At the age of 13, with beguiling exuberance and precocious talent, Maddox Lim introduces modern pop rock music that is fresh, melodic, and relatable. As a solo artist, the accomplished multi-instrumentalist — proficient on guitar, ukulele, piano, and drums — creates the sound of a full band in his family’s San Gabriel Valley, CA garage. 

“Capturing the vocals dry, without effects, and remembering to turn off the air conditioning,” Maddox says of his studio technique. “Instruments are the cherry on top, they make the sound stand out, but the vocals are the ice cream.”

Maddox is already an experienced live performer. Onstage, as co-founder of Rooted, an indie band, he has played at street fairs, school events, carnivals, and was featured in celebration of Asian American Pacific Islander weekend at the colossal Los Angeles County Fair. 

He is modest in his self-assessment of how he has achieved so much in such a short period of time. “I just kept doing it, and I got better,” he surmises. He has expanded his knowledge through the Los Angeles College of Music’s “Summer Xperience” program, and in collaboration with the school’s skilled faculty members. 

Well-rounded, with a variety of interests and a busy schedule of school and sports, Maddox is the heir to the historic lineage of a multi-generational family with notable achievements in film, on stage, and in visual arts, including a poetry-penning great grandfather who was exiled during the Chinese cultural revolution, and a dissident great uncle whose art is appreciated worldwide.

Maddox writes songs that reflect his personal experiences, and situations that he witnesses firsthand. “I try to put myself in someone else’s shoes,” he notes in observation of what he terms “Middle School drama,” and his peers’ “puppy-eyed” infatuations. While these adolescent scenarios might provide context for narratives, he prefers to be a spectator. “I sit there and laugh,” he explains. “I’m one of those guys.”

Among his latest solo tracks, “Hollow Dreams,” exemplifies an ever-growing maturity, as his vocals encompass an emotional range from hushed intimacy to soaring altitudes. Reverberating with echoes of the music he grew up hearing — soft rock and radio pop — Maddox Lim conveys his artistry with irrepressible authenticity, soul-bearing vulnerability, and the shining promise of an auspicious future.