Who is Monte Mader? Nashville singer raises concerns over masked ICE agents conducting raids on Broadway bars

Rock artist Monte Mader has created headlines due to her latest social media video, in which she expressed concern over the raids of ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) agents at Broadway bars.

According to the Nashville Banner, the Tennessee Highway Patrol has recently collaborated with ICE to search for immigrants residing without documents, leading to the arrests and detention of many people. Around 468 traffic stops were checked by the authorities, and those who have been sent to the detention facilities are expected to be deported back to where they originally belong.

Meanwhile, Monte Mader’s clip, shared through her official Instagram handle on May 11, 2025, featured the artist saying that she performed with her band at an event and, while returning, discovered the ICE raids at the Broadway bars.

Mader, known for her singles like Pour Me Water, Imaginary Celebrity, and Selfish Girl, said that she witnessed certain places closing their kitchens earlier than usual and putting up signs for the general public not to enter the locations. She further stated:

“I want to be so f**king clear that these masked federal police officers who are not announcing themselves and do not have probable cause and do not have warrants are breaking the law. They are not meeting the requirements for detainment and deportment. This is kidnapping and human trafficking. They’re also breaking the law by not announcing themselves.”

Monte Mader mentioned that if the immigrants do not have any documents, it should be considered a “civil offense.” She criticized the way raids were being conducted, as she said:

“The stupid tired f**king rhetoric of somehow the cook at a bar is a threat. I am a woman who grew up in fundamentalist white Christian America and I saw every church I ever attended defend s*xual abusers of women and children and domestic violence.”

Mader also claimed towards the end that r*pists are the real threat and that she had never been afraid of immigrants or trans people as an American over the years.

---

Monte Mader has been active in the music industry over the years

According to Monte’s biography on her official website, her father was also a musician and was passionate about rock music. She grew up at a cattle ranch in Wyoming, and after completing her college studies, she started taking her musical career seriously, aiming to establish herself in the industry.

Monte Mader appeared for an interview with the Guitar Girl magazine around eight years ago, opening up on why she decided to start her career in New York City, saying that she was unaware of what she wanted to do in the future. She further stated:

“I was 23, recently broken engagement, I had lost pretty much everything and realized that what I really wanted to do was music and New York seemed to be the place to do it. So I packed up a U-Haul and drove myself here. Scariest decision I have ever made, but also the best one.”

Monte Mader’s musical career started with establishing a band called Monte and the Monsters. The group is an expert in genres such as classic rock, and in addition to Mader, other band members include Andy Jones, Nathan Girard, Logan Hatcher, and Drew Mechler.

According to Guitar Girl magazine, her first EP, Skydive, was released in 2017. Around two years later, Monte Mader released another EP, The Devil I Know, and has accumulated a huge fanbase for her songs like Habit, Crystal Meth, Imaginary Celebrity, and Selfish Girl.