Welsh musician MADI announced as head of music school’s new pop ensemble

Maddie Jones, who performs as MADI, has been revealed as director of a newly launched Pop Collective.

Starting in September, the Cardiff-based performer will be heading up a new pop ensemble at Cardiff University’s School of Music.

The Pop Collective will offer students the chance to gain live music experience in popular genres and also provide opportunities to learn about production techniques.

Maddie Jones said: “When I first heard about the new Pop Collective, my first thought was that I wished it had existed in my university when I was studying.

“I’m excited to work with the students and build the ensemble to be something that really caters to their interests, but also sets them up for the world of being a freelance musician beyond university, should they choose to.

“Live events are the lifeblood of our industry, so it’ll be a great experience to design performances, and I’m very keen to encourage the students to hone the skills that will support them in the world of live performance, such as songwriting, recording, and videography.”

‘Weirdo pop’

Maddie is an experienced singer, songwriter, producer and composer who describes her electronic-fused sound as ‘weirdo pop’.

Her music has featured on BBC 6Music and in 2019 she won the Best Solo Act at the Cardiff Music Awards.

Director of Performance, Dr Keith Chapin, said: “Given her range of talents, Maddie Jones is ideally positioned both to challenge students with experience in bands and to introduce students without such experience to new ways of performing and producing music.”

The Pop Collective adds to the collection of ensembles already at the school which includes classical choirs, orchestras, jazz, Indonesian gamelan and West African drumming ensembles.