Maddie Morris is an artist who strives to make a difference in the world. Bold, insightful, and refreshingly unique, they take traditional song in new directions to shine a light on contemporary issues, offering new perspectives on the world we live in today.

 

Winner of the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Award, Maddie has been described by Jim Moray as “leading the next generation of socially conscious songwriters.” Their music explores the way personal narratives in song can hold political importance. Folk songs have always told stories, but Maddie makes their mark by turning storytelling into action.

 

Recent collaborations include an artist residency at Ferens Art Gallery exploring trans re-telling of the Sirens myth, as well as commissions from Unlimited, Rural Arts, and the English Folk Dance and Song Society.

 

Maddie’s practice is rooted in the oral tradition: learning, sharing, and continuing folk legacies by listening, interpreting, and recreating. Their composition draws on tunes, melodies, and lyrics from British and Appalachian traditions, interwoven with their experiences as a trans, disabled person and stories gathered from communities they are part of. This meeting of tradition, personal identity, and community storytelling is at the heart of Maddie’s work—writing historically excluded voices and experiences into the canon so they’re valued and remembered.

 

Maddie released their debut album Skin to huge critical acclaim on the No Masters label. Skin was described by Tradfolk as “a folk fusion of personal tales, queer & feminist insights, and activism.” Passionately political yet gently understated, this is music that deftly treads the path between art and activism.