Madison Beer, 21, says she was bullied by older men in the industry

‘I felt silenced in almost every room’: Madison Beer, 21, says she was bullied by older men in the industry who ‘steered her in all the wrong directions’

Madison Beer has spoken candidly about her experience of growing up in the music industry and claims she was ‘bullied’ by older men.

The singer, 21, began her career on YouTube in 2012 before being noticed by Justin Bieber who helped sign her to Island Records with his manager Scooter Braun.

Speaking about the early days of her career, Madison candidly told NME: ‘When I was younger, I felt silenced in almost every room I would step into.’

Honest: Madison Beer has spoken candidly about her experience of growing up in the music industry and claims she was ‘bullied’ by older men

The Selfish hitmaker continued: ‘In hindsight, it was bullying. Everyone was like, “Oh sweetheart, we know better than you – you don’t know what you’re talking about.” And that didn’t feel good at all.

Madison went on to say she feels empowered and that her voice is one that needs to be heard, adding: ‘I’m at a point now where I’m almost 10 years into this game, and I have a voice that I think deserves to be heard.’

The American star admitted she didn’t think these older men – who remain unnamed – were making the right choices for her career.  

She said: ‘But for a very long time, I felt very silenced and very bullied by older men in the industry who actually didn’t know what they were talking about and steered me in all the wrong directions.’

Starting out: The singer, 21, began her career on YouTube in 2012 before being noticed by Justin Bieber who helped sign her to Island Records with his manager Scooter Braun

Starting out: The singer, 21, began her career on YouTube in 2012 before being noticed by Justin Bieber who helped sign her to Island Records with his manager Scooter Braun

Madison, who has previously been candid about her experience with self-harm and being diagnosed with a borderline personality disorder, went on to say she has since ‘come through the other side’. 

She said: ‘I’m someone who’s been put through the wringer by the industry. It’s been a very long journey for me, and not an easy one, but I’ve come through the other side stronger. I’m definitely a fighter.’

Elsewhere in the interview, Madison spoke about her view on ‘cancel culture’, which she said can be ‘triggering and traumatising and scary’.

The Instagram sensations most recent brush with cancel culture was last summer when she revealed she liked the book Lolita, a 1955 novel written by Russian-American novelist Vladimir Nabokov.

The book is known for its very controversial plot which involves a professor who begins an obsession with a twelve year old girl.

Fans reacted negatively to Madison’s post and accused her of condoning the highly inappropriate and abusive relationship between the characters.

She was quick to apologise and said: ‘I love u guys & i’m sorry. i misspoke and would never condone inappropriate relationships of any kind. i’m sincerely sorry for it seeming like i do. let me make it clear – i do not. have a good night.’

Struggles: Speaking about the early days of her career, Madison candidly told NME : 'When I was younger, I felt silenced in almost every room I would step into'

Struggles: Speaking about the early days of her career, Madison candidly told NME : ‘When I was younger, I felt silenced in almost every room I would step into’

Discussing the threats of ‘cancellation’, Madison said: ‘There have been times where it’s trended and I’ve been like: “You guys are spewing s**t out of your mouth; you have no idea what you’re talking about and nothing you say has any validity to it.”

Going on to explain she thinks there should be guidance around the culture, she said: ‘We should set ground rules. There are things that are inexcusable and that you can’t forgive and that should make us re-question who we give platforms to. 

‘There are things that cross the line of what could be called ‘a human mistake’ and I 100% understand that…. 

‘But there are also so many instances that I see where it’s just [driven by] this mob mentality, where we basically bully this person and ‘cancel’ them for something that’s kind of an innocent mistake or something they did when they were way younger. 

‘We’re never going to be a progressive society if we keep on trying to tear each other down.’ 

The Selfish hitmaker continued: 'In hindsight, it was bullying. Everyone was like, "Oh sweetheart, we know better than you – you don't know what you're talking about." And that didn't feel good at all'

The Selfish hitmaker continued: ‘In hindsight, it was bullying. Everyone was like, “Oh sweetheart, we know better than you – you don’t know what you’re talking about.” And that didn’t feel good at all’