Interview: Katy Mckenzie

[gallery type="slideshow" link="none" size="full" ids="143163"] What got you into music, and if you had not gotten into music what would you be doing today? I grew up around music at my grandma's house listening to Tejano and Country music. My grandpa played the guitar and accordion by ear! He died when I was still young but he had a great impact on my love for music and I know all my musical talent came from him. I definitely would still be playing music on my bedroom floor! But I’ve always dreamed of going to law school so I’d probably be doing that.   What do you like to do when you are not playing music and how does that influence your creativity? I love being active whether at the gym, hiking, swimming.  I love playing volleyball too! I honestly can’t sit still for long! When I can I definitely poor all my creativity into songwriting and designing up photo shoots and graphics for upcoming projects.   How long has music been your career? I’ve been giging since I was 17 and released my first EP when I was 18!   Where are you based out of and how did that influence your music? I’m based out of San Antonio.  There’s a lot of Country and a lot of Tejano.  I’ve only recently started adding some Tejano to my set because I don’t speak Spanish, much to my grandma's disappointment. But country music is big here and it’s definitely impacted my country's sound.   Tell me about the best and worst shows you have played. I’ve definitely had my fair share of bad shows but I won’t dwell on the negative. They were definitely good learning experiences! One of the best shows I’ve played was a writers round at the Saxon Pub in Austin, Tx. It was very intimate.  I love shows where you can see people’s faces and connect with them through your songs.   Tell me about your favorite venue to play at, and do you have any places you want to play that you have not already? One of my favorite venues to play at is The Rustic in San Antonio.  It’s always a great crowd and they treat their musicians so well there.  Love that place! Life goal is to play at the at&t center.  I’ve seen so many shows there it would be incredible to play there!   If you could play any show with any lineup, who would be on the ticket? The Eagles. Hands down.   What is some advice that you would give to someone who is just getting into music? Not everyone’s advice or opinion is good or right.   If you could go back in time and give yourself advice, what would it be? I actually have a song about this called Advice I Didn’t Take.  I honestly wouldn’t take any advice I gave myself anyway so nothing!   Of your songs which one means the most to you and why? I wrote a song called I Hope She Wants What She Gets.  It’s a letter to my future self.  Probably one of the most personal songs I ever wrote.  It’s on my TikTok!   Which songs are your favorite to play and which get requested the most? Definitely my drinking songs. Everybody loves drinking songs.   What is the creative process for you, and what inspires you to write your music? I am most inspired by other musicians/ writers and songs.  I am like hey that sounds awesome let’s do that but like my way.  I’ve also got to write on paper.  I can’t do laptops.   What kinds of messages do you like to get across in your music? I have a lot of humor in my songs. But it’s really deep, serious stuff disguised as humor which is kind of like my personality.   Do you ever have disagreements when collaborating and how do you get past them? Yeah, I mean everyone does.  That’s part of collaborating though, you don’t get everything how you want it.  You can’t win 'em all. Sometimes stuff I’ve really not liked grows on me though.   What are your plans for the future, and do you have anything that you want to spotlight that is coming up? I’ve just released the five songs I recorded in Nashville.  I’m looking to get back in the studio and record some more stuff.  I’m super excited about recording these new songs and I can’t wait for people to hear them!

Music-

     Katy Mckenzie's Music on Spotify

     https://music.apple.com/us/artist/katy-mckenzie/1101491722

     https://music.amazon.com/artists/B01EE9Q0OC/katy-mckenzie

Instagram-  https://www.instagram.com/katymckenzieofficial/

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YouTube- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1MywKiTYf7gVOLagHryMeg

Twitter- https://twitter.com/KatyMckenzieOfl