Nation 2 Nation

Born in the City of London (the one square mile) , we lived in Dalston East London till I was 5 years old then we moved to Tottenham. Went to school in Stamford Hill, Tottenham and ended up doing my GCSE’s at Tether down College Muswell Hill from the age of 14 -16 years. Got a Job in a bank at 16 in the Foreign Exchange Merchant Banking at Banque de Lindochine Bishopsgate London then Deutsche Bank Bishopsgate London, I just worked for one year and decided this was not for me .. I was going to go on a musical journey !..

THE JOURNEY
I grew up in north London and music played a huge part in my life from as early as I can remember. I studied piano at Royal School of Music to grade 4 Mum put me into dance lessons at Hackney Round House from the age of 3 years old, then Drama school at the King's Road Chelsea modern jazz, tap and scottish dancing till I was 14 years old. Having grown up with the guys from "Light of the World and Lynx in north London.. By the time I was 16 I was totally immersed in the world of music joined a band from NME and won first prize at a Battle of the bands in Seven Oaks which began the journey of recording,  as the prize was free recording time in London Bridge Recording Studios. This is when I left work.

I met Phil Lynott, the front man of legendary Irish rock band, Thin Lizzy, where we entered into a crazy relationship for a couple of years , but in the end because of his rock n roll lifestyle (and me being too young to really handle it all) it was much better when we just became close friends and he really then became a musical mentor in my life. He was an amazing song-writer, poet and really used his music to express political and issues of the day. Unfortunately I had now got into the drugs and alcohol lifestyle and now my band were really suffering under my incapacity to hold things together, I remained very close to Phil Lynott until his death at just 36 years old due to drug and alcohol abuse, I was 23 when he died, but even this loss didn’t deter me from living the rock and roll life myself, actually it just pivoted deep into darkness through grief and despair, and again music was a way of expressing my emotions and losing myself. As you can imagine having such a character like that in your life pass away – it really left us all in shock.

I was fortunate to be signed to a 5 year management deal, by people who believed in me as an artist run By Film Producer: Lisa Pare Katsalas (USA) she really helped me through this time, after Phil died in 1986 I locked myself away in rehearsals for about a year in Nomis Rehearsal studios Shepherds Bush and John Henry’s in Caledonian Road London, though when I look back I was just drowning in the music and although I knew it was my career the drugs and alcohol had really taken a stronghold over my life. Lisa decided to send us all out to live in New York in her Loft Apartment in The Village Manhattan, USA where my solo career was supposed to be launched with a band consisting of some great musicians. Band members along the journey were: Lez Warner The Cult, Mark Luckhurst (Thunder) Sacha Putnam (Bass) the genius of John Sierra Guitarist (RIP 1991) and many others.. In New York Steve Stevens (Guitarist with Billy Idol) took me under his wing and became my record producer in New York for 2 years..  I really did a lot of recording in New York even visiting friends like Nile Rodgers Studio Skyline and most of my rehearsals at Rocket Studios, did some warm up show cases at CBGB’s New York but after spending two years in Manhattan, and nearly completing enough songs for my first album, I just completely lost the plot and the Rock N Roll lifestyle was much stronger than the music. I was completely out of control and cocaine, weed and alcohol were literally running my life and in the music industry it was freely given out everywhere I went. It was a trend that continued for a long time. During one ten year period, I cannot remember a single day when I didn’t get high. But as hard as it was to tear myself away from the New York, I knew something had to change before I lost it all as the darkness was truly invading my life , and I decided to run away, back to London which therein put an end to the work I had been doing.

Back in London in a whirlwind of wondering what the last 10 years had been, and other on/off relationships and 3 abortions later really not knowing what I had done..  I got to the end of myself  ....what was this life all about, ?  I was empty and  I knew I had nothing left... music had become a bondage and i had burnt out the candle from every angle, I had got into New Age and there was one name that kept nudging me and that was Jesus... was He really who He said He was.. because I really need help right now and He name was just spotlighting in my life .... but I really didn't know yet ! ...

1990 now back in London I still carried on writing and at that time I was writing with Cass Lewis from Terence Trent Darby in Harlesden, but things were different now and a huge longing for more understanding came over my life. I really was a Rock N Roll New Age Vegetarian so every book was an option to me, then one day I decided I was going to read the bible, and hanging out now in Notting hill I started to read the bible while smoking weed so it all didnt make any sense but still it lead me to a day in August 1991 but I read the bible throughout that year... but still had that question... Who was Jesus ?? coming from a Jewish background ,it was a question burning in my heart !

NEW LIFE !
A musician friend, Paul “Tubbs” Williams, from Light of the World called me and asked to meet up at a leisure centre in Tottenham we both knew. I arrived at the agreed time; Tubbs was late, as usual. As I was standing in reception waiting for him, I heard beautiful music coming from the hall inside. Noticing that I was listening, a person nearby spoke to me. “It’s free. Do you want to go in?” Why not, I thought, so I agreed.

I soon realised it was a church meeting. The music ended and someone got up to preach. I was taken by the fact that there was a deep sense of peace in the room and then something amazing happened to me. It was if a cloud of light was enveloping me and I heard a beautiful voice say to me, “Madeleine, I AM who I said I AM.” It’s difficult to explain, but at that moment I knew that Jesus was the Messiah. Next a tremendous realisation of the sin in my life came over me and, moments later, when the preacher asked if anyone needed Jesus, I couldn’t stop myself from jumping to my feet and calling out, “Yes, me!” I went to the front to be prayed for and received Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I was 27 years old and this was the best night of my life. When I returned home that evening, I disposed of all the drugs and alcohol in my possession and I never looked back. It really was a DAMASCUS road ENCOUNTER - the preacher that night was Andrew Wutawunashe from Zimbabwe and his church was the Worldwide Family of God, which straight away became my church family and just three months later I found myself at a convention in Zimbabwe with 7,000 others all worshipping God. How radically my life had changed and what a wonder and peace I had found!
 

and that's when my Life REALLY BEGAN...... I was ALIVE in Yeshua Our Messiah ... what a journey was ahead !