Introduction

Poppy Ajudha, Maverick Sabre and Madison McFerrin discuss how much they try to cater to an audience when songwriting, the backlash that can come from political and social comment in songs, and the complexities of expressing their identities through music.

Poppy Ajudha is a singer-songwriter from London, UK whose music fuses pop, jazz, soul and R n’ B with politically-charged lyrics. Her songs have received over 25 million streams and in 2019 she featured in Barack Obama’s Best of the Year playlist.

Maverick Sabre is a platinum-selling London-born Irish singer, songwriter and rapper. After being nominated for a BRIT Award in 2011, he’s gone on to collaborate with the likes of Jorja Smith, Akala, and former Music Life guest Kojaque.

Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and producer Madison McFerrin was born into a family of celebrated vocalists, but has forged her own career in music, creating a sound which seminal producer Questlove dubbed "soul-appella".