BY: BEN PAPAGEORGE
It’s rare to come across someone like MacKenzie Porter. In a nutshell, she’s an amazing singer and songwriter that has been classically trained in violin. She’s been nominated for multiple CCMA Awards and has toured with the biggest names in country music. She recently became the first Canadian act to sign with Big Loud Records and if that’s not enough, she also has an impressive acting resume to her name. Talk about a dual threat!
You may recognize her from AMC’s “Hell On Wheels” and most recently Netflix’s “Travelers” which has kept her extremely busy.
“I’ll definitely be relaxing during the holidays,” says MacKenzie.
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Before that though, the Medicine Hat native is releasing new music for the first time since 2014, marking her return to singing.
“I feel like it’s a bigger departure from my old music. I’ve been writing in Nashville for the last few years so I feel like the quality of songwriting is better. It’s fun, it’s country and the first two songs we are releasing are uptempo. I think it’s just more me.”
The two songs in question are called About You and Drive Thru and are the first ever Canadian releases from Big Loud Records.
The former is, as MacKenzie puts it, a “love song but more about love gone wrong.”
It’s an interesting concept and one that she hopes resonates with her audience. “I hope people can relate to that and I think it’s a story that a lot of people have gone through and have made mistakes in their life and have had to live with the consequences. I hope people just relate and connect with it and feel like it’s my story too.” says MacKenzie.
Drive Thru is a song that she hopes can be an empowering anthem for young women. “It’s like a female empowerment song so I hope that girls or whoever can jam out to that in their cars or when they’re getting ready with their friends.”
Her influences are felt strong in her new tracks, blending country with modern pop vibes. She listens to so many different artists but the ones she say come to mind are Little Big Town, Julia Michaels, and Miranda Lambert.
“My favourite band growing up was the Dixie Chicks and I love The Weeknd. I’m kind of all over the place!” says Porter.
In this generation, an eclectic taste in music can get you far and MacKenzie Porter has certainly proven that. She has already achieved so much including touring with Blake Shelton. One of her performances of If You Ask Me To ranks as one of the biggest moments of her career to date.
“I got the whole arena to light up their phones and put them up like lighters. It was just beautiful, the whole place was lit up. There was ten, twelve thousand people there and they were singing my song,” recalls MacKenzie.
We have a feeling that there will be plenty more of those moments to come with plenty of new music on the way in 2019. For now, you can check out her brand new releases below!
About You
Drive Thru
Let’s us know what you think of her new music on social media and make sure you follow Mackenzie Porter on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!
