At a hotel somewhere in Nebraska, Maggie Lindemann is splayed across her hotel room bed.
Legs still slightly aching from the gig the night before, this is her much-deserved day of bed rotting. “I truly have no idea where I am right now,” she laughs, her candour palpable. “I think we’re in Lincoln. I’m not fully sure though.”
Lindemann is currently living the nomadic life most musicians only dream of — where home is wherever you happen to lay your head that night. Where each day requires its own recalibration: figuring out where the nearest coffee shop is, what city you’re in, and whether you have the energy to leave the hotel at all.
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“Usually on my days off I just chill and go shopping if I’m in a cool city. But Lincoln, Nebraska is not that. So today I’ll just rot.”
You can’t blame the 27-year-old either. For anyone that has attended a Maggie Lindemann show, you will know that it is a high energy performance. Where not a single soul leaves the gig without having sweated through every pore of their body. Lindemann’s latest tour in support of her new album, I Feel Everything is no exception to this rule.
The album, which was released in October of last year contains a tome of songs which detail the intricacies of pain. Written after breaking with her boyfriend, NBA player Jordan Clarkson, the album interrogates the emotional fallout of lost love and the process of moving on.
“It’s about all the different emotions that come around pain, loss and grieving. I had a tonne of songs written before it [the breakup] happened and then I scrapped them. I Feel Everything was born out of that. It was a bad breakup, and it was just the easiest thing for me to talk about.”
The emotional intensity of the album even made its way into its visual identity. The cover quite literally features Lindemann lying on a bed of nails — and yes, the nails were real.
“I did hurt myself shooting it [the cover] but it was worth it for sure” she says with an assured shrug.
“It was just a bunch of little bruises. I just thought, fake nails or AI is just not cool. It’s only a little bit of pain for art that’s going to live forever. So, it was worth it.”
The raw emotions on the album have led to a noticeably more emotional crowd than the last time. “This tour has a completely different energy” she explained. “Suckerpunch was very heavy. This one is a bit more emotionally driven. And that’s translated into the tour. So, it’s been a really interesting crowd reaction.”
Though, Lindemann is keen to point out that the sounds of a new album are looking like they will be markedly different next time around. “I just want to make something fun. I don’t want to make another sad album. It will be a little more pop leaning I think.”
In promotion of the new album, Lindemann will soon be returning to Australia for her second tour of the country. This time she will be playing at larger venues and expanding her itinerary, with shows scheduled in Perth and Adelaide alongside Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
“I’m literally so excited to come back,” she says. “I just want to explore more this time. Sydney, I had a day off last time. I saw kangaroos and stuff at this zoo. That was cool. I didn’t get to do it as much as I wanted to. It was also cold. So, I’m hoping it’s at least a little warmer this time around.”
Despite the weather, it seems Lindemann still got the full Aussie experience on her last visit. After sampling kangaroo, Vegemite, Tim Tams and various other Australian delicacies, she seemingly fell in love with one snack in particular. “I literally love Pizza Shapes” she laughs.
Before we wrap up, there’s one final question to ask — a crucial one for any international artist visiting Australia: would she ever commit to a shoey?
“I do know what a shoey is,” Lindemann says, cackling through the phone. “But I’m going to have to decline on that one. I’m sorry!”
I tried.
Maggie Lindemann will be performing at the Forum on 15 May. Tickets are available here.
