Madison Beer has spent most of her music career on the edge of mainstream pop conversations. She is there enough to be recognized, but rarely taken as seriously as her work demands.
With “Locket,” her third album release, that disconnect is even more apparent. “Locket” is diverse, intimate, personal, and ultimately makes you rethink the amount of fame she has. This album offers a chance to connect with heartbreak and take a deeper dive into yourself.
Rather than chasing trends, “Locket” leans into restraint. Beer’s strength lies in her voice control and vulnerability. Other than some artists, she lets her vulnerability do the heavy lifting instead of production excess. The album’s cohesion reflects an artist that knows herself–literally and creatively. Beer knows her voice and understands when to push forward or pull back.
But despite this evolution, she still is excluded from the category of “big pop artist.” Beer does not ask for attention through spectacle, she earns it. “Locket” raises a bigger question of who we choose to highlight in the music industry. Are we wrong? And in that process, who are we continuing to overlook?
Out of the 11 songs on her album, “bittersweet,” “you’re still everything,” and “bad enough” outshine all the others.
“Bittersweet” is the eighth track on her album. This song was released as a single on October 10, 2025. “Bittersweet” marks a milestone for Beer, with this being her first song to ever make it to the Billboard Hot 100.
While Beer could have dramatized her heartbreak, she sings about her mixed feelings. The song takes listeners through the unresolved space between gratitude and regret. Beer sings “I know, I should be bitter, but baby, right now I’m bittersweet.” Her lyrics show her internal conflict and the battle she is fighting between what she should think and what she actually thinks. “Bittersweet” almost defines the album by having the willingness to sit with complicated feelings without trying to resolve them for the listener.
Within this album, “you’re still everything” acts as an anchor for the album’s central theme: emotional restraint. The song is not built into confrontation or a solution. Instead, it sits in recognition. That stillness continues to thread the idea of reflection, where growth is shown through acceptance rather than transformation.
Other than her ‘90s upbeat pop beats, “you’re still everything” is a simple love song that is deep and vulnerable. By admitting that someone can still remain “everything” without being in your life anymore, Beer shows her maturity. “You’re still my everything” is the definition of emotional honesty. Not the loud kind, but the soft vulnerable kind.
Personally, the climax of “Locket” is the vocal sensation of “bad enough.” Beer performed this song live on “Jimmy Fallon, The Tonight Show” and captivated many different audiences before the album released. Although her soft songs shine in this album, “bad enough” has transcendent vocals and her musical abilities write the song for her.
“Bad enough” turns inward, examining insecurity and the sad damage of feeling worthless in a relationship. That perspective complicates the album’s narrative showing that an emotional heartbreak is not only about missing someone, but about building yourself up after. “Bad enough” is truly a self-reflection song and confronts doubt face-to-face.
“Locket” makes the case that Madison Beer’s lack of recognition is not a reflection of her own abilities, but of the narrow ways the industry decides who is worth sustained attention. Beer is not chasing relevance. She understands her voice and understands what she has to offer.
If mainstream pop recognition is meant to reflect an artist’s merit, then Madison Beer should be at the top of the charts. Not only just reaching them.
Madison Beer’s continued underestimation says more about the music industry hierarchy than it does about her. “Locket” is not an album asking for validation, it is proof that recognition is long overdue.