Madison Beer, the 26-year-old pop sensation, has navigated the complexities of fame since entering the music industry at just 13 years old. Her career took off dramatically after Justin Bieber tweeted a link to her YouTube cover of Etta James’s “At Last,” which caught the attention of millions. Over the last ten years, she’s built a religiously devoted following. Today, she is one of the most visible artists on social media—recently reaching over 60 million combined followers on Instagram and TikTok.
Originally from Long Island, New York, Beer and her family relocated to Los Angeles. They took the action just a few weeks after her first burst of fame. Her path hasn’t been free of obstacles. At 16, she faced a huge challenge. Her manager at the time, Scooter Braun, and her label, Island Records, soon cut their professional ties with her. In a frank interview about her formative experiences, Beer said she felt robbed of her youth.
Beer said that “Braun and my label stole all of my teenage years from me.” She talked about the inhuman expectations and pressures she had put on her beginning at age 5. After having dealt with these experiences, she has pursued mental health therapy surrounding her journey as an artist and as an individual navigating societal expectations.
After years of struggling to cope, Beer received the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder (BPD). She fearlessly tackled this issue head on in her 2023 memoir, “The Half of It.” Telling America’s Story provides an intimate look at her extraordinary life. It explores her mental health journey in depth and discovers how her early fame lived her held, her glance inward.
She said the focus on and investigation into public relationships is absolutely disgusting. At the same time, it violates millions of Americans’ privacy. Her relationship with Jack Gilinsky of the pop-rap duo Jack & Jack attracted considerable online hate from his fanbase, teaching her early on about the cruelty that can accompany fame. I understood, from a very young age, how cruel people could be,” she continued.
Though she’s been subjected to harsh treatment from fans and detractors, Beer wants to remind young people to love themselves. She shared how very hard it was for her as well to escape from that ideology for all those years. Now, she pleasures herself to tolerable levels entirely without it ruining her life.
Her critically acclaimed new record “Locket,” out this year, combines incisive and unflinching lyricism with expansive, ambient pop instrumentation. Beer credits the experience of writing this album as intimidating, especially considering how raw and personal it is. I know that it’s scary for me to put out an album like this,” she admitted. “It would be pretty easy for me to go online and be like: ‘This is what happened [in my last relationship]’ and I don’t like that.”
Now, with over thirteen years in the industry under her belt, Beer is still passionate about what keeps her heart racing. I don’t write this to self-deprecate, but I am far from a chart-topping artist. I know people will argue that I haven’t had massive hits, but I can say that I’ve written some bangers, maybe not in the way some of ya’ll are looking for. If I’m still able to sell out a tour and able to perform for large crowds and actually enjoy it, then I’m obviously fine.
Alongside her continued successes, Madison Beer is all too aware of the public’s proclivity to cast judgment on people, often without knowing their experiences. “People are so quick to be like: ‘This is what’s wrong with this person,’ and attack someone’s character,” she remarked.
Both her memoir and her music speak to Beer’s desire to relate to anyone willing to meet her there. At the end of the day, I found that more than anything, writing a book was an opportunity to create relationships with people. People who really want to take the time to get to know me are worth that investment.