The inspiration for this song came about as Casey Sana watched Skip Pardee discussing transgender identity at a TEDx talk in Reno. Pardee said "when we are created, we are given a body, a mind and a spirit. A transgender person is given the mind and the spirit of one gender, and then they’re put into the physical body of the opposite gender."
"Madelaine's Secret" was made to serve as a song of empowerment for marginalized people of the world, and as an antidote to the erasure of LGBTQ voices in popular media. It explores the life of a transgender woman and provides a sense of universal empathy and accessibility with regard to the circumstances of her life, while also contributing the context for a larger discussion about transgender identity. One of the great barriers to a successful gender transition is the ability to access an enduring self-confidence, which is why public support can prove to be so crucial. Through the courage of the protagonist in this song, Sana gives the world a gift of visceral reality, and extends an empathetic hand to anyone that struggles with issues of gender identity. Combining the sound of a Wurlitzer piano with a shuffled dance-club groove, Casey Sana weaves a bold story of artistic expression and self-awareness with the details of a life that yearns to be seen, and deserves to be loved.
