Madison McFerrin

ArtYard and the Frenchtown Bookshop are excited to announce that Madison McFerrin, a singer/songwriter/producer whose fluid and emotional vocals have been described by Questlove as “soul-apella,” will perform at 8 PM on Saturday, May 20 at ArtYard’s McDonnell Theater.

Madison McFerrin is a soul singer-songwriter based in Los Angeles. She layers her intricate and expressive vocals by using digital looping and sampling, creating a lush soundscape. As NPR described it, “She creates expansive, atmospheric grooves that grow and bloom, layer by layer. The New York Times praised her “wonderful vocal dexterity.” And, Pitchfork called her music “a compelling testament to the power and dexterity of the human voice.”

For this performance, she will also be accompanied by bass, drums, and keyboards.

Madison comes from a stellar musical family. Echoes of her Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award-winning father, Bobby McFerrin (“Don’t Worry, Be Happy”) flow through her work. Her brother, Taylor McFerrin, produced her latest EP, “You and I.” Her grandfather, Robert McFerrin, was the first Black man to sing with the Metropolitan Opera. The New York Times raves that Madison McFerrin “has inherited her father’s talent.”

Madison debuted with a sold-out performance at Joe’s Pub at the Public Theater. Her tours have taken her across the world, including London, Paris, and Warsaw, and in the U.S. at Lincoln Center, Central Park SummerStage, and Celebrate Brooklyn. Her songs can be heard on the television shows “Broad City” (Comedy Central) and “Random Acts of Flyness” (HBO). She has shared stages with Aretha Franklin, De La Soul, and The Roots.

Throughout her fruitful independent career, spanning three EPs and multiple collaborations, Madison has earned accolades from The New York Times, NPR, The FADER, and Pitchfork, who named her a Rising Artist in 2018. Her genre-bending work has led to Questlove dubbing her early sound “soul-appella.” In addition to a stirring performance on the renowned COLORS Studio platform, McFerrin has also performed at Lincoln Center, Central Park SummerStage and BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn, and shared stages with the likes of De La Soul, Gallant, and The Roots. Off the stage, Madison’s music has been featured in episodes of Comedy Central’s Broad City and HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness. Working at the intersection of artistry and community building, McFerrin co-curated programming for the BRIC Jazz Festival in 2021, and in 2022, aligned her MAD LOVE initiative with the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy to present three installments of Summer Fridays—a series focused on themes of RELEASE, RESTORE & REJOICE with DJs, comedians and musicians providing some much needed space for healing from the collective trauma and grief of the pandemic. Most recently, Madison has performed at the Saint Joseph’s Art Society in San Francisco and Joe’s Pub in New York City to support fundraisers benefiting the National Network of Abortion Funds.