Today we’d like to introduce you to Mackenzie Day.
Hi Mackenzie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am 24, born in Sydney, Australia, and raised in San Diego, California…growing up, my dad was always playing music with his band he formulated with his old friends, as they did music when he was a kid as well…so I was surrounded with a lot of rock music, Greenday listens, Van Halen, foo fighters….as well as surrounded by his live band that would do shows in my backyard. I was the kind of kid dancing in her reflections, acting in all the school shows and events, and anything creative that I could get into I would. I loved creating stories in class, writing poetry in high school, and participating in musicals all my upbringing. My first lead was “charity” in sweet charity my junior year of high school, I also had the pleasure of participation in slam poetry my senior year, which I feel has been an influence in my writing, and rhythmic rhyme schemes as a writer.
For me, words have always come first, what I have to say and why I want to say it. I started making up songs as a three-year-old but not writing them down until I was 11; I started keeping journals around then, writing about my middle school crushes…funny enough, the first instrument I learned and was called to was the drums. Watching my dad’s band, something about the drummer called to me. I got my first kit at 7 and joined a girl band as the drummer around the age of nine as I continued to take lessons, but I always knew I wanted to be a singer as I grew into it more. Writing began with melodies and words for me. didn’t play an instrument until 14 when my dad taught me in 8th grade, around the same time was when my parents were having “issues” and “going to therapy,” so writing quickly became an outlet and release as I was untying the discomforts and unknown of my family dynamics…as I started high school I started to teach myself the piano, having no idea what I was doing, but feeling so called to the emotional instrument…it wasn’t until I went to berklee college of music when I truly learned a bit of theory and put all the pieces of my musicianship together.
My freshman year at Berklee is when I came up with Mackenzie day being my artist name, before I was releasing music under my full name, I had released an album and EP…but entering a more mature part of my musical journey I decided to start over. I worked on and released my first album under Mackenzie Day, “Letter to You” during my first year at Berklee. Recorded with my friends live in a studio in 2 five-hour sessions and had it mixed by my beautiful friend Davin Kingston…it was such a beautiful and raw experience to do it with my first year of friends…my second year at Berklee I worked on and released my sophomore project, EP, “Bitter End” I wanted to take a different approach with more of a produced alternative pop…the experience with that project was a little bit of a bittersweet experience as the producer of it was pretty mentally abusive and toxic…however it taught me so much about myself and my craft and preserving through and finishing the project despite the discomfort he brought. I started doing shows this year as well, but then the pandemic hit, and life got weird. Through this process, I kept writing about the status of the world and actually did a really cool collaborative song with a bunch of Berklee peers. I tried to find creative ways to express self and find ways to still collaborate from a far with my friends, as collaboration and bringing people into my art has always been a goal of mine.
As we came into my junior year, I lived in Boston through the rest of the pandemic and released a couple of singles I had previously been working on… entering 2021 and into 2022, I worked on the first embodiment of art that felt like I finally had found myself and sound. Learning through all the previous experiences helps us get closer to the evolution of artistry. I spent my last year at Berklee doing sessions at wild hours of the night to record live instrumentation, as that’s a big part of my art. I love bringing in instrumentalists, peers of mine, and people who inspire me, and I love for them to bring their own creative influence into my music. Allowing creative freedom to help transform my sound to be a collaborative masterpiece… this project changed everything for me as an individual human and artist. “Girl with No Curtains” is about exactly what it sounds like peeking in, seeing what you see, the vulnerability and experiences that come from isolation, adulting, and the journey of it all. Once again, this project brought so many people together to create and unify as one.
After I graduated (which I never intended on doing), I knew and was called to go to LA…close to home but far enough, to chase my dreams in the real world reality. Now ive been in LA for a year and a couple months, and am about to be in mix phase of my next project and am simultaneously recording my album for 2025. Art takes time, and I am impatient, so having these goals for myself helps me plan it all out. The first year in LA was my first year ever consistently gigging. I giggled 19 times. Also released three singles about existentialism, society and stepping out of your mind and social norms, and men winning costume contests by dressing as themselves….now going into this next year, I have plans for upcoming releases of this new concept project and continuing to write and record the next concept album.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The first year outside of college, truly embodying a starving artist, has never felt more real. I think I cried a lot during my first year in LA. The weight of reality and the intensity of going for your dreams and living paycheck to paycheck are very real. Money at this stage of life seems to be the conflict most of the time. The weight, the bill I can’t pay because I’m not getting enough hours at my waitress job and barely living week to week with 500 dollars in my bank account at most times, sometimes 60… adulting and being an artist is a hard combo when society doesn’t fully accept your path, within the capitalistic approach of living, it becomes a bit harder to obtain this societal “success.”
My first year in LA, I really struggled mentally through those cycles, thinking I should be somewhere I’m not, or if I had more money, I could be doing more with my art. I’m trying to learn to accept my own success without outside factors and find it within myself. Despite what a number says, despite who listens or sees the vision. I feel grateful for my journey always… I had mornings where I started crying before evening getting out of bed, which I’ve never experienced. Truly embodying being an Artist in a world that doesn’t make it easy to go after your passions has been such a journey. But I do what I do because it’s the only thing that makes life worth pursuing. I go after my calling because it lights up my existence. I’ve dealt with lots of different people, producers, and experiences that have left me feeling empty and worthless; it’s taken me years to gain confidence in self and artistry and what it is that I want within who I am.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I think a lot of people tend to forget the power of our words. Some talk about how our words are almost spells, and there’s so much power within what we put out there in the world. Within my music, my words have always been the drive. What is it that I’m saying that will make you want to listen? Diving into the uncomfortable conversations and holding the mirror up to your face…I am a poetic expression of female angst: the kind of artist who not only reflects the world around us but compels us to awaken to its shadows. With vulnerable lyricism and emotionally captivating melodies, I capture the human experience with a raw outlook. Living in the boxless realm and bringing in the old with the new. I’m an old soul who draws influence from all genres, creating my own energy.
I am an artist with a mission to help change this world that is so easily stuck in fear and anger. I fearlessly dive into the depths of the human psyche, bringing forth a compelling narrative that echoes the universal journey of self-discovery. Serving as a mirror to societal norms, urging listeners to think beyond the ordinary and participate in the dissection of self and humanity. Not only am I an artist but a storyteller, an activist, and a guide through the intricate pathways of existence. I bring a refreshing, authentic voice to the forefront of the music scene, inviting you to confront the uncomfortable truths and embrace the beauty of the human experience. I want to challenge the status quo and urge others to sit in the discomfort and heal through each other. I am most proud of my approach. I seek authenticity, I follow my intuition, and I take my steps with kindness, seeing beauty in the darkness and bringing my perspective to the surface of society.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I would love to see my industry reclaiming powerful, authentic live music. I love live sounds and truly showcasing what humans can do with real instrumentation. The power of collaboration and development within sound. I really don’t like the way the industry prioritizes money, numbers, and influencers these days. It’s unauthentic and unpowerful. I hope the industry remembers why we started. And why music is so powerful and how it brings us all together. I see myself plowing through, being a force to be reckoned with, and not letting anyone change my vision or perspective. Staying true to myself and who I am, and helping heal and change the world we all live in.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mackenziedaymusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mackenziedayy/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei-eapobiis
- Other: https://songwhip.com/mackenzieday
Image Credits
Cole Nelson — pictures of me in blue top and sunglasses Mario Sosa — pictures of me in my room, with piano and side profile Tiffany mortenson – profile picture in white Felipe Siquara – eating paper
