Madison Beer believes it’s “really dangerous and toxic” to consider a record a “failure” if it doesn’t reach number one.
The 26-year-old pop star dropped her third studio album Locket this month with the release peaking at number 10 on the US Billboard 200 chart and Madison feels “so honoured” to have landed in the top 10 but admits there’s “so much pressure” for records to reach higher positions.
She told The Hollywood Reporter: “Having a Top 10 album is something I always dreamed of. I’m so honored, and I think it’s really, really cool.
“But I also have been kind of lucky to never have that, so it’s not defining to me as what’s a good album or not. It’s not defining to me of my self worth. I think that’s really special. There’s a lot of pressure.”
She went on to add: “Deeming me as not good enough or not successful enough just because I’m not number one is really dangerous and toxic in my opinion for everyone involved.
“That’s also insinuating to people in all industries that if you are not at the top of your class, and if you are not number one, you’re not good enough, and you’re kind of a failure. That’s so whack.”
Madison went on to insist she doesn’t crave more fame and success, adding: “I’m very happy with where I’m at. What if I don’t want to be as big and famous as some of these people? What if that’s a personal choice? Maybe it’s overwhelming for me.
“I don’t know when we got to this point where it’s all or nothing. I hope to be someone that can advocate for a healthy work-life relationship and not be someone that’s like, you need to give everything you could ever have to your career or you’re not good enough.
“That’s not my thing. That could be someone else’s, but that just doesn’t align with me personally.”
Madison previously admitted she challenged herself in the studio when it came to recording vocals for Locket.
She told Rolling Stone magazine: “There’s one song that is very vocally challenging. When I recorded this one song and I still had Twitter, I tweeted ‘Oh my God, I literally don’t know if I’m gonna be able to speak for a week.’
“That was a feeling that I really enjoyed with this album. I really liked my desire to push myself and see what I was capable of. So I hope people like the vocals on this project because we spent a lot of time doing it.”