Maggie Lindemann on Her Debut LP SUCKERPUNCH as an Ode to The Golden Age of Female Punk

Maggie Lindemann’s 2016 viral pop hit “Pretty Girl,” has racked up over 87 million streams on Spotify. As she leaves the bubblegum pop identity with her 18-year-old self, she embraces not only an edgier but a more authentic sound in her 2021 debut EP PARANOIA. She fought hard to now produce music under her own independent label where she creates records that represent her true self. 

As a rock artist who now has full creative control over her music, she has become her own boss. “I’m able to do really anything I want with the music videos. I will find the directors and work with them directly,” she shares. Maggie stands as a great inspiration for young, not only females but any artist who may feel stuck in a world that they feel controlled in. “Everything I do is very me. I’m able to create whatever I have in my head freely without other people getting involved,” she continues. 

As a gritty ode to the golden age of punk, Maggie commemorates her success of Paranoia and continues writing her paranoiac storyline with a much harder rock drive for her debut LP SUCKERPUNCH. Released on September 16th, the album contains previously loved singles such as “how could you do this to me?” featuring Sleeping With Sirens’ Kellin Quinn, and adored single “self sabotage.”

With the past experience of signing onto her first label for the release of “Pretty Girl” under her belt, the now 24-year-old has a considerable amount of wisdom for incoming artists who feel ready to step into the ominous world of the music industry. Maggie shares, “don’t try to get signed or go to labels to find people to sign you off with nothing. I think you should definitely try to build a reputation and a catalog before you try to do that step.”

Maggie firsthandly came into contact with an artist’s worst nightmare, as she had a couple of songs out when she first got signed but didn’t have any leverage on them or anything. She is very open about her evolution as a musician as she shares, “I hope people can hear the growth in my writing and production. A lot of people don’t realize that I am the same person that I once was, I just had this mask up the whole time. I still have the same interests as I did before, I was just representing myself in a very different way.” 

As a female rocker, Maggie visually sees the industry sometimes changing and evolving, but unfortunately in some instances, it stays the same.

Maggie shares, “I think being a woman in anything is cool, but being a woman in rock is much cooler.” As a woman working in the alternative rock genre, Lindemann recounts the sometimes unfavorable industry structure while applauding her inspirations from Hole to Gwen Stefani.  “At times I struggle because it is such a male-dominated genre and sometimes I feel like people don’t give credit where it’s due,” she continues.

Like most of her projects, Maggie’s way of connecting with her listeners is through visual storytelling. The visuals from the final track on SUCKERPUNCH, is much of an ode to the 2002 Avril Lavigne hit “Sk8er Boi.” “We just wanted to have fun with this music video, where it feels very young and fresh. I just wanted people to watch the video and have fun with it,” Maggie shares on the making of the “cages” music video. 

One of her previously released singles “break me!” featuring Siickbrain also had a visually appealing music video that Maggie and Siickbrain worked to create together. “The ‘break me!’ music video was directed by Siickbrain, and we wanted to involve a spider web in it because [in the song] you feel wrapped up in this thing and are entangled - we wanted it to have this deeper meaning,” Maggie shares.

Along with her visual storytelling abilities, her growth as a writer has expanded tremendously into a more autobiographical style while still having fun with creating stories. “With the song ‘we never even dated’, I exaggerated so much on that song but there’s definitely some songs where, in my brain, it felt a lot heavier than it was,” Maggie reflects on her writing for SUCKERPUNCH. 

As she’s been told before by her friends, Maggie is a very versatile artist. “I think people see me online or hear my music, and they’re quick to assume who I am,” she shares in regard to how she is seen by listeners. 

Maggie’s strength as a vocalist collided with her ‘suckerpunching’ production techniques creates a punk rock world where females reign as the controllers of the ever-so male dominating genre. Maggie wants you to feel like you can listen to SUCKERPUNCH in any mindset. With this album, you become the controller in what you take away from her, as well what you may leave behind for another energetic car ride where you can finally let it all out.