Madeline Merlo is letting fans into her whirlwind journey of finding her happily ever after by releasing new music that embodies a narrative of authenticity, vulnerability and perfection.
Kicking things off with a heavy heartbreak, the 2x CCMA Award winner and 2024 CCMA Female Artist of the Year nominee shared her first offering earlier this month with a stunning duet featuring none other than country crooner Dustin Lynch. Titled “Broken Heart Thing,” the song explores both sides of a recent heartbreak and how the former partners are still getting used to the relationship falling apart — which is something she went through before meeting (and marrying) her now husband Chase Fann.
“I really gravitated towards this song because I feel like it’s super visual. I feel like it explains the circumstances, but also the emotions when you’re just off of a breakup,” Madeline tells Celeb Secrets exclusively in a virtual interview. “I think one of the hardest parts is adjusting to this new thing that you’re in where you’re not calling them all the time and they’re not sleeping beside you, [so this song] is the beginning of the story that I’m going to tell in my journey of finally figuring everything out and finding my husband.”
Knowing there was room for another voice on the song to tell their side of the emotional story, the “Champagne Night” singer reveals to Celeb Secrets that she is obsessed with Dustin’s voice, making it a no-brainer as to who she wanted to be featured on the country ballad.
“I’ve known Dustin for a minute now… I’ve gotten to sing background vocals on his record and we did this CMT Fireside thing together… so I’ve known him for a little bit,” Madeline says of her connection with the 39-year-old. “I literally just texted him the song and I was so, so, so excited when he said yes.”
“I just felt like it would be cool with this song specifically to be a duet, because I think no matter if you’re the one who’s getting broken up with or you’re the breaker, you’re still adjusting to this new life that you’re now in. I’m obsessed with [Dustin’s] voice. There’s so much texture and emotion in his vocals, and I thought it would have really complemented [the song],” she continues.
“If you would have told me three years ago that I would have texted Dustin [Lynch] and asked him to be on my song and that he was going to say yes… I don’t think I would have believed you,” she concludes.
Directed by Jack Owens, the official music video for the track perfectly embodies what “Broken Heart Thing” is all about, as it shows both Madeline and Dustin in different parts of the room opening up about their perspectives on the relationship that once was. And while she loved filming on set with Dustin, her favorite memory from the shoot was hearing that she’s making her Grand Ole Opry debut on October 16th, just a few days after releasing her new EP ONE HOUSE DOWN (from the girl next door).
“I literally found out when [me and Dustin] were on the set reading these liners. It was like, ‘Madeline will be joined with Dustin on the Opry’. And I was like, ‘wait, what?’ And found out in that moment. It was certainly a high moment of the day. I definitely cried off all my makeup and had to get it redone,” she recalls.
Calling an Opry debut a “huge goal” of hers, Merlo plans to finally pop that bottle of champagne in her home that’s reserved for the special moment, as she’s “been dreaming about playing the Opry for so long.”
“I have a bottle of champagne that has a sticky note that says ‘Opry debut’ in my house. I’m like, ‘one day I’m gonna do this.’ It’s been like a huge goal of mine, and I got to read it just casually. I just freaked out. It was the best day, truly,” Madeline reveals.
“I think when you just put things out in the universe, and you, like, I always, There’s an expression that says ‘it’s already yours,’ and I really feel that passionately. I try to manifest and think about it, so that’s why I took the bottle of champagne [and put the sticky note on it]. It’s a stamp to say, ‘I’m going to accomplish this goal’ and just put it out there. I think it can be really effective… and it was,” she concludes.
Hitting the 16-month mark of being a wife, Madeline has had time to reflect on her past, which she says gives her “more perspective on it,” resulting in a beautiful body of work that is the most true to her. Set to be release on Friday, October 11, ONE HOUSE DOWN (from the girl next door) is the hope and clarity the British Columbia native needed to get out of the dark place she was once previously in and find the person she was meant to be with.
“I write from a lot of different places, and I think when you’re out of a situation, you have more perspective on it. Oftentimes I’ll write songs a year after something happens because I feel like I have all the information and can tell the story appropriately,” Madeline reveals.
“This was one of those things when I’m kind of looking back at this, you know, big, tumultuous, crazy breakup that I had, where I was so, so lost and unsure of what I was supposed to be doing. I just really trusted my gut that the Lord had something better for me. You watch me kind of weave through all these situations and then in the final song, you meet the person you’re supposed to be with and you’re so grateful for all of the pain and hardship that you went through because it wouldn’t have made you the person you are to end up with the person you’re supposed to be with,” she continues.
“All of these songs were written in a very tumultuous time of my life where I was kind of a bit of a wreck. I got a lot of inspiration from this period of time because I was just really lost. I felt like all my emotions were out of control and I was doing things and in situations I shouldn’t have been in. It was just a low time for me, but a good place to draw inspiration from, so to see the stumbling and then this moment of hope and clarity come through… I feel like I finally healed myself and ended up where I’m supposed to be,” she concludes.
For more on Madeline’s music, make sure to watch our full interview below, and don’t forget to let us know what you think of “Broken Heart Thing” by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sliding into our DMs on Instagram at @celebsecretscountry.
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