Deftones reveal how Madonna's seal of approval landed them their first record deal
Deftones have an unexpected link to Madonna that set them on the path to stardom.
Before Adrenaline shook the underground and White Pony redefined alternative metal, Deftones were just a group of Sacramento kids grinding out demos and playing sweaty club shows. But in 1994, their trajectory changed overnight- thanks, unexpectedly, to Madonna.
Frontman Chino Moreno recalled the surreal moment the band was flown to Los Angeles by Maverick Records, the label co-founded by Madonna and her longtime manager Freddy DeMann.
He told The Irish Times: "It was Guy [Oseary, Maverick A+R] who discovered us first.
“He and Freddy flew us from our base in Sacramento to Los Angeles, where we played a couple of songs for them in a little rehearsal space.”
That impromptu showcase led to a whirlwind visit to Maverick’s Beverly Hills offices - and a face-to-face meeting with the Queen of Pop herself.
Moreno recounted: “I got to meet Madonna, which was mind-blowing.
“She definitely gave us the thumbs-up. It was crazy to be a 20-year-old kid and have somebody whose music I’ve been listening to since I was 10 years old give us her approval.”
While Madonna’s influence helped green-light the deal, Moreno clarified that she wasn’t creatively involved in shaping the band’s sound.
He said: “She wasn’t as hands-on as maybe you would think.
“In no way was she dictating our creative direction… the label let us be us.”
Still, her presence loomed large. Moreno recalled the surreal experience of performing live with Madonna in the crowd: “They were a little nerve-wracking, because you knew she was watching you. One of the biggest artists in the world knew who we were. It was awesome and very, very cool.”
The Maverick signing paved the way for Deftones’ debut album Adrenaline, released in 1995, and marked the beginning of a long and influential career that would see the band evolve from raw alt-metal upstarts into the genre-defying innovators they are today.
