Madeline Merlo

West Coast country-pop dynamo Madeline Merlo delivers deliriously catchy Top 40 hooks in a big, soulful voice. Born in Canada in 1994, Merlo knew she wanted to be a singer from the blissful moment she stepped off a talent show stage at age six after performing the Judy Garland classic “Over the Rainbow.” In 2016, she released her debut record, Free Soul, a sweet collection that balances the acoustic twang of plucky banjo and swaggering slide guitar with pop melody. Songs like the powerful “War Paint,” about a friend with mental illness, and rocking “Honey Jack” proved she could deftly navigate a wide range of sounds. Her singles in the years to follow added to that range: “Neon Love” (2018) captured the joy of a night at the club; 2019’s rousing “Dear Me” sent a powerful message to her younger self; and 2020’s gospel-inflected “It Didn’t” is a horn-blasted, post-breakup heart booster.