You've probably seen a lot of Madison Tevlin over the past week or so. While you may remember her as the singer whose cover of John Legend's All of Me went viral back in 2015 (the video has 8.3 million views and counting), Madison has since established herself as an actor, starring alongside Woody Harrelson and Kaitlin Olson in Champions, and as a presenter, hosting the Canadian TV show Who Do You Think I Am? Most recently, she's been soaring through social media as the lead in CoorDown's Assume That I Can campaign for World Down Syndrome Day.
“Hey, bartender,” Madison says at the beginning of the video. You assume that I cannot drink a Margarita, so you don't serve me a Margarita. So I don't drink a Margarita.” The bartender serves Madison a soft drink with a straw and a condescending smile.
Madison leads us through more scenarios that people with Down Syndrome might navigate – “Teacher, you assume that I cannot learn Shakespeare…” – before flipping the script on its head. “But hey,” she retorts, “if all of your assumptions become reality, then assume that I can drink a Margarita, so you serve me a Margarita, so I drink a Margarita.” Cue Madison clinking cocktails with her friends and enjoying the rest of her night.
The clip has been viewed over 100 million times worldwide on multiple platforms, and hundreds of people have expressed their admiration for the campaign's empowering message (and delivery).
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GLAMOUR caught up with Madison to find out how she's processing the campaign's success, what she thinks are society's biggest obstacles for women with Down Syndrome, and whether a Margarita is actually her favourite cocktail…
Let's start with the basics: if you're going to buy Madison a drink, you might be forgiven for thinking a Margarita is her go-to. Not the case! “My favourite drinks of all time are piña coladas and virgin mojitos,” she tells GLAMOUR.
And if Madison's latest campaign has taught us anything, it's that we should be wary of making assumptions about other people.
“I never really wanted to be a singer,” says Madison when I ask about her path to the entertainment industry. “It was more that I could do something for myself. People with Down Syndrome have low muscle tone [which can impact some people's ability to speak and sing], and it's really hard for everybody, not just me.”
Much of Madison's work – specifically the ‘Assume I Can’ campaign – involves challenging people's assumptions about her. Regarding the assumptions about her ability as a singer, she says, "I've realised that it's just people making things up. But we can prove people wrong, and it feels really, really good.”
While it feels good to prove people wrong, Madison was initially reluctant to share her performing prowess with the world. In fact, without the encouragement of her vocal coach (Marla Joy), she might not have uploaded her All of Me performance to YouTube. “I didn't even want to post the All of Me video in the first place,” she tells me. "But Marla was like, ‘Madison, you need to do this – it's something that you need to do’. I was like, ‘Fine, let’s do this'.
“So we did this video for my favourite song. I remembered all the words, and I just killed it. We posted it for family and friends, but then boom! Everything just started happening for me.”
Music has always had a transformative impact on Madison; she says, “When I put music on, it feels like the world is just changing for me. I listen to music, and I just groove, and I'm in my zone – I feel so much better about myself; I feel so good.”
And as for acting? “I get to put all the different parts of me into it," Madison explains. “All my sassy edges, all my imperfections, playing mysterious parts, being in movies and TV shows, I find it so fascinating.”
A lot has changed in the nine years since Madison's John Legend cover went viral. “I was so young when my cover of 'All of Me' went viral, so I couldn't even process what was going on,” she explains.
“I remember my mom sitting me down and explaining how amazing it was that so many people were watching my video and that it was helping to shatter the misconceptions people have about individuals with Down syndrome.”
“Down Syndrome is a part of me, but it's not all of who I am.”
The social media landscape has shifted since Madison's first viral moment. “When the [All of Me] video went viral, social media wasn't as big as it is now," she tells GLAMOUR. The comparison from that video going viral to the [Assume I Can] campaign is wild!”
Through her career, Madison has already shifted ableist misconceptions about what women with Down Syndrome can achieve. While the John Legend cover showcased the power of representation (as well as an incredible singing voice), the Assume I Can campaign is more direct about challenging these assumptions. So, what's the biggest assumption that people make about Madison?
“They don't actually talk to me – they speak to my mom or my parents. I wish they would talk to me about everything – like I'm a human… Speak to me! Get to know me!” says Madison. “The more you get to know me, the better it is. I have Down Syndrome, and it's the least interesting thing about me. It's a part of me but it's not all of who I am. We should all celebrate our differences.”
Madison continues, "Sometimes, women are not taken seriously. And having Down Syndrome as a woman is even harder. For example, my mom and I would go to the bar hanging out for dinner, just the two of us, and [people would be] like, ‘I don’t think she's allowed to sit here.'
“I just wish that people would understand me and talk to me like I can have a conversation and not go ahead and ask my mother about it. Like, talk to me. That's how it should be.”
She further notes that society's misconceptions about people with Down Syndrome impact everyone differently. She explains that the biggest misconception for her is the idea that people with Down Syndrome don't get married: “People always assume that we can't get married, but we actually can.”
“I just wish that people would understand me and talk to me like I can have a conversation – and not go ahead and ask my mother.”
Working on the Assume I Can campaign was an empowering experience for Madison, which has been further enriched by the overwhelmingly positive public response. She adds, “It's been moving and impactful for everybody watching this video. I'm so happy they're connecting and relating to it.”
While Madison deftly navigates societal misconceptions about people with Down Syndrome, she's also overcome more personal battles. “The biggest obstacle I've had to overcome is my heart surgery," she tells GLAMOUR.
"I had all the support of my family around me in the hospital. My first baby steps [after the surgery] were with my uncle; he helped me walk, and my uncle and dad helped me together. It was a very hard experience, but I pushed through it.”
You can watch Madison Tevlin and Coordown's video in full below:
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