Jo Mackenzie
Jo MacKenzie is a singer/songwriter/producer from Kansas City.
She released her self-produced single “Lose My Face” on April 24th. The alternative-rock single came from her will to have a good time in social situations despite insecurities.
Innovative and unique, MacKenzie released her first project Proud in 2018. Inspired by the likes of Lorde, Twenty One Pilots and Sigrid, the 16 year old artist is creating her own musical identity by incorporating many genres in her music: rock, pop and hip-hop.
“Lose My Face” is now available worldwide.
Photo credit: Kylie
Introduce yourself - what's your story?
I am a 16-year-old songwriter, singer, and producer. I can remember starting to write music at a young age. At around seven, I would write lyrics in my room and formulate songs around those. As I grew older, I started incorporating piano and guitar and later software such as Logic and Ableton Live.
Could you describe us your childhood a little bit?
Growing up, my dad listened to a lot of music, in particular, classic rock. So, artists like Elton John and Billy Joel really inspired me at the beginning.
If you could say something to your younger self, what would you say?
If I could talk to my younger self, I would tell her to keep writing and to not care so much if something isn’t “perfect.”
What gave you the confidence to be an artist and release your original music?
As I continued to write music, my dad encouraged me to share it. One summer, my family and I went to Nashville where we recorded a few songs in a studio. One of those songs was “C.U.R.E.” which is the first song I ever released. Since then, I’ve grown as both a songwriter and producer. I now record in my home studio and release music more frequently.
How would you define Jo Mackenzie, the artist?
I would define Jo MacKenzie as an artist as “eclectic,” because I enjoy writing in many different styles, from rock to pop to hip hop.
"Lose My Face" is your new single - what's the story behind this song?
My latest single “Lose My Face” is definitely different from my previous releases. It came about through my want to have a good time in social situations despite insecurities.
Could you describe us the songwriting/production process? Who helped you create it?
Regarding the production of the song, I started out with a strong feeling and a love of drum and bass music. I tried out some drum patterns and then I tried out some rapping. For this song, getting the vocal rhythm down was difficult. As such, I sought help from another musician, Josh Johnson (otherwise known under the moniker “Ready Astronaut”), to make sure the rhythms were tight. Once I finished recording and producing the rest of the track, I sent the song off to Harper James, a very talented mixing engineer/apart of the band Eighty Ninety, to mix.
What do you like the most about this song?
My favorite part of the song is the high energy. Also, I love the allusions in the song. For example, in the first verse I say, “even Heath Ledger singing Frankie Valli can’t distract from the fact that I’m lonely.” Here, I am referencing the movie 10 Things I Hate About You and the scene where Heath Ledger sings Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.” I’m referencing it because I’m trying to say that even watching movies where there’s simulated love can’t make me forget that I’m lonely.
What made you want to release "Lose My Face" as a single?
I thought “Lose My Face” should be released as a single because I’d been trying to figure out what I wanted “my sound” to be for awhile and I felt like this song fit the bill (at least for now!).
What can you tell us about the artwork?
I had a lot of fun with the artwork for this song. I just wanted to create something that conveyed the song’s meaning visually. The background is a picture I took of a crowd at a concert, and the overlaying photos are of me with my face blocked out, as I’ve “lost my face.”
What do you like the most about creating your own music? Any challenges?
Creating music is a creative outlet for me. If I need to process through some emotions, I know songwriting will be there for me. And, hopefully, my songs will be there for other people going through the same thing.
What biggest lesson have you learned since your very first release?
The biggest lesson I've learned since my first release is to not care so much about what other people think. To be able to really enjoy the process, I have to be making music for me and no one else.
In your opinion, what would make the world a better place? What message do you want to give to the world?
I think the world would be a better place if we listened to each other more. I feel like a lot of us (me included sometimes) just hear what people say while actually thinking about what we ourselves are going to say next. I think if we actually deeply listened and thought about what the other person was saying before we responded, we would be able to work more effectively together and solve more problems in our society and world. Therefore, a message that I’d want to give the world would be to actively listen to each other so we could achieve more effective collaboration and understanding :)
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