Youth Music Awards 2026: Nominees and Sponsors Announced
Maddie Ashman is bringing fresh ideas to music with her project, ‘Three Microtonal Lullabies’. Supported by the Youth Music NextGen Fund, Maddie explores microtonality and just intonation – complex concepts made simple and emotional through her songwriting. Her music blends experimental sounds with a pop sensibility, creating harmonies that feel alive and immersive. Alongside the music, Maddie uses visuals and live performances to build a unique artistic world.
We caught up with Maddie to hear about her creative process, the confidence the fund gave her, and how she’s turning bold ideas into exciting opportunities on international stages.
Your Youth Music NextGen Fund project explores microtonality and just intonation. How did you approach making these concepts accessible through your music?
As much as ‘microtonal’ sounds very niche, I like to explore it in ways that feel very natural and intuitive. It’s less about the harmony feeling completely abstract or notes appearing from no where, instead I’m interested in how harmony can breathe and travel through space, and how all the notes are connected. It’s music that’s designed to be felt, rather than ‘understood’ from a microtonal perspective, so I think that intention helps make it accessible. I love exploring microtonality in songs, and a pop music context.
What inspired the idea of creating lullabies using microtonal tuning systems?
I discovered that ‘equal temperament’, the 12-note system we are used to in Western music, is not ‘in tune’, at least with the physics of sound. It completely blew my mind when I learnt about harmonics from reading books like ‘the harmonic experience’ by William A Mathieu and listening to La Monte Young and Michael Harrison. I found it so fun to explore my own tunings that used Just Intonation (pure tuning) and how they could feel shimmery, warbly, buzzy or completely pure and still. There was so much to play with texturally, emotionally and melodically and I found it really inspiring.
How do you balance your roles as composer, producer, and performer in your creative process?
I don’t really see them as separate roles, because often I’m composing while I’m performing/improvising, or producing while I’m composing. It all blurs into one! If I think about each role too much I panic haha. I just do my best and pull in people to help where I need it, often with the production and mixing at the end of the process.
What role did visual elements like artwork and live videos play in expressing the music’s themes?
The artwork and live videos played a huge role in finding connections between the songs, and helped to build a wider sense of my ‘world’ as an artist. Working with visual artists has allowed me to learn much more about myself and how I want the music to be perceived.
You’ve transitioned toward relying more on commissions and performances – how has that shift impacted your career?
It’s been exciting to focus more on my voice as a composer and songwriter and with each project I learn something and feel more confident about my strengths as well as what I also need to work on. I’ve gradually built my portfolio and live videos and now I have the opportunity to gig more internationally at festivals and on support tours, and I’ve also had opportunity to write for other ensembles. Although it’s challenging having this transition and relying less on income from session work and teaching, I’m having a lot of fun and trusting in the process.
A post shared by Maddie Ashman (@maddieashman)
What have you learned about your sound and artistic identity through this project?
I’ve learnt that I love making music that is uncanny. I’ve learnt to not worry about making music that’s too ‘weird’, if it feels exciting to me! And I’ve learnt that although the microtonal research is very niche, I love collaborating with other artists, whether it’s for additional production, visuals or anything else.
You’ve secured a booking agent and have an exciting lineup of performances – how did this momentum build?
I started posting videos online at the start of the year, encouraged a lot in particular by my friend Alex West. I kept the commitment low, post once a week of whatever I’m working on/ finding inspiring. It built over several months, and I had a really exciting Bandcamp release in April which was #1 in Folk for a couple of weeks! Around the same time, I had the opportunity to play at a Youth Music x Kobalt event (thank you!), which ultimately connected me to my lawyer. From there she helped guide me through finding the right manager for me, and now I’ve released a couple of songs! I’ve had the opportunity to play at festivals like Left of the Dial (NL) and Great Escape (UK) and now I’m on tour in Europe opening for King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard, which is a dream!
How did the Youth Music NextGen Fund empower you to take creative and professional risks?
It gave me confidence to go for it and to trust in my ideas and timelines. It made me feel really supported and it was amazing to build new professional relationships.
What advice would you give to other artists considering applying for the fund?
Trust in your ideas! Do it! Plan it out as much as you can so you can envision it fully, even if the timeline or end result change (inevitably).
Connect with melba:
Instagram: @maddieashman
TikTok: @maddieashmanmusic
Check out Maddie’s music below.
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