Madeleine Roger
Biographie Madeleine Roger
Madeleine Roger
is a singer-songwriter from Winnipeg, Canada. While skillfully accompanying herself on acoustic guitar, it is her artistry as a songwriter that can silence a room, uniting her lyrical prowess with breathtaking melodies that linger long after they are sung.
Her newest collection of songs is a deeply personal body of work examining every nook and cranny of love and loss. It is unflinchingly honest, and is the result of three years of soul-digging, experimentation, and fine-tuning - Madeleine has poured over every word. Nerve, the album created in the process (out August 2024) is her sophomore release, and it touches the exposed nerve left over from a breakup with a long-term lover and musical collaborator, the death of a soul-friend, the secret of an unrequited love, months of caring for a dying grandparent, and finding a curious peace in spite of it. It was produced by Josh Kaufman (Anaïs Mitchell, Bob Weir, Bonny Light Horseman) and recorded in four days in Kingston NY by engineer D. James Goodwin (The National, Fruit Bats, The Hold Steady).
She has toured extensively across Canada, Europe, and the UK sharing her music live at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Shetland Island Folk Festival, Vancouver Island Music Festival, Stan Rogers Folk Festival, Summerfolk Festival of Arts and Crafts, among others. She is also a regular collaborator with JUNO award winning string quartet The Fretless, appearing with them in performances and on recordings as a vocalist and co-writer.
Her years of theatre and travel consumed her from the age of 7 into the end of her degree in Theatre & Film in her early 20s when she finally picked up one of the many guitars lying around her home and started writing songs. A year later she quit theatre, falling hopelessly in love with song-craft and the endless possibilities of music.
A lifelong history of singing in living rooms, musicals, and around bonfires has informed her current comfort on the stage, and the countless hours hanging out in the control room of her Dad's recording studios left an impression on Madeleine, growing up thinking that everyone talked about songwriting and album production at the dinner table.
Her previously released critically-acclaimed album Cottonwood (2018) reflects on femininity and equality, the majesty of the wilderness, and the beautiful awkwardness of trying to love another person. Cottonwood reached the No. 1 spot on the National folk/roots charts in Canada, and also saw Madeleine nominated for both “English Songwriter of the Year” at the 2020 Canadian Folk Music Awards and “Producer of the Year” at the 2019 Western Canadian Music Awards. Madeleine co-produced and co-engineered Cottonwood (2018) with Lloyd Peterson (The Wailin' Jenny's, The Weakerthans, James Keelaghan) at Paintbox Recording in Winnipeg. The album was proudly made with gender parity, and was written from Madeleine’s home in Winnipeg, Canada in a woodstove-heated cabin that her great-grandparents built in the Manitoba backwoods.
She is an advocate for equality and the representation of women in the music industry, and is actively working to get more women behind the board in recording studios.
“Madeleine's excellent songwriting, ear for traditional-sounding melodies, fabulous voice, and skillful guitar playing give them a timeless quality, though they speak directly to our time.” - Stan Rogers Folk Festival
"Madeleine’s voice stays with you, reminiscent at times of a young Joni Mitchell." - Mojo
“One of the best out there right now.” - If It’s Too Loud
“She steps out with a truly terrific folk album.” – Great Dark Wonder
“A glimpse into the machinations of someone who is attentive to the world around her.” – Exclaim!
“Cottonwood makes for bright listening and repeated plays.” – Roots Music
