What the church doesn’t realise is that when you teach a kid to sing with conviction, eventually they’ll grow up and find their own. That is the powerful message behind Maddie Zahm’s latest single If It’s Not God. The 24 year old songwriter is slowly becoming the voice of a traumatised generation of queer kids, using her music as a place of solace for them to vent and let all their worries out in a safe environment. The wall you’ve put up to protect yourself from the pain you’ve experienced, she breaks it down with her piercing lyrics to give you a cathartic moment where all your emotions can pour out of you and let the healing process begin. It’s powerful, impactful, emotional, but most important of all it’s a conversation that needs to be had.

If It’s Not God is something that will speak to the soul of many young people who felt betrayed by the church. Zahm’s heart-wrenching storytelling is of a cinematic quality, painting a visual that Greta Gerwig could’ve directed that becomes an Oscar winning film by the time the track finishes playing. Evocative vocals scream out in pain, followed soon after by the sweet relief of finding your own voice, breaking free from the confides of another and entering the world with a voice you’re proud to call your own. Include a stellar visual and it becomes as clear as day that Maddie Zahm is a spectacular artist.