Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Mackenzie Day. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Mackenzie , we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?
When I was in the first grade was when boys started telling me I shouldn’t have hairy legs. I remember the feeling deep rooted inside of me now at 24, and as memories of moments have faded there’s still a few that stand. It’s truly alarming how young kids are so quickly shifted into the older insecure teenagers, and I was one of them. I think something I always had and feel grateful to have had throughout my childhood was my passion, my calling, the desire to create, sing, dance and partake in anything that let me do that. I knew who I was in some capacity, however, when it came to confidence in self, within the way, people made me feel ugly about things I couldn’t control about my body… On things that society has labeled as masculine, taking the man out of human… I think that insecurity bled into my confidence in high school, and I unintentionally compared myself to other people’s beauty… and to what I was led to believe was the standard or particular way to be perceived. Yet, Through not seeing ourselves in the light that we deserve to be seen, we don’t fully see who we are. I’m a believer, that our highest beings of self radiate beauty and light and love… so internally, not feeling good enough and not worthy enough due to the way people made me feel as a child, and growing up… Was impairing my ability to become my most confident self, not only for myself, but for my art, and for my music. Once I began to work on myself, spending time with myself, devoting energy to care for myself and learn about myself, the things I once was made fun of or didnt felt enough because of, are the things I love the most about myself. I grow out my body hair where I want it when I want it, and I feel more hot internally and externally than ever before. If you’re open to the evolution of self, it’s an uncomfortable period of time and self sometimes but so worth it. My confidence and ability to show up authentically as myself has impacted my music in ways I never thought. I feel like you can hear it in my voice through the different eras of myself as time as gone on. It’s given me a gift to be bold with my words, fearless with my message and abundant in my mind. I can hear it in the way I talk to myself and the way I let people talk to me. The self love journey is forever a constant one, as I’m open to continue on the journey of discovery and exploration. it shows up in our lives, different forms of beauty once we begin to accept ours.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
Mackenzie Day is 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, she captures the human experience with a raw outlook. Living in the boxless realm of alternative indie rock/pop and soul-stirring R&B, Day emerges as the “Girl with No Curtains”. Born in Sydney, Australia, and raised in San Diego, California, Mackenzie is an uncomfortably honest writer with no care to hide her feelings, as her musical journey is a deep dive into her soul. Day draws influence from a wide variety of artists, including Amy Winehouse, Fiona Apple and Leon Bridges. She fearlessly dives into the depths of the human psyche, bringing forth a compelling narrative that echoes the universal journey of self-discovery. Her work serves as a mirror to societal norms, urging listeners to think beyond the ordinary and participate in the dissection of self and humanity. Mackenzie Day emerges not just as an artist but as a storyteller, an activist, and a guide through the intricate Mackenzie Day is 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, she captures the human experience with a raw outlook. Living in the boxless realm of alternative indie rock/pop and soul-stirring R&B, Day emerges as the “Girl with No Curtains”. Born in Sydney, Australia, and raised in San Diego, California, Mackenzie is an uncomfortably honest writer with no care to hide her feelings, as her musical journey is a deep dive into her soul. Day draws influence from a wide variety of artists, including Amy Winehouse, Fiona Apple and Leon Bridges. She fearlessly dives into the depths of the human psyche, bringing forth a compelling narrative that echoes the universal journey of self-discovery. Her work serves as a mirror to societal norms, urging listeners to think beyond the ordinary and participate in the dissection of self and humanity. Mackenzie Day emerges not just as an artist but as a storyteller, an activist, and a guide through the intricate pathways of existence. She brings an authentic voice to the forefront of the music scene, inviting us to confront the uncomfortable truths and embrace the beauty of the human experience. of existence. She brings an authentic voice to the forefront of the music scene, inviting us to confront the uncomfortable truths and embrace the beauty of the human experience. Went to Berklee college of music, as a songwriter major, and has had the same dream her entire life. Through different life experiences, family hardships, adulting, and mental health obstacles, Day has pushed through it all and used music as the outlet. constantly working from one project to the next, as writing is the tool used for expression outlet and communication. New EP project is coming this year, first single will be out hopefully April/may, and project out this summer.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
No one is going to convince you to keep going; to keep going after your dreams… You have to be the one at the end of the day who believes in your art so much that it doesn’t matter what anyone says. You don’t let anything or anyone stop you from going after your dreams…for me, I think I have a work ethic that some would call amazing… I think work ethic is purely drive, and I am solely going after what brings me, joy and passion…always building the next project because life is always building around me and if I’m not living and writing what am I doing this all for? So work ethic, passion, and honesty… for me, authenticity is so crucial to this industry, as I feel like the industry has forgotten what it’s truly like to be an artist, who can’t be controlled by what others think, or say, who change the perspective; who make room to be perceived, and assumptions to Soley show you a more raw version of self… I would consider myself pretty honest in my music, nothing is typically made up, usually, I’m always writing about real experiences, and people and situations that inspire me… Utilizing this wild life that we live as content, communication, pathways, and understanding the human experience…for me, music has always been the escape, so to tell a story that isn’t mine just doesn’t feel right… To allow a space to create with full form of acceptance, and telling the truth… Helps me learn more about myself than anything… To be able to build my career doing something I love and something that’s an outlet for me. It’s truly the dream. my advice for those just beginning their journey… know that you’re on the right path if the journey feels good… There’s gonna be a lot of discomfort within this journey, but if there’s those moments you can hold onto that remind you why you’re doing what you’re doing… You’re in the right place. I think it’s all about being honest with the self, and doing what you love, and what brings you joy and purpose… Without purpose, it can be hard to understand your existence on this planet.. hone into who you are, and everything else will come together. don’t give up on yourself because usually the moment you do is right when it’s around the corner, anything is possible, be a daydreamer. Remember most people are projecting so anyone who makes you feel that you’re unworthy of accomplishing something, probably never went after their dreams or never even learned what their dream was. You’re the only you, dont let comparison get in the way of your own authentic path!
Looking back over the past 12 months or so, what do you think has been your biggest area of improvement or growth?
A year ago I felt like I was way more stuck in my ego mindset…stuck in the fear, stuck with more tears, feeling like I wasn’t where I wanted to be or was “supposed to be” yet… A year ago was really the first year being outside of the school system for myself since graduating berklee, college music…When I moved to LA right out of college, it didn’t really slap across my face until a couple months in, that this is the life I am now building for myself, and it’s gonna come with a lot of obstacles and trail & error, growing evolving, and success… I think within this year, I had a lot of thoughts on what success means to me… So much of the time we look for this external validation in this world, on the number of streams we have, on the number of people coming to our shows, on peoples opinions, etc.… But at the end of the day everyone’s gonna have their own perception of what success is… and unfortunately, in this industry, it takes huge numbers for this societal acknowledgment of the hard work, that’s gotten you to the mountain that you’ve been climbing up…Honing into my own success because I know I am successful no matter what happens. Because I’m sticking with myself, im creating and going after what I love, that to me is success. And this is one of the biggest lessons I’m still learning… The past year I’ve been throwing myself into the world, gigging consistently for the first time ever in my life, working on the next upcoming projects, working on myself, my intuition, my spirituality, my being… Honing into my purpose and what brings me joy and inspires me. My drive and reason for purpose has only cemented through the constant feeling of failure and detachment of outcome. I am so proud of myself for changing my mindset and stagnant thoughts…I have grown into myself, into my artistry, into more of who I want to be and project into the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://mackenziedaymusic.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mackenziedayy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067575520782
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRB6BccHoAI21LJ14fsinzg
- Other: https://songwhip.com/mackenzieday
Image Credits
Cole Nelson Tiffany Mortenson
