You might know this week’s guest from her hit single Pretty Girl and has since blown up with her debut EP Paranoia.
She’s currently promoting the album and gearing up for livestream performances.
On Episode 022 of The MICK Show, we talk about her journey from Dallas to Los Angeles, the music she grew up on and the many ways she’s continuing to grow as an artist.
We also get into how she handles creative blocks and what advice she would give to anyone wanting to take their career to the next level.
You can follow Mick (@mick) and Maggie Lindemann (@maggielindemann) on Instagram.
New episodes of “The MICK Show” (presented in partnership with @maximmag) are released every Wednesday!
MICK: Welcome back to The MICK Show. Man, this is exciting, man. We have a special guest this week. Very excited to have her on the show. Maggie Lindemann, what’s up?
Maggie Lindemann: Hi! How are you?
MICK: Good. I’m good. Thank you for finding time out of your busy schedule to be on our show.
Lindemann: Yeah, of course. Thank you for having me.
MICK: I hope this is the easiest interview you’ve had to do during this entire year of chill. But it wasn’t a year of chill for you, huh? You had a lot going on in this year where everybody else took the year off.
Lindemann: Yes. I had a lot going on. It was funny, because like the beginning of everything, I was like, “Oh, I’m chilling. We’re gonna get back to normal in a week. This is great. It’s like a break.” And now we’re like a year into it and it’s crazy.
MICK: But it’s soon to end, because vaccines, and people also just don’t give a fuck anymore. I see these pictures of parties in Atlanta and Miami and I’m just like-
Lindemann: Oh, wow. Yeah.
MICK: Yeah, yeah. There’s no COVID down there.
Lindemann: No. Not at all. Doesn’t exist.
MICK: It does not exist at all. Cool. So, I think it’s really interesting, so you were born and raised in Dallas.
Lindemann: Yes. Yeah.
MICK: And I’m curious how that impacted what you like musically. What’s the first recorded song you remember hearing that you loved?
Lindemann: I mean, obviously, I watched Disney Channel when I was little, so like Hannah Montana, Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers, but then when I actually started to develop my own taste for things, my parents were really big rock fans, so pretty early on I was introduced to Metallica and Disturbed. My mom loved No Doubt and Evanescence. From a very early age I was introduced to that. I love Gwen, and then like Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, and then as I started getting older, developing love for Sleeping With Sirens, and Melanie Martinez, and Lana Del Rey, and like Bring Me the Horizon, and… Yeah. A lot of music in my family.
MICK: Is there a song that you remember hearing as a kid where you thought, “Maybe I could do that,” or, “I want to do that?”
Lindemann: It’s funny, because it’s so random, but I remember watching the Katy Perry movie in theaters with my family and being so inspired by it, and just wanting to do that, and just… I don’t know, just feeling so overwhelmed and inspired by it, and I think that started the real drive for it. Because after that is when I started posting videos of me singing and trying to do that.
MICK: What’s the first thing you recall spending either your own money on or really just like… I assume, you probably haven’t streamed your whole life as far as music. Do you have any recollection of going on iTunes and plunking down your own money to buy an album?
Lindemann: I remember I bought like 303.
MICK: Oh, wow.
Lindemann: I bought their album. Yeah. I bought Lady Gaga’s first album. That was so long ago.
MICK:It was. I ask that because it’s interesting, because we’re at the tail end of the spectrum now of people who are ever gonna have to do that ever again in their life.
Lindemann: Yeah.
MICK: And were all the beneficiaries of both sides of it, where like now, you get access to everything, all the time, 24/7. It’s phenomenal. It enables people to be inspired and learn everything all the time. But I do think there’s a random thing that happens as a kid where for example the things you just described, and I remember those things happened for me too, where like you actually have to go and earn that 10, 15, 20 dollars, and go plunk it down. You’re not getting it back. It’s not a $14 monthly subscription. It is what it is. And so, you’re committing to that. So, that’s really interesting that those are the ones you chose. Do you still listen to those?
Lindemann: Oh, yeah. All the time. I still love 303. I’m so glad they’re making their comeback. But most of the music that I listened to as a kid, I still do listen to a lot, and I feel like those just influenced me a lot, and like Tragic Kingdom by No Doubt, I remember buying that too. I just was so obsessed with Gwen, and even to this day she’s one of my biggest influences.
MICK: So, when you moved to L.A., was it… That was strictly to fulfill your career? Or did you feel like you in general outgrew what you could have done in Dallas?
Lindemann: I always wanted to live in California. I think any kid that’s not from California looks at California like this amazing, magical place, so I always wanted to move here but my parents just were like, “Dude, there’s no way.” But then when my manager found me from a singing video and asked me to come out, and then basically told me he wanted to sign me, and just start this music journey with me, that’s when my parents were like, “Okay, cool. You can do this. We’re gonna move you out there. You need to make money. You need to hustle.”
So, I was working so much when I was 16 to just pay for rent and do all… Yeah, do everything. But I moved out here for music.
MICK: Take me through the process of creating this album, of creating Paranoia. What was it like creating your first actual complete body of work musically, right? So, like how did that affect your mindset going in versus dropping a single, or dropping a song on social media, or just hopping on a remix or two or something like that? Like you’re creating something that has a finite beginning and an end, and I assume just based on what I know about your music and what I read, and just how you approach music seriously, that this is not just a collection of songs slapped together as a playlist. This is a cohesive body of work from beginning to end. Take me through your mindset with that.
Lindemann: I feel like I’ve just been doing singles for so long and I’ve been making music for a while now, and I just had a very specific goal in mind and a very specific sound that I wanted to do. And it just didn’t feel like a single vibe anymore, like I just… I knew I wanted to create a body of work and I knew I wanted to make a pop punk alternative EP, so I think just going in, just even from the very first song we made, trying to create this sound by using these old sounds that give you this nostalgic feel, but also trying to bring in sounds that are more modern, and just creating that sound even with the first song, and then just continuing on with that, it was always very, very clear to me that I wanted to make a bigger body of work and not just a single.
MICK: Have you had a chance to perform any of it, even virtually or anything yet?
Lindemann: I’ll be performing on April 9th and the 10th, so that will be my first performance and I’m so excited.
MICK: Nice. And what’s the name of the show?
Lindemann: It’s just gonna be the Paranoia Livestream, like Paranoia Livestream. It’s just to perform Paranoia.
MICK: Nice. And that’s gonna be amazing for your fans to hear that for the first time. Have you had any amazing people reach out to you based on your music that you never thought would even maybe even hear your music, and you were just like, “I can’t believe this person likes my shit?”
Lindemann: Yeah. There’s been a few ones that are really crazy. I think the craziest one just for me personally was Kellin Quinn, because I am such a big Sleeping With Sirens fan. I grew up listening to Sleeping With Sirens and I’ve always said that I will never fangirl over anyone except for Sleeping With Sirens and Lana Del Rey. For him to acknowledge me and my art was just so insane for me.
MICK: Let’s talk about creativity for a second. A lot of the people we’ve on this show, we’ve had everybody from legendary Rock Hall nominated rappers, to billionaire CEOs, and everyone in between. I think creativity is a feature that we all have, that even if you’re told you’re not creative, or even if you don’t think you’re creative, I think we all strive to achieve that in our own individual ways. It’s always annoyed the shit out of me that people are told you’re not creative in general, like it depends on what it is you do in life. At what point did you realize that your creativity was perhaps stronger than the next person’s, or more pronounced? And the other thing I would ask as a follow up to that is what advice would you give to somebody who’s 13, 14, 15, 16 right now, who was trying to showcase theirs?
Lindemann: I honestly don’t think that I’m any better than anyone else, or I don’t think I have a greater ability than anyone else, I just… I truly just manifested everything in my life, like I truly do believe in manifestation and positive, like if you’re positive, you will receive that same energy. And I don’t know, my whole life I’ve just told myself that this is what I want to do, and this is who I want to be, and I do want to be a successful musician, and I want to live in L.A. Ever since I was little I was like, “I will live in L.A. one day.”
And I think just trying to remain positive and continue to work hard and do everything I can to achieve those goals is what got me to this point. I truly don’t think I’m better than anyone else. I just think it’s all about just your energy and how you move forward with things. To anyone that’s young and wants to do this, I think it’s just that. Keep remaining positive and do the things that you need to do to get to that place. If you’re like, “Oh, I don’t like to wake up in the morning,” but you know that if you wake up that morning it’s gonna be positive for your day, do it.
And obviously, don’t do things, like don’t let anyone persuade you to do something you don’t want to do or don’t let anyone tell you you’re not good enough or anything. Just remain positive and believe in yourself. I think that’s the main thing is just like always believe in yourself, because in this industry you truly only have yourself.
MICK: That is very true. That’s like… We should just bold that and put exclamation points and everything around it because that’s super true. When you have a creative block, how do you fight through it?
Lindemann: That’s the worst for me. I get in these funks, like some days I’ll go into the studio and I can just write just right away. It’s like nothing’s standing in my way. But then some days I’ll go in, and I’ll be tired, or I just feel not into it, and my mind is just all over the place, and for me, like weird things will help me get over it, like just listening to music, or even if I’m just like… I’ll talk to myself a lot and talk myself through things. I’ll basically interview myself and for some reason that really helps me get through stuff that is clouding my mind just to talk through it, even with myself.
Also surrounding yourself with other creative people always helps me, because when I see other people being creative and creating amazing things, it inspires me to want to do better.
MICK: When you’re in creating mode, when you’re in… I guess I would say album mode because you just put it out, or even just creating some of the bigger singles that you’ve created, do you find yourself not listening to certain things because you don’t want to be influenced by them or inspired by them, so you could stay on your own path? What is your process with that?
Lindemann: I feel like I get super influenced by people and other things I’m hearing, so when I listen to top 40 things, I’m like, “Oh, God. This is what people are listening to. I need to sound like this.” And I think that just overall just messes with my mental state, because I start doubting myself and being like, “Dude, this is just like… No one’s gonna listen to you.”
MICK: You need to make like a TikTok Maggie challenge, like a little dance for all the Midwestern housewives.
Lindemann: Yeah. No way. Yeah, no way.
MICK: That’s really what I wanted. That was the whole point of this interview. I was really hoping you were gonna just create that right now on the spot for us, man. I’m so pissed off right now.
Lindemann: Those TikTok dances, I’m like, “Oh my God.” I have no rhythm at all, so I’m just out of that-
MICK: You have no rhythm at all as a musician?
Lindemann: Well, okay, it’s weird, because making music, yes. But like dancing? Like if you asked me to go and do a choreographed dance routine, it would look disgusting. It would look terrible.
MICK: That’s so funny, because I can’t dance at all, and by trade I’m a DJ, and I’ve been DJing since I was 16, and so… I mean, we’re talking high school dances, college, dorm parties, but to this day I’ve had… If I had to dance, like I would not be able to do it. I can do this little bob and weave thing in my booth and people only see the top half of me, but if I had to actually move my fucking legs… I’m not unathletic, like my legs work in a sport capacity, but there’s something that… My upper body and my lower body does not talk to itself at all.
How did the clothing line start? By the way did you like that transition? I just pulled that out of nowhere.
Lindemann: I...I’ve always wanted to make clothes, and obviously as a musician, you need to have merch. I didn’t have merch for a really long time, and I didn’t really want merch, because I feel like a lot of the times merch can be kind of corny, and I didn’t want to put stuff out that was just like my face blasted everywhere. So, I just had this idea to come out with a clothing line that’s like me, and has some of my lyrics on it, but anyone can wear it. You don’t have to know who I am, and you don’t have to be a fan. You can just like the clothing line and you can wear it.
And I love Zumiez. I’ve shopped at Zumiez since I was like… I don’t know. Elementary school, middle school, I started going to Zumiez. It was just that cool brand that was at the mall. So, when they wanted to be a part of it and help, and make it a collaborative thing, it was just insane, and I was just super down. Yeah. I’ve always wanted to make a clothing line, though.
MICK: What about the film with Machine Gun Kelly?
Lindemann: So, that, it was funny, because my friend that was also in the movie, she was like, “Yo, are you… We’re going tomorrow morning at 6:00 or something.” And I was like, “Wait, what are we talking about?” And she was like, “Oh, the movie. We’re shooting this movie.” And I’m like, “Dude, what?” And then that’s when I get a text and he’s like, “Oh, yeah. Hey, you’re scheduled to be here tomorrow. Come be in this.” And I was like, “Oh. Okay, cool. I’m down.”
And so, I literally found out about it and I was like, “Wait, what’s going on? What movie?” Like, “Oh, you’ll just find out when you get here. It’s just this movie.” And I’m like, “Okay, cool. I’m so down.” But I’ve never been in a movie. I’ve never acted before. I don’t know what I’m doing. But it was just really cool because they’re all really talented, and I don’t know, it’s just cool that they trusted me to be in it.
MICK: Do you find in a situation like that, where that was technically new territory, that the creativity that’s built in your DNA, as well as the stage presence that’s obviously happened over the last several years of perfecting your craft, just kind of like carried you in that moment?
Lindemann: It’s funny, because I’m not an actress. I do want to get into acting, but I definitely need more lessons. But the funny thing is I was less nervous about my acting abilities. I was just more nervous about being confident in myself and not looking awkward, especially with my scenes. I had to push this guy against the wall, and I was so nervous I was going to be awkward. But it was funny, I just wasn’t at all, and I think that has to do with just like… I just had to turn it on.
MICK: I actually grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, so I remember MGK when he was starting out, when he would just have his music on mixtapes and just show up to the club with burned CDs or whatever probably, and just try to get us to play it, and I don’t think any of us really saw what was coming with that, and it’s been really cool to see his thing. I wish… I probably should have paid more attention to those demos then. I think everybody has those types of stories, though.
Lindemann: Yeah. His evolution is insane, and it’s really cool also coming from someone who started out differently, who started out making rap music, and now he’s… I worded that so weird. He started out rapping. There we go. And now he makes rock music and like, you know, I started out making pop music and now I’m trying to make alternative rock music. And so, it’s just really inspiring to see someone having success in that and having a number one album in a completely different genre of music. I don’t know. I think that’s really inspiring.
MICK: I think people come to their true center, though, as they continue to really evolve and grow, and you ultimately net out making exactly what it is that you’re supposed to make.
Lindemann: Yeah.
MICK: Before we get out of here, I want to ask you a question. I love as a DJ, like remix culture is something that’s been a huge part of my career as a DJ. I always try to play remixes that people don’t have, or at least the edit of a remix that people don’t have. You always find unique ways to put twists on songs.
Lindemann: Yeah.
MICK: And when I look at your songs, it’s so interesting how the Cheat Codes remix of Pretty Girl, what is it, like a 74 zillion, billion, trillion plays at this point? It’s incredible. But what I wanted to ask you as a artist, how do you feel artistically when the version of the song you made is not the version that reached the apex? Other people hear it as something that they click on, that they like, but to you it’s a tangible, living, breathing thing. So, when you hear the version of that that did 10x, 20x in streams, do you still feel the same sort of like ownership in that song creatively, emotionally, mentally, spiritually?
Lindemann: Yeah, for sure. I mean, the lyrics are still… That’s still stuff that was seriously resonating with me, and so I still do feel that attachment. It doesn’t feel fully mine, though. It does feel like mine and Cheat Codes’ and Cade’s song. It feels like our song. And I think it’s just as much their song as it is mine. I think it’s cool too, because I don’t necessarily listen to a lot of music like that, so it was just super interesting to see it kind of blow up in the dance world. It was just really, really cool and it just gave me kind of like a new sense of… I don’t know. I just like it more now, like I-
MICK: Yeah, for sure.
Lindemann: … got more into it just being in it. But yeah, I still feel an attachment with that song, like even though I do have a love-hate with it, I do. It is my baby, and it is what helped me out a lot, and it’s what really got me into what I’m able to do now. So, yeah. I still appreciate it just as much.
MICK: That’s cool. But then all those people can go listen to Paranoia and hear your true core, your true essence, and just follow you along on the journey with it, right?
Lindemann: Exactly.
MICK: Last question. Who’s your favorite rapper of all time?
Lindemann: My favorite rapper of all time?
MICK: Throwing you a real.
Lindemann: Kendrick Lamar.
MICK: Okay. Perfect answer. That’s a great answer. All right. You passed. You passed the test. That’s acceptable. We can air this now.
Lindemann: I love Kendrick.
MICK: Maggie, thank you so much for being here today. Really appreciate you finding time. Congrats on the new album, the upcoming shows. I hope you make it into this new post-pandemic world healthy, strong, much more success to you, and thank you so much.
Lindemann: Yeah. Thank you so much for having me.
MICK: That was it for another episode of The MICK Show. Thank you so much for tuning in. Please rate and subscribe to The MICK Show wherever you like to listen and make sure to follow on IG @MICK and Twitter @iamMICK. Let me know who you want to hear on a future episode, and we’ll see you back here next week.
The MICK Show is presented in partnership with Maxim. The show is produced by Lantigua Williams & Co. Jen Chien is our editor. Cedric Wilson is our producer and mixed this episode. Manuela Bedoya is our social media editor.