Q&A: Maddie Regent Embraces Her Inner Child in New Singles “Schoolbags” and “See me”
INTERVIEW
INTERVIEW
☆ BY CHRISTINE BITONTI ☆
ESCAPISM IS THE WORD IN MADDIE REGENT’S NEWEST ERA—The rising indie-pop artist may once have been a self-proclaimed “misunderstood tween with a dream,” but that dream is slowly turning into a reality. With her unique blend of romanticism, individuality and autonomy, she demands to be seen.
The new era began with the release of “See me,” a track that sounds as if it took its lyrics right out of the pages of a Jane Austen novel, and Regent steps into this new age of her music with the confidence of a leading lady.
Regent has never been one to shy away from vulnerability. Her 2025 album, On the phone with my mom, explored the raw challenges and expectations that come with the transition from girlhood to womanhood. As a longtime book lover and an unapologetic romantic, storytelling comes naturally to her. Her new single “Schoolbags,” out Friday, serves as an ode to a childhood marked by innocence and imagination.
The Toronto-born singer turned an unsettling sighting—children walking with clear schoolbags as a safety precaution—into a melody of mourning. As safety concerns rise and the world grows darker, Regent captures a time when things were simpler. She empathizes with today’s youth culture and wishes for them to have what she once had: getting lost in a world of wonder and freedom to imagine without care.
Regent sat down with Luna to share her inspirations for her upcoming project, in which she feels most in her element: telling big stories with big emotions, in the hopes of bringing us together in a story where we all could be the main characters.
LUNA: Who are some of your biggest artistic influences in music? Did any of those artists inspire you to take that leap into joining the music industry?
REGENT: I have always loved female pop artists. I remember having my awakening when I was 15, listening to Lana Del Rey in the library. I was just like, “Whoa, this is serious!” I couldn't really relate as much, but to me, it was her lyricism and the images in my head. She definitely introduced me to a new kind of style of pop.
Then of course, Taylor Swift. I think we've all kind of grown up with her. Me, personally, I love storytelling, so folklore was a big thing for me. I would say Lana Del Rey was my biggest inspiration just in terms of how she writes. I'm very visual and I just love her lyrics.
I was also a big Marina fan when I was younger. I like theatrics, and I hope to get more into that with some of the other songs that I'm going to be putting out. I love pop and I love being able to tell a story, but in a catchy way and with cool production. I would say those are like my big three right now.
LUNA: I'm hearing that you really like the storytelling aspect of it. You like to paint a picture.
REGENT: I am the type of listener who, when I listen to music, I'm often staring out into space and imagining what's going on. With this album, I really want to play with that a bit more. With “See me,” it's about being more avoidant with my romantic feelings. I was reading Pride and Prejudice at the time. I feel like that's like a cool way to tell the story, because I kind of see myself in her. Then with the video and the costumes and stuff, just letting my imagination kind of run wild. It's my favorite thing to do.
LUNA: Could you tell us a bit about how "Schoolbags" came to be? Was there a particular moment or event that sparked its inspiration?
REGENT: I was walking home and saw a bunch of young kids walking with clear school bags—the ones you’re allowed to bring to concerts and festivals only in bigger backpack versions. It was very jarring and just had me and my partner talking a lot about how kids grow up these days and it made me so sad.
LUNA: You can really hear the grief in the production and vocals of "Schoolbags." It carries a lot of emotion in its sound. How did you go about the process of capturing that feeling in the song's sonic stylization?
REGENT: I wanted it to be slow and I wanted it to be steady. Having it center around a crunchy acoustic guitar made sense because that’s how we wrote it. Then adding the strings helped elevate it in the middle section. I wanted the production to be interesting and really allow the lyrics to shine.
LUNA: When you think of the ideal whimsical, carefree childhood, what do you picture in your mind?
REGENT: When I was younger my sisters and I would play for hours together making up stories and scenarios with our dolls. It sounds so simple, but I truly believe a strong imagination is so key to being able to create a happy life.I fear kids these days may not have it the same.
LUNA: I saw on your Instagram that the bridge of “See me” was inspired by Taylor Swift's bridge writing style. Are there any Taylor songs that make you think, “I wish I had written that”? Does any of that influence the way you approach your own songwriting?
REGENT: I know, it's funny. When I was playing “See me” to people, when we were writing it, we were like, “I do love a really nice, wordy, bridge where the energy picks up and you feel it.” I feel like Taylor's really good at that. So I was like, “we got to have something like that in there.” I feel like when I was saying that, it was connecting with people. I want to reach the people who get that and appreciate the wordiness. I feel like Swifties really do get that.
There are so many of her songs that I wish I wrote. I've had a long relationship with her, too. I feel like some album and era speaks to me more. I think “Love Story” is probably one of the best songs ever, like, truly. That's a song that I listen to even now that so many people connect to. Nobody can not know the lyrics to that song. That's been kind of my goal. I want to make really good music. I want to connect with a lot of people and I want to have an impact on people, like a song that can stick with people for a long time. That's a really hard thing to do and something you can't necessarily control. I feel like I'll forever just be trying to write my “Love Story” that can stand the test of time and always be someone's favorite song.
LUNA: Absolutely. You're going for something timeless that people will be singing in the club 20 years from now.
REGENT: (Laughs) Like literally anywhere.
LUNA: Congratulations on this new release and stepping into this new era. As a songwriter, how do you know when a song is finally finished and you are ready to release it and share it with the world?
REGENT: I think it's really hard to completely take your hands off of it, especially because it's just me and my fiance. We could keep adding; we could keep analyzing every single lyric. I think especially with this project, I've just kind of learned to stop overthinking. Like, once it's done, it's done. We feel good listening to it and we feel like people around us are liking it.
We'll go back and tweak a little bit of just maybe some production and technical stuff. But I always feel like the day that we write the song—that emotion—I don't want to mess with that and overthink it. I think it's when we feel a little bit of peace and when I can listen to it, and maybe take myself out of my head and just enjoy it.
Maybe that's when I know that it's really done—when I'm not constantly in my head about it, which used to take a long time. Now I think I'm better at it. And “See me” was always like, we're making a new project and this wasn't one of the first songs that we had made for it, but it was one of the first songs that I just kind of was moving around. I'm like, you know what? I think this is a really fun intro to what we're trying to do. This was like one of the quicker songs I think it took for us to finish. Just sometimes that happens. Because we were very clear on what we wanted to say and how we wanted it to sound, I was not really in my head about this one a lot at all. I was like, “OK, this could be a good one to put out first.” But it changes every time.
LUNA: As you mentioned earlier, something that stood out to me when watching the music video was that Regency era clothing and styling. How important is fashion to the way you tell the story of an era or an album and to how you represent yourself in your artistry?
REGENT: I think it's kind of become more of a new thing for me. I do feel like I am a visual person and so I kind of connect with colors.
I think my last stuff, I was maybe more [into] pink, more girly colors. This one, I had this costume that I saw online on sale, and I was like, “this totally says something to me.” I was reading a lot of historical romance and I feel like I wore it and was like, wow, this made me confident because I felt like I was not really being me; like I was being an elevated version of me. It just looks really cool.
I think now I'm really appreciating that dress up, that costume, the imagination, because I guess [before] I just want[ed] to stay really close to myself. I was like, “oh, I don't want to dress up. I don't want to be too far from who I am in real life because I want this to really be me.” But I found I was able to be even more me and more confident when I was dressed up.
So that's something I'm definitely exploring a lot more with this new project: experimenting with that, and maybe with cooler hairstyles eventually, and makeup. I think I can kind of transform and make me really feel like the song is supposed to. I'm still newer at it, but I think this specific new album has been a lot more styling-focused in the aesthetic.
LUNA: That's really cool. It's great to always experiment with the looks. I think everybody loves to do that; put on something and just transform into a different person.
REGENT: Exactly.
LUNA: You have spoken before about loving Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights, both of which explore personal growth before you can really be with somebody. What is it about that kind of story that resonates with you so deeply?
REGENT: I think for me, growing up, I felt like I was a very late bloomer when it came to self-confidence and being sure of myself. When it came to dating, I feel like I just really held myself at arm's length for a lot of people and never let myself get too close because I was just so in my head about saying the right thing—that perfectionism in me. Even just me being independent; like, I don't need anybody to complete me. I don't need this. But I feel like I relate to these women. I think they're different.
Ultimately, you kind of have to grow up and find the right person that will be there for you. And I feel like in my own life, it took me a really long time to be able to fully accept that someone could really, truly love me for who I am and the not-perfect version of myself. And it's really vulnerable. I'm very interested in that kind of story and that type of romance. I love romance. When I was younger, I was reading romance. I wanted love, but I was really afraid of it at the same time.
It's a timeless kind of issue: that hopeless romantic feeling. I think maybe that's why I connect to that. A strong-willed woman who's very singular and unique, I like as well. Then obviously the aesthetic of them all; I find it very inspiring. And just reading in general; the escapism aspect, too. I was very inspired by that kind of stuff, especially while making this new project.
LUNA: Thank you for sharing that with me. You're being really vulnerable in this new music with everything you do.
I think Elizabeth Bennett – fantastic role model for all of us, truly. I mean, I love her.
“See me” feels like it's exploring the idea that timing can make or break a relationship depending on where you are in your life. Do you believe that timing is everything or do you think some relationships are meant to be regardless of timing?
REGENT: I think timing is important, but I also think that the right person will be patient and will step up when you're ready. That's the romantic in me.
That's why the second chance romance trope is my fave; where he never stopped pining for that girl…That guy was like, “I'll be here when you're ready.” I feel like it's nice to imagine that there's someone that can really ground you out there. I do think timing is important, obviously. I think there's no shame in just being like, “I'm not ready for this.” Putting yourself first, I think, is important in any context, especially when you're young. But I also think that if the person's right for you, it'll happen.
If the timing's not right and you want to work through it, that's another thing, too. Maybe I'm an optimist in that way. I think that no matter what, it will work if it's the right person. And sometimes patience and believing in yourself is important.
LUNA: For this new era that you're stepping into, can listeners expect that you are going to tell one cohesive story, maybe about love? Or is it going to be a collection of different experiences that are all tied together by a common theme?
REGENT: I think probably the latter. I feel like, in my last project, I was very vulnerable about my mental health and how that impacted my relationships and how I felt about myself. I think with this project, I really wanted to go into the romanticism of life—that escapism feeling that you get when you read a book, where there's a beginning, middle and end. A lot of the songs are very visual and all serve to basically tell big emotions paired with big stories, with a big aesthetic. I want to dress up a lot more. I want to put myself into these worlds and visuals. I'm going to be working on those more.
I think escapism is like the biggest thing for me with this new project. How I used to escape a lot was just getting lost in love stories and a lot of unrequited love. There’s enemies to lovers a lot. I'm touching on a lot of different versions of that. And then imagination, being able to put yourself there. Hopefully that'll come across. But I think “See me” was a good intro into that. Maybe we'll see.
LUNA: Sounds like your love of reading is really a huge, huge part of this. I think a lot of people are going to connect to that.
You have lived in Toronto, New York and now Los Angeles. How have each of those places contributed to your own personal growth and who you are as an artist now?
REGENT: I guess they've all been places where I had different phases of my life, like Toronto. I grew up and found myself and had my share of issues. And then I discovered music. And I discovered musical theater was kind of my thing. And then I moved to New York to go to school and I fell in love with film. That's what I thought I was going to do for a long time. Then I realized that as I was helping people with music videos, I was like, “I want to tell my own stories this way.” Then the whole world opened up.
I think I've talked a bit about my decision to move from New York to L.A. for a long time. I think New York had always been my dream place to live. To me, New York was a big part of my success. I was like, “If I can be in New York and exist and live here, then I've made it.” For me, with music and my creativity… I felt like maybe things weren’t happening as fast as I wanted to, that [it] was a failure. I felt a lot of pressure because I felt like I was surrounded by a lot of people that were doing amazing things. I just needed a change. By moving to L.A.—even the change aspect of it, deciding to leave and move somewhere where I didn't really know anybody—felt like I was able to fully dive into being delusionally hopeful and like I'm doing this thing that everybody else here is doing. And we're all figuring it out together. There's a whimsy in L.A. that I experienced. It's kind of like the land of make-believe. In a way, everybody is working on something, and you don't really know what anybody's doing. In a way, I kind of like that energy.
They've all had an impact on my creativity in a lot of ways. I think New York obviously had the biggest impact because I decided to make music. I think L.A. is, for some reason, I have a little bit more just like assurance in who I am and [there’s] no shame here. There's just a whimsical energy here that I really feel like I connect to and the weather is really nice.
New York is always probably going to be home, but a nice change is good. The Virgo in me is like, “change is good.” We'll make it.
LUNA: Your music is incredibly vulnerable. Even right now, you're being so vulnerable. I know that's probably difficult. How do you feel when somebody tells you that listening to your songs makes them feel seen? Would you say that is what makes the vulnerability worth it for you?
REGENT: For sure. Originally, I wanted to make music for my 16 year old self. I was very unsure of myself and going through a lot, and to know that I grew up, and I'm OK, and able to pursue something that I love and be surrounded by people that I love is such a blessing. Now, if I receive a DM from someone that's like, “I felt like I was going through the same thing and this really helped me and felt like comfort to me,” that pretty much would make my day and make my life. It’s taken a long time for me to get comfortable being vulnerable. Now, I'm at the point where I'm so not ashamed of [it]. I've got who I am and what has made me who I am.
I feel like I'm just really lucky to have really great people around me. I know that it's only going to help people. I don't really care about any other comment. You know what I mean? As long as I can reach people and help people not feel alone and vice versa, that helps me as well. To just know that there are people that relate to me—that's really important. Especially now, that connection is so important.
I feel like we all kind of need that, even if it's on a small scale. I'm still a small artist, it just means so much. That helps a lot for sure. Everything is so disconnected. Music, art—a great way for all of us to be connected.
