POP INTERVIEW: Singer Jacqueline Madden of VH1’s “You’re Cut Off”

Jacqueline Madden was shocked when the reality show she signed up for turned out to be a show teaching young girls the art of growing up. She has since moved on to an industry where her talent surpasses any questions of being just another “reality personality,” her first single, “Falling,” landed on the Billboard Top 40 club charts.

Did you study music before college? What is your background? Did you ever have a band? Who is your favorite singer?
Yes. I have been studying music since the age of ten. For as long as I can remember, I always knew that I wanted to be an entertainer and performer. At the age of two, I started dancing and putting on little shows for my family. By the time I was six, I was dancing competitively and taking acting lessons. I believe I would have to thank my fifth grade music teacher for discovering my vocal talent and convincing my mother to get me a vocal coach right away. I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to work with such incredible coaches throughout my life. By the time I was sixteen I was recording my first demo and by nineteen I had finished my first album with the record label that I was signed to. I have to say that it has been an extremely long journey that has had extreme up’s and downs, but I am so blessed to be at this point in my career where I am able to say that I am a Billboard Recording Artist.

My favorite singers are Celine Dion and Christina Aguilera. My favorite performers are Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez because of the incredible dance choreography and the shows that they put on.

You talk about how you like mimosas. Do you ever make mimosas or your own mixed drinks at home?
Ofcourse! We make mimosas and fun, girlie drinks at home. Some of our favs are strawberry martinis and mojitos.

A girl from the show you talk with, Erica Rose, has appeared on “The Bachelor” and “Bachelor Pad.” How does pursuing a career in reality television work if you go from show to show? Is this something you would like to do? Would you ever feel weird vying for love on television?
If you want to pursue a career as a reality TV star, then it’s extremely important that you continue doing show after show so that you are not forgotten about. With the amount of reality TV shows that are currently on almost every channel, it’s very easy to get lost in between so many personalities. Given the right opportunity I would definitely agree to do another reality TV show, but it would have to be right for my image as well as for my career as a recording artist.

I have never really been the type of woman who fights or competes for a man’s attention, so I don’t think that doing a show to find “love” would be for me.

You talk about befriending a girl called Pam from “You’re Cut Off.” How do people make lasting friendships happen when the case as are constantly rolling? How do you do normal things on TV done in real life friendships?
Pam and I became extremely close friends right away while we were filming “You’re Cut Off!”. You definitely have to be cautious with who you trust when you are on reality TV shows because you never know what everyone’s intentions are. I feel as if I am a pretty good judge of character and sometimes you just have those instantaneous great friendships with certain people. Pam and I were lucky enough to have a real friendship where we were able to trust each other and support each other through quite a few extremely rough times on that show. I think that we have had a lasting friendship because we were both genuine and honest with one another just like you would be in real life.

Also, you talk about traveling for work. What do you do when you travel? Perform? Record? Or do other work?
Whenever a new record is released I always have to prepare myself for the craziness that’s about to occur. This industry truly is a “hurry-up-and-wait” type of business and you have to love the “fly by the seat of your pants” lifestyle that comes with it. I’m always writing new music and recording new songs so that I have multiple options when it comes to choosing that HIT record. Once the record drops, you have to be ready to do radio interviews and performances throughout the country. I truly love the excitement of it all which is why I have never given up, even through all of the hard times and difficult experiences.

The original premise you were told before going on the show was that you were going to be flaunting “the good life.” Since you are interested in pursuing music and doing fun things in your spare time, why would you want to go on a show like that? The description sounds like a negative trap already, absolutely where they might edit you to look awful.
The “original” premise of the show or rather, what I was told the show would be about was a group of young girls who come from privileged backgrounds. I was told by the producers that I would be moving to L.A. for two months to live with girls that were all like me who were also pursuing careers in the entertainment industry and just happened to be very fortunate. When they told me that this is what they were looking for, I thought that it was an incredible opportunity to not only gain exposure, but also show people that I am not your stereotypical “privileged princess”. My parents instilled very respectable values and morals in me and always taught me the importance of being thankful and appreciative. Why wouldn’t I want to show America that not every wealthy family has spoiled, snobby, unappreciative children? I will never be able to thank my parents enough for the way I was brought up and for their generosity.

Did you strictly go on a TV show so it could give you a platform for other kinds of work, as some people have?
Yes. I consider myself to be a business women, and I have my father to thank for that. When I was casted for this show, it was an absolute no-brainer. I had just recorded my first dance record with Grammy-Award winning producers and we decided to use the show as a platform so that we could simultaneously release the record as the show was airing. It was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

On Twitter, you mention something about “my man.” I assume this is a boyfriend and not a grandpa. 🙂 Were you worried about how your boyfriend would react to seeing you on a reality TV show after you began dating?
OMG lol…You are correct, “my man” is my boyfriend and not my grandpa! I was definitely not worried at all about how my boyfriend would react because he supports me and he knows how important my career is to me. I was actually dating him when I was casted for the show and while I was in L.A. filming. While he wasn’t thrilled about the fact that I would be leaving for two months, he encouraged me to pursue my dream.

You cannot be satisfied now with one song. After the single, are you doing an EP, album or more singles? What is your musical style going to be?
I don’t think that any artist is ever satisfied with only releasing one record, which is why I have been working on new music since “Falling” was released. I have to say that it is somewhat surreal to be able to say that I am a Billboard Recording Artist. That is something that I only dreamed I would one day be able to say, and it was not an easy title to achieve. I have a new record called “Taste” being released sometime in May/June 2013 and I am extremely excited about it! I am a DANCE artist and I am so passionate about this genre of music because it allows me to really perform and entertain. I have worked so hard my entire life to become a triple threat and I am so thankful that all of that hard work finally paid off.