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As a teenager, if you’ve ever thought about writing a song and are unsure where to start, see Maddox Batson. At only 15 years old, he’s covering, writing, and singing his way into fame, having signed a record deal with big-time Universal Records and released country-pop songs “Girl in Green,” “X’s,” and “I Don’t Like You Anymore.”
Looking at his newest EP’s album cover and listening to his music, it’s clear I’m not the target demographic; at fifteen, Batson is pushing a young Justin Bieber-esque persona, and a small-town Tennessee charm like Taylor Swift’s debut. I can’t critique the new country-pop artist without acknowledging that, being older, I’m not a part of the intended audience of Gen Alpha tween girls, potentially hanging his slightly nauseating First Dance EP cover on the wall of their bedroom. This is also apparent by how every person over the age of fifteen who saw the poster looked vaguely green afterwards.
His music is clearly intended for the following demographics:
< Girls
< Below 15-year-olds
< Most likely Harry Styles fans
Blending mainstream country and the kind of pop you’d hear playing in an H&M, the singer says he plays both the guitar and the mandolin. He says he’s taking just as much influence from Justin Bieber and One Direction as ‘90s country music, and the sound blends them. Think of a young Justin Bieber singing boy band lyrics in the style of Zach Bryan.
Cover comparison: “Believe” by Justin Bieber (2012) and Maddox Batson’s “First Dance” (2025). Both wear black suits with similar hairstyles and dark backgrounds, looking contemplative.
I think his branding is perfect; I would say something negative about it, but the persona he’s putting into the world is successful. Think about 5 Seconds of Summer, One Direction, and the Jonas Brothers reaching catastrophic levels of success writing pop-rock songs with just vague enough romantic lyrics.
This type of fame is a gold mine, especially since Maddox Batson is in the world of young social media stars like Harper Zilmer. There’s an over-saturated, dramatized world of a preteen’s TikTok feed, and I think Maddox’s music falls into this world. He’s racked up 12 million views on the official music video for “X’s,” starring Harper Zilmer, who’s reached her own levels of success with lip-syncing videos and the LOL Podcast with Maverick and Cash Baker.
These internet celebrity audiences are made up of teenagers, if not younger. It only makes sense that these kids would capitalize on the fame they get from appealing to these younger audiences, even if it costs them a cringe EP cover. Say what you will, but Maddox’s music makes a name for itself. He has hundreds of thousands of listeners on Spotify and millions of followers on TikTok.
Maddox Batson’s music isn’t my taste, but if you fit the demographics, feel free to listen to some of his music and check out his music videos on YouTube. If you have an infant, you can make the music videos an easy replacement for Cocomelon, as they share the same color saturation, story-line depth, and lyricism.
To Maddox- keep doing what you’re doing, because you’re doing great, but maybe delete the “X’s” music video. It might be a little egotistical to depict a horde of fangirls chasing after you.
