Singer Madison Beer finally released her debut studio album, Life Support, on Friday. To celebrate the achievement, the 21-year-old pop star shared a glowing selfie on Instagram that now has over 2.9 million likes. Beer shot to fame through covers she posted on YouTube and scored a big hit in 2018 with the single “Hurts Like Hell,” featuring Offset.
Beer shared two photos from a living room, where she had her album’s title spelled out in balloon letters behind her. Although she had a big smile in the pictures, the only caption was a frowning emoji. It did not matter what emoji she put in there though, as thousands of her fans congratulated her for Life Support’s release and praised her new music. “12-year-old Madison would be proud, to know she finally did it,” one longtime Beer fan wrote.
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Beer’s journey to releasing Life Support was not easy. The record was supposed to be released in 2019, following the release of “Hurts Like Hell” in late 2018, but the album was delayed. In August 2019, the album leaked. By the time the album was finally ready for release, both “Hurts Like Hell” and the 2019 single “Dear Society” were dropped from the album. Instead, the singles that did make the final cut are “Boyshit,” “Baby,” “Selfish” and “Good in Goodbye.”
In a recent interview with NME, Beer said she is often mistaken for an Instagram influencer because of her huge online following. This has made her feel like she has a chip on her shoulders, always having to prove something. “You know, sometimes someone will meet me and be like, ‘Wow, you’re much smarter than I thought,’” Beer said. “But even though people can sometimes meet me and be pleasantly surprised, it does make me sad as well. For a long time, I’ve been trying to prove my intelligence and artistry and the fact that I’m someone who should be taken seriously. That does get a bit exhausting because I shouldn’t have to be constantly proving that to people.”
Beer also admitted to feeling “silenced” whenever she was in the room with older music industry executives. “When I was younger, I felt silenced in almost every room I would step into,” she recalled. “Everyone was like, ‘Oh sweetheart, we know better than you โ you don’t know what you’re talking about.’ And that didn’t feel good at all.”
Beer’s career kicked off in 2012 when Justin Bieber noticed her YouTube cover of Etta James’ “At Last” and tweeted it. She moved from Long Island to Los Angeles in 2013 and secured a recording contract with Island Records. That period of her career ended in 2016, but she stuck with music. She released her R&B EP As She Pleases and signed a deal with Epic Records. “Dead” and “Home With You” also became hit singles. “It’s been a very long journey for me and not an easy one, but I’ve come through the other side stronger,” Beer told NME. “I’m definitely a fighter.”