Faith-based singer/songwriter Madison Ryann Ward crafts warmhearted material that blends mature pop with contemporary R&B while incorporating touches of gospel, blues, and folk. After releasing the secular Beyond Me EP in 2019 on Rick Rubin’s American Recordings imprint, she launched her own Zelda House Records and issued multiple standalone tracks before unveiling her first full-length project, A New Thing, in 2023—an extended showcase for her commanding yet understated vocal presence.
Raised in Oklahoma, Ward absorbed a broad musical palette from childhood onward. Her mother served as church pianist, and she absorbed blues and soul staples while working at her father’s restaurant during her teenage years. A standout multisport athlete throughout high school, she competed in volleyball at Oklahoma University with professional aspirations until an impromptu cafeteria performance of Aretha Franklin’s “Chain of Fools” circulated widely online. The clip prompted her to cultivate an audience through consistent cover uploads, after which she focused on refining her voice and emerging songwriting skills, ultimately securing a contract with Rubin and American Recordings.
Her first commercial outing arrived in 2018 via the Rex Rideout collaboration “Mirror,” followed the next year by the four-track Beyond Me EP, which included the spare, soulful ballad “BRKN.” Operating independently from 2020 to 2022, she advanced her catalog with the singles “Higher,” “Player,” “Love&Adoration,” and “Anchor.” In 2023 she issued A New Thing, a recording exceeding an hour in length that incorporated several of those earlier tracks within its sequence.
