Madison Ryann Ward

Born in Lawton, Oklahoma, Madison Ryann Ward developed an early connection to music shaped both by the church—where her mother played piano—and by the soul and blues heard in her family environment. Initially pursuing an athletic path at the University of Oklahoma as an NCAA volleyball player, she turned to music after an online video of her cover of Aretha Franklin’s 'Chain of Fools', filmed in a campus cafeteria, circulated widely. Her trajectory sits between contemporary Christian music, soul, R&B, gospel, folk and touches of blues, with songwriting centered on the voice and spare arrangements. Early in her career she was signed to American Recordings in partnership with Republic Records, worked with Rick Rubin and released the single 'Mirror' in 2018. She has since continued independently with the label Zelda House Records, which released the album A New Thing in 2023 and Purified Love in 2024. In her songs Madison Ryann Ward blends a spiritual, introspective approach with a supple pop-soul marked by gospel-inflected singing, while maintaining a melodic simplicity.