You can find Madison McFerrin’s warm and inviting vocal tones gracing the soundtracks of TV shows like Broad City and Random Acts of Flyness, and sharing stages with the likes of De La Soul, Gallant, and The Roots—the ultimate vibe check for scenes populated with the young, hip, and chill. The vibes run in her veins, the latest generation of a storied musical legacy: Her grandfather is Robert McFerrin Sr., the first black man to sing with the Metropolitan Opera, and her father Bobby McFerrin is the Grammy-winning vocalist of “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” fame. The LA-based musician and singer has wielded her own voice from a young age, developing a genre-bending, emotionally open fusion of electronic pop, jazz, soul, and a cappella that Questlove once dubbed “soul-appella.” McFerrin often performs songs that she builds from the ground up, using merely her voice and a looping pedal; the songs on her first two EPs consist solely of her voice. After expanding her sound on her 2019 LP You+I, she produced much of her latest album I Hope You Can Forgive Me (2023) herself, with contributions from her father Bobby.
