Razzle Dazzle
Outer Banks made Madison Bailey a Gen-Z gem. Now, she’s ready to sparkle on an entirely new stage with an onslaught of movies and music.
WORDS BY ANNIKA LAUTENS
Madison Bailey believes in the power of positivity — and she’s got the vision boards to prove it. “I made them last September,” the 25-year-old proudly tells me from her home in Los Angeles. Through Zoom, I can see two physical versions of Pinterest boards taped to the wall behind her. Carefully curated yet spontaneously thrown together, the posters read as a collage of fashion photos, film stills and music notes. But the positive affirmations are what really stand out — particularly “We cannot become what we want by remaining what we are,” a phrase penned by American businessman and writer Max De Pree. “I manifest everything,” she explains. “I think everything comes back around.” It certainly seems like it did for Bailey.
The North Carolina native has built her career playing lovable rebels: first in the CW show Black Lightning in 2018 and then as Lucy in the campy horror film Time Cut, which premiered on Netflix this past October. But it’s as the charismatic nonconformist Kiara in the teen drama Outer Banks — a role she very nearly didn’t get — that Bailey’s knack for mimicking mavericks truly shines.
Bodysuit, Tom Ford. Earrings, bracelets and ring, Pandora.
Part National Treasure, part The O.C. and part social commentary on class (yes, really), Outer Banks follows underprivileged teens as they navigate a dystopia split between the wealthy “Kooks” and the not-so-wealthy “Pogues.” Add in a search for missing fathers, a love triangle and buried treasure — and that’s just in the first 10 episodes.
Bailey explains that after her first audition for the show, she didn’t hear back. Days passed before the casting directors sent out a release, asking anyone who had submitted a tape not to do so again. “But I did,” she shares with a smirk. “I had such a strong feeling about the role and I wanted to give it one more shot.”
We all know how this story ends. Bailey got a callback, and now, some 40-odd bingeable hours later, she has become a bona fide Gen-Z icon, complete with a coveted closet, a new hit single, multiple movie deals and nearly 9 million TikTok followers. “I’m exhausted,” she laughs. “But that’s where the positive energy comes in.”
Here, Bailey discusses her new music, Outer Banks season four and why she loves love.
Top, Suburban Deviant. Boots, David Koma. Tights, Sheertex. Earrings and necklace, Pandora.
WHAT CAME FIRST: YOUR LOVE OF SINGING OR ACTING? “My love of music, one hundred per cent. I found acting when I was 15 and really struggling to let loose and be myself. So once I found it, I went all in. Now, I feel lucky that I’m able to 360 back to music in between filming.”
YOU RELEASED YOUR FIRST SINGLE, “THE GREY,” IN SEPTEMBER. WHY THIS SONG, AND WHY NOW? “So much of who I am has been defined in this grey space. Growing up, I struggled to label myself; I wanted to fit in. [Bailey now identifies as pansexual and has been open about her borderline personality disorder diagnosis.] But the older I get, the more I learn that nobody ever feels like they fit in — I wish I could say that to my younger self. So ‘The Grey’ felt like the perfect introduction for what my message is as an artist and what more of my music will be about.”
AND WHEN CAN WE EXPECT MORE OF THAT MUSIC? “Oh, gosh. I have other music and I do plan on releasing it but in what order and in what fashion? I’m not sure yet. It just feels so good to crack open the door and get the first song out there.”
"I’M DEFINITELY ON THE VULNERABLE SIDE OF LIFE RIGHT NOW SO SOMETIMES EVERYTHING FEELS VULNERABLE."
DO YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A ROMANTIC? “I absolutely am! I love love, and I’m very gushy.”
YOU’RE THE YOUNGEST OF SEVEN CHILDREN; IT SEEMS LIKE YOU GREW UP SURROUNDED BY A LOT OF LOVE. “I really did. That’s not to say there wasn’t chaos — my siblings and I were crazy. But because six of us are adopted, it’s a very specific, niche bond and a different type of love, I think.”
YOU’VE ALSO BEEN WITH YOUR PARTNER, MARIAH LINNEY, FOR FOUR YEARS, AND YOU SHARE VIDEOS OF THE TWO OF YOU — LOOKING VERY MUCH IN LOVE, I MIGHT ADD—ON TIKTOK. HOW DO YOU DECIDE WHEN — AND WHEN NOT — TO BE VULNERABLE ON SOCIAL MEDIA? “I honestly don’t give it that much thought. With the release of my new music, I’m definitely on the vulnerable side of life right now so sometimes everything feels vulnerable.”
Jacket and shorts, Self-Portrait. Boots, Charles & Keith. Earrings and necklaces, Pandora.
YOU SEEM TO HAVE AN AFFINITY FOR STORYTELLING, NO MATTER WHAT THE MEDIUM. “I would say that’s very accurate! I think whatever vein I’m in, I’m telling stories and making people feel happy and comfortable in this crazy-ass world.”
DO YOU CONSIDER FASHION A FORM OF STORYTELLING? AND IF SO, WHAT IS THE STORY YOU’RE TRYING TO TELL WITH YOUR OUTFITS? “I do, for sure. For me, fashion is just so playful. Sometimes I want to dress more on theme or in tandem with whatever project I’m doing, but I think once I get into a fitting, I choose whatever I feel most confident in. I get a lot of anxiety doing red carpets so having something that I feel really comfortable in is typically my priority.”
HOW ARE YOU MANAGING TO BE COMFORTABLE IN ALL THOSE BALL GOWNS? [Laughs] “Listen, comfort is relative, for sure. I just mean that I feel beautiful in something that doesn’t have a lot of moving parts that will get me overstimulated.”
I’m also a big fan of dressing up to go to Target. Like if I haven’t been dressed up in a while, I’ll just find an excuse.”
SO HOW DOES YOUR STYLIST, KYLE KAGAMIDA, FIT INTO ALL THIS? “He is the sweetest freaking guy and just has the biggest heart! He really understands my style, which is a little bit of everything. It’s a little sexy and sultry. We love diamonds, feathers and frilly things. We have a lot of fun! My day-to-day is pretty simple: baggy jeans, baby tee, jewellery. But I’m also a big fan of dressing up to go to Target. Like if I haven’t been dressed up in a while, I’ll just find an excuse.”
YOU’VE HAD A LOT OF EXCUSES THANKS TO OUTER BANKS. SEASON FOUR, WHICH WRAPPED UP THIS NOVEMBER, STARTS WITH AN 18-MONTH TIME JUMP. WHEN DID YOU FIRST LEARN ABOUT THIS TWIST, AND HOW DID YOU APPROACH IT FROM AN ACTING PERSPECTIVE? “I learned about it midway through season three; I think it makes a lot of sense. We’re all much older than our characters now, and what do you really miss in 18 months anyway? As an actor, you’re trying to track the maturity and growth of your character. During this time jump, Kiara has been tending to a garden and living a much slower-paced life, which affects her reactions and the stakes when things start going wrong.”
Top, Sid Neigum. Shorts and socks, Sheertex. Shoes, Le Silla. Earrings, rings and bracelet, Pandora.
AND THINGS GO WRONG VERY QUICKLY. KIARA AND JJ [RUDY PANKOW] FINALLY GET TOGETHER AT THE END OF SEASON THREE, BUT THEIR HONEYMOON PHASE IS PRETTY SHORT-LIVED. HOW DOES JJ’S IDENTITY CRISIS AFFECT THEIR RELATIONSHIP? “Kiara’s really just figuring out how to be there for him. In the past, she’s been very reactive, especially to JJ’s silly decisions that have caused everybody a lot of trouble. So it’s an interesting pivot for her to grow this soft spot for things that would’ve sent her a season ago — love really does make you blind.”
THE INTERNET HAS BEEN OBSESSED WITH KIARA AND JJ’S SLOW-BURN ROMANCE SINCE SEASON ONE. WHAT IS IT ABOUT THEM THAT YOU THINK HAS RESONATED WITH SO MANY PEOPLE? “I think it was the initial bond between these two characters — they’re so similar: Kiara is very independent and so is JJ. They’re not taking anything from each other — each is not asking the other to be any different from what they are. They get to exist together but separately. Plus, I think Kiara’s making him a lot softer.”
AND WHILE OUTER BANKS SEASON FIVE HAS JUST BEEN CONFIRMED AS THE FINAL SEASON, WHAT ELSE ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT IN THE FUTURE? WHAT NEW PROJECTS CAN YOU TEASE? “I just finished filming a romcom in England for Amazon, which is super exciting. There’s more music on the horizon, and I’m reading more scripts. I’m looking for my next project to be excited about.”
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY TYLER PATRICK KENNY
STYLING BY ASHLEY GALANG
CREATIVE DIRECTION BY GEORGE ANTONOPOULOS
HAIR Miles Jeffries for The Wall Group. MAKEUP Ernesto Casillas for Opus Beauty. NAILS Queenie Nguyen for Tomlinson Management Group. FASHION ASSISTANT CC Calica. FASHION INTERN Tia Nalls.