Maggie Lindemann Is Pop Punk’s New One to Watch
If you look up Maggie Lindemann on Spotify, you’ll immediately come into contact with her 2016 multiplatinum single “Pretty Girl,” a tried-and-true traditional pop song where Lindemann sings on the chorus about being more than just a pretty girl.
The girl behind that song is a far cry from the one who slides into Maman café near Union Square on a recent sunny morning during New York Fashion Week. Now 24 years old, Lindemann has gone through a rebirth of sorts, shedding the bubblegum pop music that got her signed to a label way back when and finally making the music she wants to make, which reads much more pop punk and alternative rock.
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“When I first started I was making more alternative pop music. Then I got signed to a label when I was 17, and I got signed off of ‘Pretty Girls.’ I didn’t really want to do that kind of music. I never really wanted to do pop at all,” Lindemann says, dark sunglasses over her eyes, a plate of eggs on the table in front of her. “Then we did the remix and the song started popping off and obviously, I was a little unprepared for that. So I got swayed to do that just based on how that song did. But I never really loved it or felt a connection with it.”
Lindemann has released her debut album “Suckerpunch,” and is eager to now be known for the music she says is much more her.
“The reason I called it ‘Suckerpunch’ is because suckerpunch means ‘a series of unexpected blows or punches,’ and that’s what I felt like it was. It was a series of blows emotionally and mentally,” Lindemann says. “I think every song is showing each blow and each punch that I was taking. Some are about relationships, some are about personal issues. Being with a label that doesn’t really give you [support], being in an industry when you don’t really relate to it.”
Having moved to Los Angeles as a teenager sans parents to make it in music, she planned to celebrate the album’s release at home in San Antonio, on the heels of a busy NYFW that included parties and shows alongside NBA star boyfriend Jordan Clarkson.
Both of their families are in San Antonio, which is where Lindemann’s music memories begin. Her dad loves alternative rock, whereas her mom is into metal, as well as rock — she was the first person to introduce Lindemman to Gwen Stefani, a major influence today.
Growing up she was in choir and school musicals, until her manager found her at age 16 and she moved out to California. Her inspirations continue to be Stefani, as well as Amy Lee of Evanescence, Hayley Williams, Melanie Martinez and Garbage.
Like Stefani, Lindemann has gotten into the fashion world, launching a clothing line called “Swixxz” in 2018.
“I just love clothes. I’ve always had a sketch book with little designs of dresses and I’ve just always loved making clothes,” she says.
She used to be a big Zumiez shopper, but would always end up in the men’s section because “the women’s didn’t really have what I was looking for,” she says. Her own line therefore is unisex, but is designed to appeal to women like herself who like a more genderless approach to dressing.
She also felt strongly on having the line speak for itself, so her name doesn’t appear on the labels or branding.
“It’s not merch, it’s a clothing line,” she says, noting that fans and non-fans alike make up her customer base. “I’ll be scrolling on TikTok and I’ll see people wearing it and they don’t even follow me. So I’m like ‘they probably don’t even know who I am.’”
With the new album out now, that might be changing soon.
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