JACKSON, Wyo. — On Thursday, May 23, Maddie Zahm, one of America’s most exciting new pop acts, will take at The Center starting at 7 p.m.
Zahm launched onto the scene when her fan-favorite single “Fat Funny Friend” galvanized TikTok and became an empowering anthem for people experiencing fatphobia, societal pressure and body dysmorphia. The single came from her 2022 EP “You Might Not Like Her,” which shared Maddie’s story of leaving her hometown of Boise, ID where she was a worship leader at the tender age of 13. She eventually moved to Los Angeles where she came out as queer and did a lot of living to catch up fast.
The EP was a beacon for many listeners, who have flocked to Maddie’s highly personal songwriting and powerhouse voice. Those fans — who sold out her North American tour in Spring 2023, make up Maddie’s 175 million streams, her million fans on TikTok and her three billion views and 250k videos created on TikTok set to “Fat Funny Friend” — quickly became a community.
Leanna Firestone will open up for Zahm on May 23.
Firestone is an impressive artist and talented musician from Nashville, Tennessee. While attending Recording Industry school, she entered the professional world of songwriting by fusing her writing with the community of anime stans she found when she first joined TikTok.
Ultimately, this led to a short snippet of what would become her first release, “Strawberry Mentos,” which reached five million streams. Then, in 2021, her next track “Least Favorite Only Child” reached four million streams, while her EP Y/N peaked at #8 on the U.S. singer-songwriter iTunes Charts.
One of her songs was also featured during an episode of Love Island UK. In early 2022, she released her first full album Forward / Slash, featuring “Diet Coke,” “Gambling Addiction” and “Smitten.” Currently, Leanna is signed to Frtyfve Records out of London.
