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Sophie Madeleine

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Sophie Madeleine
Birth nameSophie Ball
OriginBrighton, England
OccupationSinger-songwriter / Copywriter
Instrument(s)Ukulele, vocals, guitar
Years active2009-2014
LabelsXtra Mile Recordings
Websitesophiemadeleine.com

Sophie Madeleine (born Sophie Ball) is an award-winning ukulele player from Brighton.[1] She released three solo albums; her third album, Silent Cynic, was released on 1 November 2013 after a crowdfunding campaign on PledgeMusic.[2][3]

Career

Madeleine graduated from Bath Spa University with a BA in Commercial Music and a master's degree in Songwriting.[4] While at Bath Spa, she was in the finals of the Musicians Benevolent Fund Songwriting Awards 2005[5] and she was in the band Oriole.[6]

She produced her first album as a final year project at Bath Spa.[4] She wrote her first ukulele song, Take Your Love With Me, for her then-boyfriend who had bought her that first ukulele. She also plays tenor guitar.[4] A song from her first album, You're My Favourite, was released as a charity single to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support in memory of her father Ben, with a video featuring people from around the world who filmed themselves playing the song.[7][8]

Also while in Bath, she met Hannah Rockcliffe (Hannah-Rei) with whom she formed the comedy-song duo Rocky and Balls,[9] posting videos together on YouTube and recording one album in 2011.[10] Her second album was self-produced at home, and then mixed by Danton Supple. It was released in 2012, and initially sent out personally by Madeleine in a limited run.[11]

Her third solo album was recorded in a studio in Brooklyn, the first to be entirely studio-based, which she described as "one of the most stressful experiences of my life".[4] She published The Official Sophie Madeleine Ukulele Tab Book in 2013.[12]

She became a copywriter at a Brighton-based advertising company in late 2014.[13]

In 2015 she announced her retirement from music.[14]

Performances

She supported Gruff Rhys, the lead singer of Super Furry Animals, on tour.[15] In 2010, she performed at FestiFeel! along with Newton Faulkner and Babyhead to raise awareness of breast cancer[16] and she performed at The Great Escape Festival's launch.[17]

Reception

Madeleine's success on YouTube has led to her being called an "internet sensation".[7] Her music is covered by other artists so often that Finger magazine has crowned her "Queen of the Ukulele".[18] She has over four million views on her YouTube channel.[19]

Frank Turner is a fan of Madeleine's and has played her single "Oil and Gold" on his Steve Lamacq's BBC Radio 2 show.[20] Brighton Source wrote that Madeleine's second album, The Rhythm You Started, is "a ray of sunshine every time we press play".[21] The magazine Computer Music ran a full-page feature on Madeleine in its 2010 "How To Make It In Music" February special.[22]

Internationally

On 8 July 2010 "Take Your Love With Me (The Ukulele Song)" reached number 4 on iTunes' New Zealand Singer-Songwriter Music Chart.[23] In 2012, Madeleine was interviewed on a Portuguese television documentary about ukuleles called Apanhei-te cavaquinho, for RTP2, where she also performed her song "Take Your Love With Me (The Ukulele Song)".[24] Madeleine appeared on MTV Brasil in a short feature dedicated to her career.[25]

Soundtracks

Her songs have been used on the soundtracks of several TV advertisements, notably on adverts for Postbank (You Make Me Happy),[26] Pets at Home (You Make Me Happy),[27] Macy's (Take Your Love With Me)[28] and A1 Telekom Austria (One Fine Day).[29] Her music has also been used on the soundtrack for the BBC programme The Great British Home Movie Roadshow in a segment featuring Spike Milligan.[30]

Discography

Albums

  • Love. Life. Ukulele (Xtra Mile Recordings, 2009)[31]
  • We Like Cake And Beards And Stuff - Rocky and Balls (self-released, May 2011)[32]
  • The Rhythm You Started (Xtra Mile Recordings, 2011)[33]
  • Silent Cynic (2013)[3]

References

  1. ^ Ukulele Video of the Year: Sophie Madeleine, Jocelyn Mackenzie & Emily Hope Price – Bei Mir Bist Du Schön, retrieved 3 March 2013.
  2. ^ Jennifer Bowen and Allison Scott, "Your week in music: Stream the new Sara Bareilles album before you can buy it" FOX6 News, retrieved 17 May 2014.
  3. ^ a b "New album for 2013!", Pledge Music, 8 October 2013, retrieved 17 May 2014.
  4. ^ a b c d Rigby, Nic (March 22, 2014). "Interview: Sophie Madeleine". Songwriting. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  5. ^ "Bath Spa Student in Line for Songwriting Award". Bath Spa University. October 27, 2005. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  6. ^ "Somerset Sounds - Oriole". BBC News. May 3, 2005. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  7. ^ a b BBM, 'Single Review: Sophie Madeleine Ball - Spooky', retrieved 6 March 2013.
  8. ^ "Sophie Madeline – You are my Favourite". Uketoob. June 20, 2010. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  9. ^ "10 Qs with Rocky and Balls (EXCLUSIVE)". Build-a-Beard. March 22, 2010. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  10. ^ Grant, Hamish (March 21, 2011). "Rocky and Balls pay a visit to Toronto". BlogTo. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  11. ^ Costello, Carly (July 31, 2012). "Sophie Madeleine to Release "The Rhythm You Started" on Sept. 11". Artist Direct. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  12. ^ Frauenfelder (June 10, 2013). "The Official Sophie Madeleine Ukulele Tab Book". BoingBoingfirst=Mark. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  13. ^ Ball, Sophie (December 3, 2014). "Why songwriters write good copy". Lark. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  14. ^ http://sophiemadeleine.com/post/131383994456/sophies-retirement-faqs
  15. ^ Sophie Madeleine's Xtra Mile Artist Details, retrieved 3 March 2013.
  16. ^ Virtual Festivals, 'Newton Faulker, Babyhead to headline FestiFeel!', retrieved 6 March 2013.
  17. ^ "The Great Escape Pre-Party", XYZ magazine, May 2010, retrieved 17 May 2014.
  18. ^ Sophie Madeleine interview, Finger magazine, no date, retrieved 17 May 2014.
  19. ^ "Sophie Madeleine". YouTube. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  20. ^ BBC Radio 2 - Steve Lamacq - 04/06/2011, retrieved 3 March 2013.
  21. ^ James Kendall, "Sophie Madeleine Interview", Brighton Source, no date, retrieved 17 May 2014.
  22. ^ Computer Music, "How To Make It In Music", (Future plc, February 2010)
  23. ^ Sophie Madeleine's Chart History, retrieved 5 March 2013.
  24. ^ "4th part of the documentary 'Apanhei-te cavaquinho' - YouTube video" (Madeleine appears between 52.32 - 54.37), retrieved 5 March 2013.
  25. ^ Sophie Madaleine on MTV Brasil, retrieved 5 March 2013.
  26. ^ February Postbank Advert, retrieved 4 March 2013.
  27. ^ Pets at Home Advert, retrieved 4 March 2013.
  28. ^ Macys Tahiti Advert, retrieved 4 March 2013.
  29. ^ A1 TeleKom Advert, retrieved 17 March 2014
  30. ^ The Great British Home Movie Roadshow - August 2010, retrieved 4 March 2013.
  31. ^ Love. Life. Ukulele, iTunes, retrieved 5 March 2013.
  32. ^ "We Like Cake And Beards And Stuff". Rocky and Balls. Bandcamp. May 17, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
  33. ^ The Rhythm You Started, iTunes, retrieved 5 March 2013.
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