BY LESLEY HASTINGS
What a whirlwind week for rising country artist Mackenzie Carpenter! Her impressive debut album “Hey, Country Queen” was released on 7th March via Big Machine Records (read our review, link below) and just a few days later she arrived in UK to play three sets at London’s C2C Festival and I know there was a lot of buzz ahead of her appearances.
I was very fortunate to grab some time with Nashville-based Mackenzie just before the festival to chat all things music and more…..including our shared passion for dogs (I won’t bore you with that part of our conversation!) …..we did laugh a lot I must say and the 20 minutes flew by.
I began by asking her if she was here for the first time and if any friends or family had travelled with her ….and if she appreciated the typically chilly weather we’d arranged for her!
“It’s my first time ever! And yes the past couple of days we’ve had sun, rain and hail, back to back, over and over again. It’s crazy. My brother is in my band and he’s here ….he just got here today and will be playing with me at the festival. None of the rest of my family could come but I’m heading to Australia after this and they’re meeting me there”
(I commented that they chose wisely since it’s Summer there!)
So was any time put aside for shopping and sightseeing in between all her music-related commitments?
“Yes! When I landed I went straight to Notting Hill and shopped all up and down the street, I bought this beautiful silver leather jacket …..I started off really confidently thinking it was super cute but wore it yesterday and was getting astronaut and jacket potato vibes! But it was fun shopping there and seeing all the beautiful houses.
Then I feel like we’ve knocked out everything you can do in a day today! We saw Big Ben, The London Eye, Buckingham Palace, one of the ‘seven noses of Soho‘ ( aside…. I’d never heard of them!) and Mozart’s house …”
But he wasn’t at home I guess?
“No but the King was, but he didn’t want to say hi or anything, I was even saying I’d change the album title to “Hey, Country King” if he’d only come out!”
So that was a good cue to chat about the album….eagerly anticipated after Mackenzie has had her songs cut by other artists and released a well received EP. What did having her album debut out in the world mean to her?
“You know it’s been really a special experience. There’s so many people in my life and team who have been helping me work towards this moment, so it’s kind of been like a big win for all of us. It’s like it’s OUR album. It’s great that we could mark this chapter of my artistry and see how it lives out in the world. Such a special feeling, and people have shown me nothing but love and congratulations. So I feel I need to put out another one now!”
I mentioned how much I loved it, particularly the clever word play as I’m a great fan of lyrics
“Thank you, I am too. I definitely believe that songwriting is the foundation of an artist’s career. That’s where it all starts for me. So for you to notice that means a lot”.
There’s so many different sides of Mackenzie that come through in the tracks, all relatable feelings that we have all gone through at some point, and I wondered if any particular songs were resonating with her fans?
“You know a sneaky one that I feel has been very well received is ‘The Other Side’, the acoustic track . You never know how an acoustic track will do but a lot of people love the sentiment of that one. Then another one, which I’ve been teasing for a while , is ‘Gone Fishin’ ‘ …..it’s got such an amazing response which I’d hoped it would”
I said how I really loved it….every female country artist needs a revenge song….and “Red Wine Blue ” was another I’d noted down…
“Thank you! We need a female rage moment!
‘Red Wine Blue’ is one that is a favourite with lots of my inner circle and I can’t believe it’s actually out so it’s great to see you love it too. That idea came to me in a dream….Dolly Parton and I were writing a song together, and when I woke up all I remembered was the title ‘Red Wine Blue’ so I wrote it down and the next morning went downstairs and started writing it. So hopefully one day she’ll hear it!”
Let’s put this out into the universe and who knows….fingers crossed!
But my most relatable song from the album has to be “Don’t Mess With Exes” which I told Mackenzie I should probably get tattooed someday…
“Ha that’s such fun…..it has been such a relatable track that came out on my EP and lived on to the album as it’s such a fan favourite and its moment wasn’t over. Same with ‘Jesus I’m Jealous’ ” .
After the rollercoaster of emotions throughout the album, the reassuring closing (title) track is a great way to end…..I’d referred to it a ” hug in a song” in my review….
“Ah that’s exactly how I wanted it to feel! I’m actually really proud to have a song that feels that way. An ‘I’ve got your back’ type of song”.
So did the song’s title leap out at Mackenzie as the album’s title…or did she have the title then write a song accordingly?
“So, I wrote that song without even thinking about an album. I loved it, and then while I was trying to decide what the album title should be, it kind of kept sticking out to me. I think because I was like ‘this is my introduction, how would I say hello to everybody that hears it?’. Then I kept listening back and thought well I have a song that says ‘hey country queen’ so I can take it and make a little movement around it . The country queens that raised me, those I hear on the radio who inspired me, those I do my everyday life with . And all the country queens I haven’t met yet! So it was just kind of the perfect title once I sat down and dug in”.
I wanted to know, when it comes specifically to artists, which country queens have inspired Mackenzie over the years and made her fall in love with the genre, and who at the moment is flying the flag for female country artists ?
“There’s so many amazing females right now and throughout the whole frickin’ history of country music. But some of my favourites have always been Dolly Parton, Shania Twain, Miranda, Carrie…..and then modern day I’m obviously a big fan of my friend Megan (Moroney) who I get to collaborate with a lot, and honestly Ella Langley has been crushing it, and of course Lainey Wilson is on top of the world right now!”
The album’s writing credits include a lot of country music’s “songwriting royalty” ….such as Nicolle Galyon, Liz Rose, Jessie Jo Dillon and Luke Laird. Was it at all intimidating when Mackenzie began collaborating with people of this calibre?
(Immediate answer!)“Absolutely! My first write with those people I was literally shaking in my boots . It’s such an amazing opportunity but then you don’t want your first opportunities like that to be your last. You don’t want them to say ‘don’t write with her again!’ ….they spread the word! ….but thankfully they are creatives themselves and know the creative process, I feel they can see through if someone is just having a bad day and don’t bring their best to the table, and they choose what they are passionate about and what they want to be invested in. So all you can do every day is show up with an idea you think is great, or that you are passionate about. And be willing to learn in the room, especially early on I wanted to sit in those rooms and learn from them”.
Does Mackenzie have a bucket list co-writer she’s yet to work with?
“Shane McAnally ! I am such a fan of his!”
(we then both fan-girled over him, and I mentioned how excited I was to see the musical “Shucked” which he and Brandy Clark co-wrote and which is in London this Summer, Mackenzie hasn’t seen it yet but really wants to as well so I promised to report back)
I mentioned that Mackenzie comes across to me as a great observer of people in her writing (especially the songs set in bars!) and wanted to know if she’s constantly making mental or physical notes when she’s out and about?
“Absolutely! And I do people watch! I think that’s a great way to say it, I’ve never really thought about it like that, myself being an observer. But I think it has a lot to do with being raised in a very small town where we knew everything about everybody. And I kind of took that and became very inspired by it. I just love hearing other people’s stories and learning about them, and it can be perfect material for a song. ‘Hunting Season’ for example on my EP was inspired by my aunt and uncle, and I swear they’d be divorced if it wasn’t for hunting season….opposites attract sometimes! And I carried those experiences to Nashville…..I love getting song ideas from people in my life”.
Which of the album’s songs does she most enjoy performing live, or does it depend on her mood or type of venue?
“It does often depend on the night, but I’d say two of my favourites (which are opposite ends of the spectrum) are ‘Jesus I’m Jealous’ and ‘Gone Fishin’. The vibe and humour of ‘Gone Fishin’ is always a crowd pleaser, people always lock into that one, and then ‘Jesus I’m Jealous’ is always very connecting with the audience as it’s emotional is so universal; I get a lot of feedback about it and people say they’ve felt it and appreciate it”.
I had to wrap things up, but mentioned I had heard so many people say they were really looking forward to seeing Mackenzie at C2C and I wondered if there’s any plans for her to return to the UK for some headline shows ?
“Ah I’m so glad to hear that. And I would love that, it’d be amazing. There’s no plan just yet, but I hope that’s in my future as I love it here!”
Already, and even with the weather?
“Ha I know but it can only get better right? Maybe in the Summer?”
Hmm, don’t depend on that, Mackenzie!
Keep up to date with all things Mackenzie Carpenter here
Read our album review here https://countrylowdown.com/2025/03/07/mackenzie-carpenter-hey-country-queen-album-review/