Artist Friendly with Joel Madden

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Lionel Richie Mar 25, 2026

Show notes

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Lionel Richie.

Richie is a legend in his own right, making several classic love songs through the years. However, he revealed the profound overwhelm of stardom in a near-500-page memoir, Truly, last year, documenting his journey from a “painfully shy” child to a stadium-sized musician.

Ahead of a busy summer, Madden sits down with the music icon, American Idol judge, and his father-in-law for an unfiltered look at what it means to build a legacy. From a standing ovation at the Oscars to the real weight of fame, family, and survival in the industry, this is a conversation 20 years in the making.
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Listen to their Artist Friendly conversation on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify.⁠⁠⁠⁠

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Follow Artist Friendly!

IG: @artist.friendly

TikTok: @artist.friendly

YouTube: youtube.com/@artist.friendly

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Host: Joel Madden, @joelmadden

Executive Producers: Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Jillian King

Producers: Josh Madden, Joey Simmrin, Janice Leary

Visual Producer/Editor: Ryan Schaefer

Audio Producer/Composer: Nick Gray

Music/Theme Composer: Nick Gray

Cover Art/Design: Ryan Schaefer

Additional Contributors: Anna Zanes, Neville Hardman

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2 Chainz Mar 18, 2026

Show notes

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by 2 Chainz.

2 Chainz first came up in the Atlanta hip-hop scene as part of Playaz Circle in the 2000s, though he landed a solo record deal on the strength of his T.R.U. REALigion mixtape in 2011 — as well as verses on Kanye West’s “Mercy” and Nicki Minaj’s “Beez in the Trap” the following year.

From there, the rapper broadened his circle, appearing in the video for Fall Out Boy’s “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up),” guesting on the remix, and bringing the band out during his Coachella performance in 2013.

Stopping by the Artist Friendly studio, 2 Chainz joins Madden for a thoughtful conversation about therapy, fatherhood, and writing his first book, The Voice in My Head Is God.

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Listen to their Artist Friendly conversation on ⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify.⁠⁠⁠

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Follow Artist Friendly!

IG: @artist.friendly

TikTok: @artist.friendly

YouTube: youtube.com/@artist.friendly

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Host: Joel Madden, @joelmadden

Executive Producers: Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Jillian King

Producers: Josh Madden, Joey Simmrin, Janice Leary

Visual Producer/Editor: Ryan Schaefer

Audio Producer/Composer: Nick Gray

Music/Theme Composer: Nick Gray

Cover Art/Design: Ryan Schaefer

Additional Contributors: Anna Zanes, Neville Hardman

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Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes Mar 11, 2026

Show notes

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes.

Following 2024’s Happiness Bastards, the Black Crowes got straight to work. In early 2025, the Robinson brothers traveled to Nashville to reunite with producer Jay Joyce and build on the momentum of their last album.

The resulting A Pound of Feathers captures a similar energy, full of swaggering rock that, as Robinson tells it, “hits harder, more jagged, but is still true to our musical essence.”

Before heading out on an extensive tour, the frontman stopped by the Artist Friendly studio for a conversation about grief, rebuilding the Black Crowes, and making their newest record in under two weeks.

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Listen to their Artist Friendly conversation on ⁠⁠⁠Spotify.⁠⁠

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Follow Artist Friendly!

IG: @artist.friendly

TikTok: @artist.friendly

YouTube: youtube.com/@artist.friendly

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Host: Joel Madden, @joelmadden

Executive Producers: Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Jillian King

Producers: Josh Madden, Joey Simmrin, Janice Leary

Visual Producer/Editor: Ryan Schaefer

Audio Producer/Composer: Nick Gray

Music/Theme Composer: Nick Gray

Cover Art/Design: Ryan Schaefer

Additional Contributors: Anna Zanes, Neville Hardman

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Ryan Cabrera Mar 04, 2026

Show notes

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Ryan Cabrera.

After graduating from high school, Cabrera played acoustic guitar in Rubix Groove, opening for Cheap Trick and Third Eye Blind. A solo career came calling, though, leading to early 2000s pop stardom, mall tours, and a platinum album. That eventually segued into guest appearances on The Hills and meeting WWE superstar Alexa Bliss at a SmackDown premiere in LA, whom he married in 2022.

Sitting down with Madden, the duo has a funny, vulnerable conversation about growing up in public, balancing family and touring, and what success means.

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Listen to their Artist Friendly conversation on ⁠⁠Spotify.⁠

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Follow Artist Friendly!

IG: @artist.friendly

TikTok: @artist.friendly

YouTube: youtube.com/@artist.friendly

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Host: Joel Madden, @joelmadden

Executive Producers: Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Jillian King

Producers: Josh Madden, Joey Simmrin, Janice Leary

Visual Producer/Editor: Ryan Schaefer

Audio Producer/Composer: Nick Gray

Music/Theme Composer: Nick Gray

Cover Art/Design: Ryan Schaefer

Additional Contributors: Anna Zanes, Neville Hardman

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Deryck Whibley of Sum 41 Feb 25, 2026

Show notes

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Deryck Whibley of Sum 41.

Sum 41 defined an entire generation of skate punk before they played their last show in January 2025. Their final LP, Heaven :x: Hell, was a feat, showing off their signature styles. The Heaven side called back to their snotty pop-punk days, whereas Hell channeled their metallic side that ramped up with 2004’s Chuck.

In the time since, Whibley has released a potent memoir, Walking Disaster, and a clothing brand with the same name, debuting at Warped Tour Orlando last year.

Stopping by the Artist Friendly studio, they get into a raw, reflective conversation where Deryck opens up about his near-death experience, burnout, and what’s next.

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Listen to their Artist Friendly conversation on ⁠Spotify.

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Follow Artist Friendly!

IG: @artist.friendly

TikTok: @artist.friendly

YouTube: youtube.com/@artist.friendly

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Host: Joel Madden, @joelmadden

Executive Producers: Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Jillian King

Producers: Josh Madden, Joey Simmrin, Janice Leary

Visual Producer/Editor: Ryan Schaefer

Audio Producer/Composer: Nick Gray

Music/Theme Composer: Nick Gray

Cover Art/Design: Ryan Schaefer

Additional Contributors: Anna Zanes, Neville Hardman

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jordan Pundik of New Found Glory Feb 18, 2026

Show notes

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Jordan Pundik of New Found Glory.

Jordan Pundik of New Found Glorywill join Joel Madden on the latest episode of the series.New Found Glory became the soundtrack for teen angst during pop punk’s golden age in the early 2000s, blending their upbringings in Coral Springs, Florida DIY scenes with bouncy hooks. That angst, though, came from a very real place.

“I wish I went back a long time ago to deal with [my anxiety],” Pundik tells Madden. “I haven’t been that vocal about it until recently because I would just hide it and push it down and pretend that everything was OK… That’s my biggest regret — not dealing with it sooner.”

In a conversation with his longtime peer, the New Found Glory frontman elaborates on the positive effects of therapy,growing up on tour together, and Listen Up!, out this Friday (Feb. 20).

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Listen to their Artist Friendly conversation on ⁠⁠Spotify.⁠

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Follow Artist Friendly!

IG: @artist.friendly

TikTok: @artist.friendly

YouTube: youtube.com/@artist.friendly

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Host: Joel Madden, @joelmadden

Executive Producers: Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Jillian King

Producers: Josh Madden, Joey Simmrin, Janice Leary

Visual Producer/Editor: Ryan Schaefer

Audio Producer/Composer: Nick Gray

Music/Theme Composer: Nick Gray

Cover Art/Design: Ryan Schaefer

Additional Contributors: Anna Zanes, Neville Hardman

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt Quinn of Mt. Joy Feb 11, 2026

Show notes

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Matt Quinn of Mt. Joy.

Last spring, Mt. Joy returned with Hope We Have Fun, an album that, after nearly a decade of touring, solidifies years of hard work coming to fruition — including selling out Madison Square Garden and Red Rocks.

For the frontman, the LP revels in theband’s time together: “We’ve all done ridiculous things in sickness and in health. You just look up, and you’re at Madison Square Garden with these people, and it makes you emotional — it feels like something you never could have dreamed. The album is a realization that we pushed ourselves into this crazy world, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. It’s a lot about sticking together in relationships, living a crazy lifestyle, and just saying, ‘I hope we have fun.’”

In a candid and thoughtful conversation with Joel, Quinn details exactly what it’s taken to arrive at this point.

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Listen to their Artist Friendly conversation on ⁠⁠Spotify.⁠

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Follow Artist Friendly!

IG: @artist.friendly

TikTok: @artist.friendly

YouTube: youtube.com/@artist.friendly

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Host: Joel Madden, @joelmadden

Executive Producers: Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Jillian King

Producers: Josh Madden, Joey Simmrin, Janice Leary

Visual Producer/Editor: Ryan Schaefer

Audio Producer/Composer: Nick Gray

Music/Theme Composer: Nick Gray

Cover Art/Design: Ryan Schaefer

Additional Contributors: Anna Zanes, Neville Hardman

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Denis Leary Feb 04, 2026

Show notes

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Denis Leary.

Leary specializes in sharp, rapid-fire comedy, honed while coming up through Boston’s local clubs.

“There’s something about Boston comedy crowds — it’s a combination of knowledge and enthusiasm, but they’re also tough,” he said in a local interview. “They can smell blood. They can smell fear. I always felt like it was trial by fire in the Boston clubs in the best possible way.”

He’s gone on to create famous sketches about cancer and coffee, even crossing over from stand-up into TV and film (Rescue Me, Ice Age, etc.) while maintaining his biting humor.

This week, he stops by the Artist Friendly studio for a conversation about his wide-ranging career with Madden.

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Listen to their Artist Friendly conversation on ⁠⁠Spotify.⁠

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Follow Artist Friendly!

IG: @artist.friendly

TikTok: @artist.friendly

YouTube: youtube.com/@artist.friendly

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Host: Joel Madden, @joelmadden

Executive Producers: Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Jillian King

Producers: Josh Madden, Joey Simmrin, Janice Leary

Visual Producer/Editor: Ryan Schaefer

Audio Producer/Composer: Nick Gray

Music/Theme Composer: Nick Gray

Cover Art/Design: Ryan Schaefer

Additional Contributors: Anna Zanes, Neville Hardman

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Johnny Famiglietti of HEALTH Jan 28, 2026

Show notes

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Johnny Famiglietti of HEALTH.

At the tail end of last year, HEALTH returned with CONFLICT DLC — a collection of menacing neo-industrial songs comprising all the anger, fear, and sadness of our current reality.

Following up RAT WARS, the album is a continuation of what they started in 2023 but gets darker and heavier, thanks in part to working with Knocked Loose collaborator Drew Folk.

Ahead of their spring headlining tour, the bassist/producer stopped by the Artist Friendly studio to discuss how Elden Ring inspired the band’s recent full-length, his omnivorous music taste, and the eternal pleasure of live music.

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Listen to their Artist Friendly conversation on ⁠⁠Spotify.⁠

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Follow Artist Friendly!

IG: @artist.friendly

TikTok: @artist.friendly

YouTube: youtube.com/@artist.friendly

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Host: Joel Madden, @joelmadden

Executive Producers: Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Jillian King

Producers: Josh Madden, Joey Simmrin, Janice Leary

Visual Producer/Editor: Ryan Schaefer

Audio Producer/Composer: Nick Gray

Music/Theme Composer: Nick Gray

Cover Art/Design: Ryan Schaefer

Additional Contributors: Anna Zanes, Neville Hardman

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Richard Marx Jan 21, 2026

Show notes

On this week's episode of Artist Friendly, Joel Madden is joined by Richard Marx.

Marx delivered his self-titled debut album in the spring of 1987 and has kept up the pace, adding over a dozen more to his catalog since. All the while, he frequently showed up on the pop charts, shared a Grammy for Song of the Year with Luther Vandross, and sang background vocals on Madonna’s “White Heat.”

In 2021, he released a memoir called Stories to Tell, which unpacked his four-decade career, but it also serves as the title of his podcast.

This week, the roles are reversed, sitting down with Madden to delve into his latest full-length, After Hours, and beyond.

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Listen to their Artist Friendly conversation on ⁠⁠Spotify.⁠

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Follow Artist Friendly!

IG: @artist.friendly

TikTok: @artist.friendly

YouTube: youtube.com/@artist.friendly

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Host: Joel Madden, @joelmadden

Executive Producers: Joel Madden, Benji Madden, Jillian King