Interviews, Love at First Listen, Music, Music Monday

Love at First Listen with Genevieve Fisher

No Comments
Genevieve Fisher Interview Love at First Listen 2024

We all have those artists and songs we hear that strike the right chord and make us fall in love at first listen. They’re the reason we refresh social media pages, tour schedules, and Spotify profiles — because we can’t miss a single release. This is Love at First Listen — a series introducing you to the emerging, and established, artists with new music guaranteed to upgrade your playlist.

Nominated for Songwriter of the Year at this year’s CMAOntario Awards and already dubbed an Artist on the Rise by Pure Country Radio, Genevieve Fisher is racking up buzz within the country music scene. While she’s hard at work on a concept album due out later this year, Genevieve has gifted fans with “Now We’re Talking,” a heartwarming country bop about falling in love with a boy from the bar and building a life together—a story that meets Genevieve exactly where she is in life right now.

To celebrate the one-month anniversary of the song’s release, Love at First Listen connected with Genevieve to get the inside scoop on recording “Now We’re Talking” in a closet, balancing mom duties with songwriting sessions, and what to expect from her next.

Let’s talk about “Now We’re Talking.” As it heads out to Canadian country radio, tell us how you landed upon this song and what it means to you.

My producer Jason Massey was one of the co-writers on the song along with Steven Lee Olsen, MacKenzie Porter, and Lydia Vaughan. Back in the summer, I had reached out to him asking if he had any potential songs that would be a good fit for a radio single. He sent me this one, and I fell in love with it right away. The first thing I asked was, “But is it up for grabs?” Sometimes you get a song sent to you, but it might be on hold or whatever. So, he reached out to MacKenzie and was like, “Hey, do you have any intentions of recording this one?” She went back to her people, chatted with them, and she said, “No, it’s up for grabs.” So, I was very happy to get my hands on the song. I actually met my husband in a bar called Cowboys and we’ve been together ever since, so the lyrics of the song really hit home for me.

I read that you and Steven Lee Olsen have collaborated before, so this song must have been extra special.

On one of my first writing trips down to Nashville, I actually co-wrote with him and Jason Blaine. So, that was — my gosh — back in 2011 or maybe even earlier. He’s just a phenomenal guy and songwriter, and he’s hilarious as well.

What we all love about music is that because it’s so universal, something you didn’t necessarily write can still resonate with you. How would you relate that to “Now We’re Talking,” and are you hoping this song is going to manifest future collaborations with that great country bunch?

The last verse of the song talks about having two kids, a couple acres or two… My husband and I recently built a house out in the country, so you’re right that certain songs you don’t write can feel like they are your song because of just how much you can relate. I would love to collab with MacKenzie Porter in the future. And with Steven, I haven’t written with him for a while, but it would be great to get back in a room together for sure.

“Now We’re Talking” was produced in Nashville, but you recorded your vocals at home in your closet! How do you make the space cozy and conducive to getting clean vocal cuts?

I started recording vocals at home when COVID hit, which was a whole new ballgame for me. I’m not a techy person at all, but I get cozied up in my closet and I’ll throw blankets and towels down to dampen the sound a bit more, though the clothes help as well. It’s just a good spot, but hopefully down the road, I’ll build a little home studio and have it as my writing and vocal space.

You’re officially in your “mom era” but I know you still have a lot of music left in you. How are you embracing and balancing being a mom with everything around being an artist?

I think it’s just finding that happy medium. This is a time in my life that I’ll never get back, so I want to make sure I’m super present for my sons, but music is still such a part of me. I do a lot of my writing now from home, which makes it a bit easier to work on music. I also really want to show other independent female artists that you can absolutely still have a baby and be successful. Some days are harder than others. Some days my brain is like, what is happening?

Are you able to sneak “Now We’re Talking” or one of your other singles into a car playlist or have it on around the house? How do your sons react?

I laugh because I’m like, [my son] Cal should know the words to that song even though he was like three months old when I sang it. But [my other son] Harrison’s kind of funny. He’s three and he hasn’t quite grasped my voice yet. So, he’ll hear a song and be like, “Mama, is this your song?” I’m like, “No. We’ve got to work on this, bud. You’ve got to be able to decipher my voice from someone else’s!” But it is cute.

Not only is it resonating with all ages, but “Now We’re Talking” is such an upbeat and fun love song that’s practically begging to be performed live! What do you have in store musically for the rest of the year?

My first show of the summer is actually Canada Day in Grand Bend, Ontario, and I’m super pumped about that. They expect thousands of people, so that’ll be a ton of fun. I have more shows later in the summer that I haven’t announced yet and hope to add more as I ease back into this. It’ll be fun to bring the boys to the shows as well.

From what you’ve written for your next project so far, what is the vibe shaping up to be, especially compared to what fans have heard from you before?

Some of the songs are a bit slower and more emotional. I feel like in the past, I’ve been so focused on releasing fast, fun, upbeat, party drinking songs, whereas right now I’m just rolling with this time of my life. One of the songs that I wrote with my good friend Shantaia is about my son Harrison and we wrote that a few years ago, but it hasn’t been released yet anywhere. Another one of the songs is like Chris Stapleton and that very soulful vibe, and that’s more of a love song. I feel like when people listen to this album, it truly will be what I’m hoping, which is to have the different parts of my life have different sounds as well.

Continue Reading

Interviews, Love at First Listen, Music

Love at First Listen with Teigen Gayse

No Comments
Teigen Gayse Interview Love at First Listen 2024

We all have those artists and songs we hear that strike the right chord and make us fall in love at first listen. They’re the reason we refresh social media pages, tour schedules, and Spotify profiles — because we can’t miss a single release. This is Love at First Listen — a series introducing you to the emerging, and established, artists with new music guaranteed to upgrade your playlist.

There’s simply no mistaking that Teigen Gayse has the “it” factor. The bubbly country singer-songwriter who hails from a small town in British Columbia recently made the move to Nashville, the city where country dreams come true. Within the first week, she cooked up a “banger” in the studio with Jenna Walker from The Reklaws (her words, not ours!) and debuted her brand new single, “Better Mistake,” at Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row bar. While she’s now calling Nashville home, she’ll be bouncing from city to city all summer long, playing the Collingwood Summer Country Kickoff, Dauphin’s Countryfest in Manitoba, and many more festivals and shows soon to be announced.

Dive into our interview with Teigen as she reveals the single phrase that inspired “Better Mistake,” her on-stage persona, and what you can expect from her upcoming CMAOntario Awards hosting gig.

Welcome to Love at First Listen! We’re celebrating the release of your heartfelt new single “Better Mistake.” Can you tell us about how this song came to be and how you decided it had single potential?

“Better Mistake” was one of the first songs that I wrote when I came to Nashville two years ago. I wrote it with David Thompson and Phil Barton. I just had the title and I brought it into a couple of different rooms. When I brought it into this room [with David and Phil], they really liked the title and we ended up writing the song. Sometimes you go in and you’re experiencing something and you need to get it out—you need to write it. But this one, we were like, “Okay, how do we make a story out of this?” The song is about you falling for somebody [or] hitting it off with somebody that you never would have expected to hit it off with and it ended up working out in the long run. It’s a love song!

How often do you go into the studio with just a spark of an idea versus having a song mostly or fully fleshed out?

Let me tell you! I went through a breakup recently and I’m just feeling all of the feels. So, when I go into rooms right now, it’s like my diary. I’m like, “I’m feeling this today. Can we write this?” That has been lots of fun because I don’t really do that. Usually, I just kind of go in and ask the room, “What do we all want to write?” But lately I’ve been going in and I’m like, “I need to write this. These are all my feelings, and I need to let them out.”

You just moved to Nashville, so I am sure it feels full circle to be releasing “Better Mistake” considering you wrote it on your first trip there. What are you most excited for now that you will be living in Nashville full time?

It’s such a driven city. Everyone is here. Everyone is hungry. Everyone is just eager to succeed and work and get stuff done. And everyone down here is just so good at writing. I played my first Whiskey Jam [at Whiskey Row] on my single release night, which was really exciting because that’s something that I’ve been wanting to play since my first time coming to Nashville. It’s just nice to be down here with so many people that are chasing the same dream and you can all relate with each other. You kind of wake up and you live and breathe music, which is what I always wanted to do.

You’re already checking off some of your Nashville bucket list items. Was Whiskey Jam your first time performing “Better Mistake” for a crowd?

It was my first time performing it for a crowd and my first time playing in Nashville. I wish you could have been there because it was so much fun. It was such a pinch me moment.

People may know you as the songstress behind hit songs like “Sleeping With Her,” your highest charting radio single to date, and “If You Show Me Yours,” which you co-wrote with Chad Kroeger of Nickelback. Where do you think “Better Mistake” fits in your discography? Do you hope it shows fans another side of you or sets the stage for an upcoming EP or album…?

“If You Show Me Yours” was like a love ballad, and then “Sleeping With Her” was an upbeat song but also a breakup song. It was cool to me that it was a sad song, but you would never know because it was just so upbeat and fun. “Better Mistake” sits in the middle. It’s a love song but it’s got a good push to it. So, I like trying to change it up on each single and give the world something a little bit different.

You’re co-hosting this year’s CMAOntario Awards on June 2 in Mississauga. How are you preparing to be part of such a big night in Canadian country music in that capacity?

I just want to make people feel welcome and feel good about themselves, so I was really excited when they asked me to host. It meant a lot that they asked an artist from B.C. to come up and be part of the CMAO [Awards]. I’ve always wanted to host and thought it would be really cool. I hope I do a good job!

While you haven’t technically been announced as a CMAO Awards performer, can we expect a performance of “Better Mistake” snuck in there?

I can’t say anything right now, but… you never know! [WRITER’S NOTE: Infer from that what you will!]

You recently made your UK debut performing at C2C Festival in London. How was the fan and crowd reception compared to what you’ve seen in Canada and Nashville?

They are such big country music lovers over there. It felt so good to come offstage and have a big line of people wanting my autograph and wanting pictures, and it was just the most cool experience ever. I’m so grateful that I got to go and I’m manifesting going back next year to play on the main stage. We’re putting it out to the world!

For people who haven’t seen you yet and might be seeing you for the first time this summer, what impression do you hope to leave on each crowd?

I just want people to feel good. I want them to feel like they can relate to my music. That’s my biggest goal. And hopefully they leave feeling like, damn, I’m really glad we got to see her and found a new artist. Honestly, how I am right now, my personality, is how I am on stage. I’m kind of all over the place and crazy and fun and funny, and I just hope I can keep doing that on stage and make people feel welcome, related to, and relatable.

Can you tease any other projects you have in the works?

I’m down here writing, writing, writing. So, keep your eyes and ears peeled for new music and possibly an album in the near future. Grind and grind, baby!

Continue Reading

Interviews, Love at First Listen, Music, Music Monday

Love at First Listen with Kristin Carter

No Comments
Kristin Carter Interview Love at First Listen 2024

We all have those artists and songs we hear that strike the right chord and make us fall in love at first listen. They’re the reason we refresh social media pages, tour schedules, and Spotify profiles — because we can’t miss a single release. This is Love at First Listen — a new series introducing you to the emerging, and established, artists with new music guaranteed to upgrade your playlist.

Singer-songwriter Kristin Carter has been blossoming her whole life. Starting young and honing her skills as a choir singer, she first caught the attention of country listeners with her Top 20 Canadian radio single “Karma” and back-to-back semi-finalist nods in SiriusXM’s Top of the Country competition. Moving into the world of contemporary pop last year, Kristin teased a new era with “I’m Still Here” and “Euphoria,” which became the lead singles from her newly released debut album, ‘Full Bloom.’ The 12-track album, which was released on Friday (Apr. 5), is deeply introspective and simply stunning, covering universal themes like the ups and downs of love, self-doubt, female empowerment, and personal resilience.

The seeds have been planted, and with ‘Full Bloom’ out in the world, it’s time to sit in the garden and take it all in. Love at First Listen caught up with Kristin during album release week to chat all things ‘Full Bloom,’ attending circus school for a music video, and where this journey is taking her next.

For readers who are just about to love you at first listen, can you take us through the different seeds and stages of your musical journey that led to this ‘full bloom’?

I’ve been really excited to get these songs out to people. It’s been a labour of love for quite a while. For people who don’t know me, I was born and raised just outside of Vancouver, BC. Choir is where I learned how to sing, and I credit a lot of my choir teachers for instilling in me a real love for vocalization and really choir in general. That’s also where my musical heart lives because I felt so uplifted by people in that community and it felt really exciting and safe. So, anyone out there who wants to learn how to sing, join a choir—it’s a great way to do it.

Through the years, I started writing and performing more as a solo artist. Putting it all together and emulating different songs together that I felt were great expressions of my personal experiences over the last few years, we arrived at the album. So, I envisioned the songs like seeds that I’ve planted over the years, and now they’re finally bursting through to the surface.

You co-produced and co-wrote ‘Full Bloom’ and have described each flower, or song, as reflecting individual moments within the human experience. Which songs resonate with you most?

I really connect with “I’m Still Here” because it’s grounded in my choir background. There are no instrumentals and it’s just built off of a bunch of different layers of vocalization. I also had a really big hand in the recording process, which was new and exciting for me. So, in addition to the theme of the lyrics and the way that it sounds, it was such a joyful process for me to build it, and we made a really cool music video where I was made to look like a special effects statue. I got to connect with people in Vancouver in the film scene, and it was really exciting to be part of that community. I was really amazed at all the talent that’s out there. Like, knowing how to turn someone into a statue? I could never. I also really love “Lazy Sunday.” That’s the one that I go back through and play over and over for myself.

You have videos coming for both “Euphoria” and “Lazy Sunday.” What can you share about the visual treatments you gave both of those songs, and when should fans expect to see them?

The idea for “Euphoria” is two dueling versions of yourself. So, I have a non-confident version of myself going into a club, and then there’s a confident version of myself who’s all in neon and really dressed kind of amazing and all these things. It’s like Parent Trap in a club because I had a body double that we switched in and out and she was really fun to work with. It has a lot of special effects involved because there’s this neon light that burns through the whole thing, which represents confidence. That’s being worked on by the amazing team that we have, and I’m really excited to release it in the next few weeks. It’s definitely different visuals than I’ve normally done.

I’m also really looking forward to “Lazy Sunday” because I’ve currently been going to some training lessons on how to do acrobatic flying. The theme of that one is we’re going to a studio, and then the studio walls kind of melt away and then I kind of float up into the air. We’re filming it out at my fiancé’s family farm, and we’ll have these rigs that will fly me across the fields and potentially over water and things like that. It always blows my mind that when you participate in the arts and you’re in an artistic community, all these random opportunities pick up. I never thought I would be going to circus school in my life, but I’m excited to show this to everyone.

Were there any artists or albums you had on repeat as you made ‘Full Bloom’?

That’s a great question. I grew up with ABBA’s compilation album ‘Gold’ and they’ve been having such an amazing resurgence on social media and TikTok, so I really delved back into those songs. They’re so fun and upbeat and exciting, and I was really using that as a musical reference to try and pinpoint some of the sounds I wanted for my album. I listened to Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Rumours’ as well to really get in touch with a lot of the lyrical side of the album. I think the writers for those albums are incredibly talented and they have a way of portraying emotion through music.

As people start to “walk through the garden” with you, what message do you ultimately want fans new and old to take away from their ‘Full Bloom’ listening experience?

There’s such a diversity of experiences in life. Even though everything isn’t an amazingly positive experience all the time, you need the good and you need the bad in order to round out a full life. Musically, if you just had an album of positive energy, that could be super fun. But to put it back in the context of a garden, if you had just one type of flower in your garden, it wouldn’t be super interesting. All the other different ones in there maybe individually aren’t the ones you focus on, but things in the collective create that beautiful space because of all those different things. So, for me, that would be what I want people to walk away with—a gratitude for all their different experiences in life, and just reflecting on their own experience in that way and finding the beauty.

Now that you’ve “fully bloomed,” where do you hope this journey takes you next?

The biggest joy is when people listen to the music and write in to me about what it meant to them. So, where I hope it would take me next is to other places and different people that I haven’t had the chance to connect with. I got a message just a couple of days ago from someone in Austria, and they said, “I really like your stuff.” I wrote back and then I was like, I didn’t know my music could ever even reach there! I think it’s a great time that we’re living in right now with social media because you can essentially broadcast kind of anywhere, which is sometimes an intimidating thing but really exciting I think overall.

The album title inspires thoughts of flowers and sunshine and spring and summer, which of course leads us right into summer concert and festival season! Do you have any plans to take ‘Full Bloom’ on the road?

I really hope so! I’m super open to any of those opportunities as they come up, and I’m definitely looking for them, but no official dates in the calendar right now. I would love to travel around and have people in the room as I sing and share some of the thoughts behind the music. I would encourage people to follow my social media pages as things pop up.

Continue Reading

Interviews, Love at First Listen, Music

Love at First Listen with Kalsey Kulyk

No Comments
Kalsey Kulyk Interview Love at First Listen 2023

We all have those artists and songs we hear that strike the right chord and make us fall in love at first listen. They’re the reason we refresh social media pages, tour schedules, and Spotify profiles — because we can’t miss a single release. This is Love at First Listen — a new series introducing you to the emerging, and established, artists with new music guaranteed to upgrade your playlist.

With her refreshing brand of poetic country, Canadian songstress Kalsey Kulyk is making her mark on country music and showing no signs of stopping. With past experience working with industry heavyweights including Lainey Wilson and opening for country jammers like the Hunter Brothers, Kalsey’s latest release, “Love Me Like an Outlaw,” is enjoying great success in the top 30 at Canadian country radio and continues to rise. Having also trended on Shazam and Stingray and being selected as One to Watch by Rogers, the song’s success is setting the stage for an exciting next year for the emerging star. But first, she’s joining America’s Got Talent fan favourite Drake Milligan on the road for three Western Canadian dates, blessing Saskatoon Dec. 6, Edmonton Dec. 7, and Calgary Dec. 8 with a can’t-miss night of music.

In this edition of Love at First Listen, Kalsey shares the story behind the single that was five years in the making, the surprise cameo in her latest music video, and how to win free merch if you’re seeing her open for Drake later this week.

You had “Love Me Like an Outlaw” in the vault for nearly five years before you released it this summer. What made you decide this was the right time to share it with the world?

When I wrote that song back in Nashville in 2018, I just loved it so much. It made my heart so happy when I walked out of the writing room. I love a lot of the songs that I’ve written, but that one just felt special. The team that I was working with at the time didn’t really respond to that song, but I held on to it.

When we decided that we were going to release a record, we recorded two songs and then had more songs to pick for the next batch and I was like, man, I hadn’t even put this song in the first batch and I’ve loved this song forever. So, I just put it in the list and didn’t really say anything. My producer and my radio tracker came back and they were like, ‘Oh my gosh, we love this song. We have to record this one.’ And I was like, yes! We put it out and it got a really good response from listeners, so my radio tracker was like, ‘Let’s just put it out to radio.’ It’s honestly doing way better than I thought it was going to and I’m just so grateful. Sometimes you just have to go with your gut.

How does it feel to have a song this meaningful be your first top 30 at Canadian country radio?

It makes me a little emotional thinking about it because I’ve wanted to record this song for such a long time. And I’m an independent artist, which makes it really hard to do well on radio. Also, I’m a mom, and for some reason, in the music industry, there’s this stigma around moms that they can’t be successful and their music career’s over after they’ve had a baby. But actually, mine is doing way better than it ever did after having my son. They say that babies bring blessings. So, I guess my son brought a really big blessing to my life, but also to my career as well.

How was your experience making the “Love Me Like an Outlaw” music video? Are there any interesting behind-the-scenes secrets you can share?

My whole outfit is a random collection of outrageous things I’ve got along the way, and some are stolen from my mom’s closet. (Sorry, mom!) But filming it was amazing. My cousins had a neighbour that had this gorgeous ranch and 30 some horses. The horses were coming up around me and it was just so cool. It was also like, ‘Oh, weird that this girl’s singing to us!’ It’s funny to see the horses react. And my husband is the cowboy in the cabin. We always try, whenever we’re in each other’s music videos, to hide our face so people don’t think our partner is in it with us. So, it was a labour of love, but we had a lot of fun doing it and we’re really happy with how the video turned out.

You’re about to join Drake Milligan, our new friend at Love at First Listen, for a string of Canadian shows. Can you preview your set for concertgoers?

We’re going to be doing a 30-minute set playing some songs that we’ve already released — obviously “Love Me Like an Outlaw” and “Ain’t Enough Whiskey” — and then some [familiar] covers. I’m bringing my banjo and dobro player with me and then my guitar player. So, it’s going to be acoustic but it’s still going to be fun and high energy. We’re really excited. We’re also going to give out some free merch. So, anybody who’s reading this, make sure to get out in front so you get a free T-shirt or something.

You recently posted a video on TikTok of you hearing your song on the radio in Saskatchewan, your home province. I feel like as an artist, every time that happens, it must be a ‘pinch me’ moment!

It really is. Sometimes I am extremely excited. Other times, I get super emotional, get a frog in my throat, and can’t talk because we work our whole lives. I’ve been singing since I was three years old too, and to hear that people are liking the song enough to play it on radio stations and that a lot of other people are going to hear that song is really part of the dream come true.

@kalseykulyk

Im not crying, you are! 🥹😭❤️🙏🏼 #countrymusic #country #music #countrygirl #countryboy @CISN Country 103.9

♬ original sound – Kalsey Kulyk

Like the name of this interview series suggests, we’re all about new music that we can love at first listen. Can you share some of the artists you’ve loved at first listen recently?

One artist that I really like that everybody’s really liking right now is Bailey Zimmerman. I think he’s got such a cool thing. His voice is just so different. And, obviously, I’m going to give a shout out to my husband, Eric Ethridge. He’s got new music on the way. I’m a big fan of him. I’m also a fan of Lainey Wilson because we used to write together in Nashville, and she released a song that we wrote together called “Dreamcatcher.” So, I would say those artists are super inspiring and paving their own path.

You have been open in sharing your journey with cancer and recently celebrated 15 years cancer free. You’ve also said that ringing the bell at the hospital is the moment you decided to commit 100 percent to music. Having been able to chase your dream and see the success you’ve had to date is an incredible gift, so what advice do you have for anyone who wants to follow in your footsteps and start chasing their dream?

I think the first step is just believing in yourself because that’s really the biggest part that you have to do. This music industry is full of highs and lows and people telling you a million no’s. The biggest piece of advice that somebody gave me was that you’ve got to work, work more, and then work some more because you’re the only one that’s going to be working for yourself. I write two or three songs a day. Really know who you are as an artist, figure that out, find your sound, and just be who you are because nobody else can be that.

When you look back on 2023, what were your career highs and how do you hope to replicate or even challenge yourself to top those in 2024?

The top 30 is definitely one of the top, if not the top, and then playing Cavendish Beach Music Festival and getting to open up for Chris Stapleton was a really cool moment. Playing a festival in Spain with my husband was another one. That was cool because I got to do what I love with the person that I love.

Next year is going to be an even busier and more exciting year because we’re releasing a record in February and it’s going to have more of my sound and more of the songs that I’ve wanted to record for a long time. Obviously, we’re going to take some songs to radio, do some more video shoots, and it’d be good to top the success that we’ve had this year, but I’m honestly just trying to soak in all of the good news. It’s still pretty new, and I’m not sure that it’s hit me yet.

Is there any message you want to send to your fans who helped bring “Love Me Like an Outlaw” to the top 30 at country radio, or people who may be attending an upcoming show and seeing you for the first time?

The biggest thing is just a huge thank you to the people that have been supporting me and have called radio stations over the years when I haven’t even asked them to do that. It really means the world, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you for the shares on social media, for the likes and comments… You really don’t know how much it means to an artist, and the love is sent right back.

Continue Reading

Interviews, Love at First Listen, Music, Music Monday

Love at First Listen with MacKenzie Porter

No Comments
MacKenzie Porter Interview Love at First Listen 2023

We all have those artists and songs we hear that strike the right chord and make us fall in love at first listen. They’re the reason we refresh social media pages, tour schedules, and Spotify profiles — because we can’t miss a single release. This is Love at First Listen — a new series introducing you to the emerging, and established, artists with new music guaranteed to upgrade your playlist.

Canadian country queen MacKenzie Porter is the definition of booked and busy. If it feels like she’s been racking up a new set of career milestones every few months, it’s because she has—she was named to the CMT Women of Country Class of 2021, earned Academy of Country Music Award and American Music Award nominations for her duet with Dustin Lynch, “Thinking ‘Bout You,” which also marked her first U.S. Country #1, and landed a sixth #1 at Canadian country radio with her latest single “Chasing Tornadoes.”

Shockingly, despite years of homegrown and international success, MacKenzie has yet to have a moment to celebrate with Canadian audiences. That will all change when she embarks on her first nationwide headlining tour this week, starting Friday (November 3) in Toronto. Soon after, fans will gain a whole new set of songs to memorize and play on repeat when MacKenzie releases her long-awaited debut album in the first quarter of 2024. So, it’s safe to say the MacKenzie Porter country reign is just getting started.

In this edition of Love at First Listen, MacKenzie reflects on her whirlwind journey and shares a first look at her new tour setlist (read to the end to find out how you can meet her at the shows!).

“Chasing Tornadoes” is the lead single off your upcoming debut album. Amongst all the material you had written to date, how did you decide this song was the one to officially kick off a new era?

The new record is way more country than some of the other stuff I’ve been putting out before. We still have my pop influenced parts of it, but I think the overall sound is more like wooden instrumental—like there’s fiddle on almost every song. So, “Chasing Tornadoes” is a good bridge between “Pickup,” which is a lot more poppy, to this record.

For anyone who hasn’t heard “Chasing Tornadoes,” can you describe the story behind the song?

It’s about being in a relationship or a situation that you know is probably not good for you. It’s chaotic and messy and might not end amazingly, but there’s something that’s fun about that. I think we’ve all been in situations where you’re like, oh well, I’ll deal with the consequences later. So, that’s what the song is about and it’s actually kind of cool because I did not write this song. There’s going to be 20 songs on the record, and I’ve written probably 12, but this is one Lainey Wilson wrote. I love Lainey and her record was finished, so this song of hers worked perfectly on mine.

Given all you’ve accomplished in a few short years, is it even possible to take a moment and let everything sink in, or is life just a constant string of pinch-me moments?

It sounds sad because obviously I should be enjoying those moments, but by the time something like a #1 is announced, I’d put the song out months ago, so we are already working ahead on the next project. But of course, we’ll always have a glass of wine or do something to celebrate.

Let’s talk tour! Aside from the fan favourites, how much new music can concertgoers expect to be amongst the first to hear?

I’m definitely going to play new songs. I want to make sure I play all the ones that people want to hear and that they know because when I go to a concert, I want to hear the hits. But I also really want to bring people into this new record, and that’s what you’ll get when you come to the show. I’m going to do some old, old songs that I first put out, and then this era of the last three years, and then the new era, including my favourites off the record. So, it’ll take us through the whole thing.

On Instagram, you’ve been asking what songs fans want on the setlist. Was there anything they were requesting early on that made you stop and go, ooh, maybe I actually should add that?

A lot of people were saying early, OG songs like “I Wish I’d Known,” which was the first song I put out in like 2013. I was not planning to play that song, but now I’ve got to go back and listen to it and relearn it. I also want to have moments where if somebody’s yelling from the crowd, you’ve got to play this song, I want to make sure that I can play it as well.

Performance outfits are half the fun of touring, and you’ve shared some try-on videos online. Talk to us about your on-stage style! How does it differ from your day-to-day fashion?

It differs quite a bit. I wouldn’t wear a sparkly dress—I’d actually probably be in sweatpants most of the time. But I always think that my stage style has the exaggerated outfits of my life. I love unique pieces. That process of shopping is so fun for me.

Opening these shows is our friend at Love at First Listen, Griffen Palmer. How did you connect, and how excited are you to have a fellow Canadian and labelmate on the road with you?

I actually cut a song that Griffen wrote called “Drinkin’ Songs,” so hopefully we’ll get to write some songs on the road too. But I’m really excited. His music’s incredible, and Canada has been the place that I have really been able to build a career. So, I always want to bring other Canadian acts out and support that industry because it does mean a lot to me and it is really the reason I get to do this for a living.

You’re also hosting your inaugural Country vs. Cancer benefit on November 20, where you’ll be joined in Nashville by Dustin Lynch, Walker Hayes, Lily Rose, and Nate Smith in support of the American Cancer Society. Why is it important for you to use your voice to amplify causes close to your heart?

What’s the point of having an audience if you can’t try to do some good with it too? I mean, making music and having people relate to your songs and being able to help get them through a hard time is incredible. But I do feel the responsibility to try to do more, and that cause is really close to my heart because my mom had breast cancer. So, this is raising money for all different types of cancers, but October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We had help in those times from family and friends and I want to be able to pay that forward as well.

Event poster announcing MacKenzie Porter's inaugural Country vs. Cancer benefit concert in Nashville on November 20, 2023.
After wrapping her debut Canadian headlining tour, MacKenzie Porter will head to Nashville to host her inaugural Country vs. Cancer benefit concert with former collaborators, labelmates, and other peers.

Spending so much time on the road, have you picked up any self-care secrets that help keep your mind, body, and voice healthy and ready for the next gig?

I definitely warm up for every show. I actually used to do a shot of vodka or something, but I’ve stopped doing that because I do feel like rest and keeping your body healthy when you’re going that much is so important. We do grueling days where it’s a 5 a.m. start, you travel all day and you play the show, and then you do it again the next day. So, I’m really trying to be healthy and clean to keep up with the schedule and not get rundown.

Do you have a message to send to your fans who will be seeing you at an upcoming show or to anyone who needs a final push to buy a ticket?

This Canadian tour is a first for me, so it’s a really special moment for me to get out and really thank people for the last five years or more of my career. They’ve shown up for me, and I hope we really show up for them on this tour. And after the show, I’m just going to be hanging out and meeting people and thanking people and taking pictures and all that until literally the last person leaves the venue. So, it will be a more intimate experience than just a regular show.

Continue Reading