was so effortless for me. Making the song and promoting it was literally just like, “Oh, here’s a song I’m releasing.” Whereas in the past, I’ve done this whole crazy release plan — shot such expensive music videos, done all these things — and then it, like, flops. And it’s just cool to see that people actually don’t really care about all the semantics that go into it. If they like it, they like it. I didn’t even release the music video until months and months later after the song had already been successful. That was a really valuable thing for me to learn: People just want to fuck with the music.
It was such an easy song, and I’m not like that either. My songs literally take me so long to fucking put out because I overthink everything, but because this one had no pressure around it. Transparently, I had — actually, I don’t even want to say this actually because my label will kill me — but not everyone believed in the song. It wasn’t even the timing. People were like, “Wait, are you sure you want to just drop a random fucking single before tour?” I was like, “Yeah, it’s just for the fans.” So for that to be the one that clicked was just really cool.
When will you release those other songs? Will it be an EP, or a full album?
The next thing coming out will definitely be a full-length album. I was going to do an EP a year ago. I was talking about potentially doing that, but shit just got so crazy that I didn’t have time to, and then I just went into full album mode. So it’ll probably take a bit longer, but those songs will be on the album and it will hopefully be out somewhat soon. I’m in the studio every single day.
Can fans expect the songs to go in the dance direction of “Make You Mine”?
Yeah, I think that my music taste and the things that I like are all over the place. So I want to showcase all the different influences and things that I listen to. Because if you drove with me for an hour in the car, I couldn’t even tell you the amount of different genres and vibes you would hear. And I just have always been someone that doesn’t want to box myself into one thing. I don’t want to be someone that people can even expect what the next thing is. I really enjoy just putting out whatever I’m fucking with, honestly.
Do you know if Megan Fox has seen the “Make You Mine” video? It’s an excellent homage to Jennifer’s Body.
Dude, I don’t know. I don’t know. I’ve literally never spoken to her. Isn’t that insane? I hope that she would like it because she’s an icon, and I honestly did it because the fans have been asking me for years. They’re like, “Please, we need to see you do something Jennifer’s Body.” And I have always been hesitant to lean into it because I don’t want people thinking that that means that I think I am her, because I don’t. But they were just begging me, so I was like, “OK, this is the time to do it.” And it was so fun.
Some fans on social media swear you’re related.
I’m also like, “Girl, I don’t even look like her like that. She has blue eyes.” I appreciate it, but I don’t even look like her. But yeah, I’m honored and I hope that if she’s seen it, she’s loved it.
Why do you think that people are so drawn to this cult film? It was released so long ago, but younger generations love it.
Because she’s so hot. [Laughs.] She’s so hot, and also because it has Amanda Seyfried. I think it’s just an iconic movie and people just feel a connection to it. I also think it’s very aesthetic, and people love an aesthetic movie. I don’t know.
I only have a few more minutes with you, so I want to ask about your opinions on music this year. It was an amazing year for pop. What are the albums you loved the most?
Oh, girl. My god. I mean, off the top of my head, my top three, in no order: [Sabrina Carpenter’s] Short n’ Sweet, [Ariana Grande’s] Eternal Sunshine, [Billie Eilish’s] Hit Me Hard and Soft. [Charli XCX’s] Brat, obviously. The girls are girling, and I just love it. I’m probably also not thinking of so many others. But I got really lucky this year, because I was on tour for most of the year, so I was able to listen to everyone’s albums in all of my spare time and really digest it. I was doing my own makeup on tour, so the hour that I got ready, it was just listening to everyone’s music and stuff, literally every night blasting it.
I’m so happy for these women. It’s feeling like people are really into the “supporting each other” of it all and not feeling like it’s a competition. That’s something I’ve seen people talk about, and that’s something that feels really important to me, because I hate the notion that we’re all competing for the Number One spot. I think there’s room for everybody, and I think that everyone has such different fan bases and different trajectories. That’s been really cool for me to see. How people are just like, “Yeah, I want to see other girls win.” It’s not like if I do good, that means another girl can’t.
Chappell Roan was also a really vital voice this year, especially in protecting your mental health.
I love Chappell. I fucking agree. I think there’s so much to — sorry, I’m also parallel parking, so give me one [second]. In general, I love to see women be outspoken and just say their fucking takes. Especially with my experience in the industry — getting signed at 12 years old — I was taught very, very young, “Be quiet and be pretty and sing your songs,” and that’s about it. And I fucking hated that, always. I was just like, “Ew, that’s not who I am. I want to be myself.” I also don’t want people to be a fan of mine if I’m being inauthentic. I want people to love me because I’m being me, and that’s it.
I love everyone so much. I’m literally going to Billie’s show this week and went to Sabrina’s show a couple of weeks ago, and I just am so happy for all of these girls. It’s so important for people to stop pitting us against each other because none of us signed up to compete. We all just have a passion for music. I say “we” — I don’t even feel like I should be involved in the conversation, but whatever. My biggest takeaway is just we all just are doing our things and don’t need to be compared.
You’re also a fan of older music, too. You just posted an Instagram story of the Beach Boys’ “The Warmth of the Sun,” and you’ve sampled the Turtles. So, who are your favorites?
It’s really tough for me, because I love old music so much that sometimes I get in my own way and don’t listen to any new music. But I’m trying to change that. You know how you have your comfort movie that is the movie you’ve been watching your whole life? I’m that way with music, where if there’s music that I love and there’s artists I love, I kind of just stay on that for a while. I love the Beach Boys. I love the Beatles. I love the Zombies — so much.
A lot of stuff that just resonates with me. There’s a lot of old music that I just feel like has something about it that wasn’t trying to be a hit. That’s something that I struggle with these days where it feels like, “Oh, you have to release music that is a hit.” Well, what the fuck is a hit? No one knows what is going to be a hit or what a hit sounds like, and I don’t want to get wrapped up in trying to make a hit happen. I want to just make music that feels authentic, and like me.
