Madeline “MuMu” Rhodes – The Brothel: A Musical Memoir
New York City-born and raised artist Madeline “MuMu” Rhodes grew up in a matriarchy on the Upper West Side, sharing a one-bathroom apartment with her mother and five sisters. That upbringing gave her a unique perspective on womanhood, identity, and family—subjects that continue to fuel her creative work today.
Now, MuMu announces The Brothel: A Musical Memoir, an ambitious multimedia project that blends album, podcast, memoir, and musical into a deeply personal exploration of childhood, womanhood, and self-discovery. Alongside the announcement, she shares lead single “To The Love,” an emotionally immersive meditation on the feelings and connections that often remain just beyond our grasp. Driven by lush synths and soaring vocals, the song reflects on the love we never fully uncover.
“My childhood was messy, loud, sometimes manically energetic, sometimes darkly depressed, but it was always full of love. We called our home The Brothel,” MuMu shares. “I was raised mostly by my mother, a brilliant, loving, and brave woman who also suffered greatly with mental illness. When my parents went through a messy divorce, I watched her fall apart. In my nine-year-old mind, standing by her side meant writing my father off completely.
Years later, during the pandemic, I released a song about my father, titled “Strange.” He heard it, and after fifteen years of being estranged, he reached out and wanted to talk. What was meant to be one call with him turned into 18 months of weekly Zoom meetings in which he told me his entire story from beginning to end. I secretly recorded every meeting and listened back over and over again. I suppose I was looking for answers to why I never felt good enough to be my father’s daughter, desperate to let go of my original heartbreak.”
Built from a collage of voice memos, Zoom recordings, song demos, and fully realized studio recordings, The Brothel: A Musical Memoir serves as a gift to MuMu’s younger self. Through the project, she asks the questions she was once too confused, angry, and afraid to ask, ultimately arriving at a place of empathy, understanding, and forgiveness for both of her parents.
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